Happy Valentine’s Day for yesterday everyone! In Japan the custom is for girls to give chocolates to boys and, delightfully, that extends to friends and teachers. Rod and I were both smothered with chocolates and baked goodies. Quite overwhelming.
What was still around when I got to take this picture
The day was also a great excuse to bake something special… milktart! The magic ingredients, custard powder and corn flour, are hard to come by this side of the globe but luckily we were sent some. Thanks Mom! It was a real treat.
It’s Valentines day, my first in Japan, and there’s a buzz in the office. All around me men are getting boxes of chocolates from the female staff. Even I’ve got some sitting on my desk, and I got cookies from my wife’s students on the walk in. In Japan, Valentines day is about girls and women giving chocolates to friends. In the West, we focus on our love relationships. Love (and friendship) has many faces, but it’s essence is universal.
Role-playing too, is becoming increasingly universal. While I’d guess that most games come from the United States, places like Europe and Asia have developed their fair share of systems and even Africa has a number of systems to it’s credit. But hold on a moment. Am I comparing LOVE to role-playing? Sure, many people love the game, but really? Hear me out…
I think generally we only think of love in a limited way, throwing friendship from the definition. I’m coming from the position that friendship is just a kind of none romantic love, but to make it simpler I’ll just refer to friendship from here on out. Role-playing is about fun, first and foremost. It’s also about social contract, the spoken and unspoken rules of how we interact at the table. Because of social contract, role-playing can be a really good place to build friendships. A photo from some of my role-playing buddies back home was a good reminder to me of just how meaningful the friendships we build through playing can be. We invest in each others lives through this strange game and real bonds are formed.
But role-playing has caused it’s fair share of broken friendships. Enough stories float around of bad games. At the core of this problem, I think, is social contract again, or lack thereof. Both GM’s and players need to work hard to communicate their likes, dislikes and fears. Everyone needs to listen too. By the very nature of the game, it works best when everyone works together. Are we, as GM’s and players, really listening to what everyone else is saying when we sit down to play. Are we hearing the concerns voiced in a joke, or the worry behind a question. Are we reading body language? Are we failing a spot check on fears?
This Valentines day, let’s love like God intended, looking past ourselves and to the feelings of others. Let’s build better friendships and a better game.
Mastery is not about perfection. It’s about a process, a journey. The master is the one that stays on the path, day after day, year after year. The master is the one that is willing to try, and fail, and try again, for as long as he or she lives.
George Leonard – Mastery He is / was a 5th dan in Aikido Thanks Maarten for this one.
2011 was great. 2012 will be even better. Why? Well, life is what we make of it, after all, and this is what I think 2012 has in store for Julia and me.
Japanamazing
We’re in Japan, working, living and learning. I think 2012 will see more opportunities as we get even more at home here, learning the language and travelling. Our goals for this year are to learn more Japanese, to travel and experience more of Japan and for me to take Iaido to the max and finally get some rank to my name. Most importantly we’ll be putting more effort into finding a Church.
Marriageamazing
This year we’ll reach three years of marriage, and it just gets better all the time. Julia is super and truly is my better half, we are growing all the time. Being able to face the highs and lows of Japan together has been so good, and we are looking forward to growing and strengthening our relationship together.
Creatamazing
Last year I managed to write a novel, wow, I can’t really believe that (okay, still needs a few more words to reach my target, but it’s close enough). I’ve also been pumping out the blog posts at Rising Phoenix Games, including a whole solo campaign for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game that includes three maps I made. I’m also writing for a small project Julia and I are working on for foreign English learners, but more on that later. 2012 will see more writing and creativity, hopefully with something going up on Drive Thru RPG by the end of this month even.
I hope…
That your 2012 is full of promise and that you manage to grab all the right opportunities and hear God’s call for your life. Have a great 2012 everyone!
So, being this cold (-9°C) can really bring a guy down. Especially when you’re from Sunny South Africa, where -2 is super cold and usually only something you feel if your up during the coldest part of the night. So, when the opportunity came to turn “C-c-c-c-cold” into “Woohoo” we were super keen.
I’ve skied before, back in Salt Lake City in America, but that was only for about two hours, and we had no idea how a day in the snow would be. Skiing was fun, despite spending most of my time in the snow, and I always wanted to try snowboarding, because as the saying goes: “you always look cooler when you fall on a snowboard.”
So a bunch of us went up to Minakami station, grabbed equipment and then headed for the slopes with an instructor from Australia.
Proper snowboarding kit: the red panda hat is the most important item. Even more important than the board.
We learnt how to “skate” with one foot locked in, for boarding the snow lift, and how to “heel-slide” with the side of the board, then headed up with the lift. The view was absolutely amazing, snow was falling as we went up, my first experience of snow fall. It was truly beautiful.
Then, after tumbling off the ski lift, we learnt how to “toe slide” and how to fall properly (the falling comes naturally). That was the end of the theory, the rest was all good practical practice.
Julz pulls off a difficult “toe-side half twist, back Morgan, 1080° Falsie”
The day was good fun, and I’m already planning my next trip. Anyone have a pair of size 30 snowboard boots they don’t need for the rest of the winter?
The New York Times recently published an article about Wizards of the Coast’s announcement of the next iteration of Dungeons and Dragons. I had heard rumours. I wonder if they ever considered just running with the games they have, like what Pathfinder is doing?
Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Publishing, LLC. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Publishing, LLC does not guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse this product.
Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more information on the compatibility license.
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under license. See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
This content produced in terms of the Open Game License, a copy of which is available here.
This is the final instalment in our four part series, which started with chapter one, continued with chapter two and chapter three last week, and now comes to its climactic end. Be sure to read those posts before you continue with this one.
If you captured Lazar you can now pump him for information. Make an intimidate check of DC 10. If you succeed read the block below.
“Agh! Stop! stop!” Lazar squeals, his good eye wide with terror. “I’ll tell you everything.” He squirms uncomfortably, trying to inch away from you, but ready to talk. He details to you how he and his men were hired by a group known as the Sentinels, a secret organisation who offered a good reward in gold to bring Rotham to them. Lazar never actually met with anyone from the group, but he was to take Rotham under cover of darkness to the Sentinel Inn, where he supposes the organisation gets their name. He suggests that if you want more answers you’ll need to go poke around there.
If you get nothing from Lazar you can head out of the sewer, meeting up again with Rotham if you left him behind. Rothams own investigations have lead him to suspect something going on at the Sentinel Inn, and he’ll want to strike there now. You have an hour to rest up before heading out again. Any prisoners are locked up near the exit to the sewers.
The Sentinel Inn
The Sentinel Inn is a nondescript building within the main walls of the city. It is old but reasonably kept, possibly one of the oldest buildings in South Fort.
Download and print this map for todays adventure.
The adventure plays out like a mini dungeon map. There are three possible entrances into the inn, and these are listed below. You can try any and all entrances until you get in, then follow the numbered map below.
Breaking and Entering
You can try getting in through the front door, the stable doors or through the chimney, since there’s no fire rising from it. The Sentinel Inn is a two story building but all the windows are too small to fit through, even for small characters.
The Front Door
This is a double good wooden door, and is currently locked. Through a small window you can see an empty hallway beyond the doors. A Disable Device DC of 21 is required to get through the lock. Getting through the door brings you to room 2.
The Stable Doors
The stable has double doors on both sides of it, except that the Northern doors are blocked on the outside by a pile of crates, barrels and other discarded items. You can make a stealth check (DC 8 ) and a perception check (DC 14) to find a small hole through the crates which any small character can sneak through. If you fail the stealth check the crates clatter to the ground, possibly alerting occupants of the inn, but you can still use the hole if you find it, leading to room 1. The Southern door is a simple door with a lock (Disable Device DC 20). You can attempt to break down the door with your shoulder (DC 15 Strength Check). However, you can hear the sound of horses on the inside of the stables. Getting through the door brings you to room 1.
The Chimney
The chimney is large enough for a person to climb through, except that reaching it will be difficult. To climb up to the roof requires a DC 10 Climb check and you must make a second check of DC 15 to climb down on the inside of the chimney. If you have any rope you can reduce the DC to 10. If you fail you take D6 wounds from the fall (we’ll assume you fall from half way up of the 20 foot climb. Success brings you to room 2.
Inside the Inn
Refer to this map and read each room description given below once you enter it. If at any point you wish to leave the inn you can go to entry 7 below.
Map Reference. See the corresponding entries below.
Room 1 – The Stables
The room is dark but you can see that two horses are stabled here. If you made a noise coming in they are stamping, snorting and generally making a noise. You can make a Handle Animal check, DC 10, to silence both animals (roll once). Otherwise, after three rounds two men come to see what’s happening and you’ll have to fight them, whether or not your still in the stables.
You can search the room (DC 10) to find 30′ of rope. A door leads from this room into room 2.
Room 2 – The Passage
This room is quiet. If you came in through the chimney or search the chimney make a DC 12 Perception check. If you’re successful you find a roll of papers in a leather tube. The papers are blank way-bills similar to the one found in the bandits lair.
Doors from this room lead into rooms 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. You can also leave via the main doors or through the chimney if you wish. The stairs lead up to the second story which is a series of empty guest rooms, all completely bare except for bed racks.
Room 3 – The Book Cook
The door to this room is locked (DC 20). It’s a good wooden door. You cannot see anything through the key hole, something is covering it, but you can hear someone moving about inside. If you manage to bash the door down in one round or pick the lock you get a surprise round against the occupant of the room. If not, or if you broke down the main doors to the inn, you find him standing ready for you. Otherwise this grey haired, portly man, is sitting at his desk, writing in a journal. You can attack him or threaten him. If you fight him, use the stats for Dominic Gladstone below, he attempts to run, but will fight if you have him cornered. If you wish to threaten him make an intimidate check at DC 10. If you fail he calls out and a henchman arrives in 3 rounds. If you succeed he hands you a journal, explaining that he wants only to live and this book contains all the evidence you will need to put the sentinels away for a long time.
If you search the room you find 100 gold pieces in a locked strong box. The lock is DC 25 and the hardness of the box is 8 with 60 hit points and a break DC of 25. The key is around Dominic’s neck.
From this room you can go back to room 2.
Room 4 – Guard Room
The door to this room is open and you can see movement inside. If you pass a stealth check (DC 10) and didn’t alert the horses in room 1, you can take a surprise round against the occupants of this room. There are 3 henchmen in this room, – 1 for everyone you have already faced.
Searching the room turns up some fine clothing worth 12 gold pieces.
From this room you can go back to room 2.
Room 5 – Master Mind
This door is open and ajar. You cannot see anyone from where you stand but you can tell that the room bends around out of sight.
If you’ve had no combat in the inn so far, and if you didn’t make any noise entering you get a surprise round on the occupant of this room, who is working at his desk with his back to you. Otherwise he is hiding on his bed in the darkness, make a perception check (DC 12) or he surprises you. He makes a single attack and then flees through the window and onto the roof. You can follow him with a DC 10 climb check.
Once on the roof go to the final showdown below.
Room 6 – We Paid To Be Left Alone
The door to this room is locked. It’s a simple wooden door with a lock DC of 19. Looking through the key hole you can the dim light of candles and you can hear giggles coming from within. If you get inside read the passage that follows.
A fat man with a thinning hair line and rosy cheeks is tickling a woman with elaborately styled hair, who squirms around and then freezes when she sees you, letting out a loud scream. “What’s the meaning of this?” the man shouts, “we paid to be left alone!”
It’s obvious these two will not be getting in your way, so you make your apologies and close the door as best as you can when you leave.
This room leads back to 2.
The Final Showdown
It has started to rain outside and as you climb up onto the roof Cedric turns to Rotham and spits out in loathing “So Rotham, you found me. Well done, but now what? You won’t get any medals for this.”
“I’m not after medals Wolfheart, I’m after rats like you!” Rotham draws his sword and aims it at Cedric. “I think it’s time you came clean.”
The rain has made the steep slate roof slippery and treacherous. If anyone is hit make a reflex save to avoid falling (DC 10). If you fall make a further DC 10 save to grab onto the gutter or take 2d6 damage from the fall. Cedric aims to knock you or Rotham off the roof, switching his attacks between the two of you. Once you have played three rounds of combat read the block below.
There is a flash of light and your night vision is robbed from you. You blink to clear your vision, the rain driving into your eyes making it no easier. When you finally clear your vision you see that Cedric has disappeared, leaving behind a burn mark on the roof and smoke that drifts up into the rain filled sky.
If you manage to defeat Cedric before he escapes, well done. You have completed the mission successfully. If not, if he managed to escape, well then that is an adventure for another day. You’ve still uncovered major goings on in South Fort, and helped Rotham in no small way. Well done adventurer. If you were defeated then hopefully some other hero will be along shortly to avenge you, perhaps another character played by you!
Inventory: Blue Coat, MWK Long sword, Leather Armour, Light Crossbow (15 bolts), 15 gold pieces.
Tactics: Cedric tries to surprise attack anyone who enters his room, then flees through the window, climbing up to the roof (DC 10 climb check).
THE END
Well, that’s the end of the solo campaign, for now. Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment. Keep an eye open for the PDF version coming soon that will include higher quality maps, more adventure option and the final battle with Wolfheart and his magic wielding accomplice.
The cold in Gunma can really make a South African blue, especially when you consider how great South African weather is. Knowing how to keep warm is essential if you want to get out and make the most of your time in Japan. Here are some tips learnt from the master – Ray Mears.
Dress in Layers
Long legged thermal underwear and a Heat Tech t-shirt from Uni Qlo with warm long socks makes and excellent first layer. I prefer bamboo socks myself, but Uni Qlo also sells a bunch of Heat Tech and dry socks. Unfortunatly I found these socks can sometimes be quite tight on bigger feet (I’m a Japan size 30, which means 30 cm).
Over this first layer I’ve gotten away with any kind of pants, including my suit pants. I found a great pare of casual pants at Sanki that are a bit warmer than anything I brought over. Add to this a hoody or fleece jacket, or a hoody and a fleece for extra cold days and you should be warm indoors.
For the final layer a wind and waterproof jacket with gloves, a beanie and a scarf with preferably waterproof boots or shoes should keep you warm enough in the wind outside. The wind in Shibukawa can get very strong and very cold, so any kind of wind breaker is a must. I also think that a beanie is one of the most important items because you loose most of your body heat through your head, and wool is probably much better than cotton.
Conduction
If you touch something cold you loose body heat through conduction. This is why insulation from clothes and through things like carpets is so important for keeping warm. If something is wet it looses heat even faster, so staying dry and being able to get dry is important. Again, layers come in very handy here. If you can take off a wet jacket and dry it, you can potentially maintain more heat.
A good example of the effect of conduction can be illustrated with my Christmas present from my folks, a pair of sheep skin slippers. The inside is wool and the outside is leather with rubber souls. Before the slippers I was walking around in my socks, since you take your shoes off inside, and getting much colder. Now I’m much warmer, since I’m loosing less heat through my feet.
Diet
Obviously more Vitamin C is important, since it’s easier to get sick. Eating enough and drinking enough, and just staying healthy, are vital. We’ve lost much of the fat we had from our South African diet, so making an effort to eat protein is, I think, important.
Survival Skills and Thriving Skills
The more time I spend learning survival skills from guys like Ray Mears, Bear Grylls and John Wiseman, the more I’ve come to realise that survival skills, when mastered and used, lead to thriving. Take for instance the idea of establishing and keeping a routine. This will help you survive in a survival situation, and will help you thrive in life too, since the more you practice something the better you get at it.
Today I used a little hammer called a Mekuginuki for the first time. It’s a little brass hammer with a removable punch that you use to knock out the pegs that hold a katana together. I won’t go into detail here, YouTube has all the explanation you could want, or check out this site for a good walk through of the process: www.toyamaryu.org. The reason for taking the sword apart was because I can’t bring the blade into Japan, so it has been held at Narita airport. By taking the sword apart I could at least get back all the furnishings of the sword and I also managed to extend the time they will keep the blade, giving me more time to organise it a trip home. The moral of the story really is don’t bother bringing a sword to Japan unless it’s licensed in Japan. Even if you’ve been doing Japanese martial arts for years and think you know how the system works. Even if your sword is not sharpened. Even if everyone else says you’ll be fine to bring it in. Don’t do it!
Chiba
Narita Airport is not in Tokyo, it’s in Chiba, a prefecture bordering on Tokyo and almost surrounded by sea. It was a perfect excuse to head to the beach today with one of the JTE’s (Japanese Teachers of English) from my school who had offered to take us around. We watched the surf, looking out over the Pacific and ate naartjies and fish palony (it’s better than it sounds) and enjoying the view.
We’ve been watching the HBO series, The Pacific, which is almost like a follow on of Band of Brothers. Watching that, visiting Okinawa and seeing the ocean has made being in Japan all the more meaningful. You start to understand that Japan is so definitely tied to the ocean. Japan lives off the sea, suffers from the seas ills and has changed in a unique way because it was for so long protected by the sea from foreign invasion (both cultural and military). Understanding the history of this unique and amazing nation can hopefully give some insight into how to best teach English to our students.
There were a bunch of other interesting sights today, and I’ll run through them quickly because I’m overdue for sleep: Up before the sun and back after it was long down. Saw the Pacific Ocean, Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Narita Airport, got my sword apart and extended the time they will keep it by a whole year, saw some interesting sites, including a massive statue, wind turbines, tsunami damaged houses, interesting flags on bamboo flying from boats in celebration of the new year and the ever prevalent weird food.
It was a whirlwind tour.
Hopefully we’ll do a joint post on Okinawa soon, which was a blast. We’re also heading to Disney Land in a few days (despite the cold), and hopefully we’ll blog on that too, now that we’re enjoying super fast Internet.
Till next time. Sayonara! ?????(AKA: Rodney, AKA: Rodonii, AKA: sensei, AKA: teacher, AKA: Suron-sensei)
Well, it’s just about 2012 as I write this, but never fear, I’m about to get into the spirit of New Years Eve. I can’t believe a whole year has flown past. Anyway, I’ll leave that for another post. For now, the next installment of our exciting solo campaign. Enjoy.
Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Publishing, LLC. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Publishing, LLC does not guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse this product.
Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more information on the compatibility license.
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under license. See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
This content produced in terms of the Open Game License, a copy of which is available here.
Sentinels Watching is a mini solo campaign using the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game for a level one (1) character. Everything is provided here so you can jump straight in, or, if you want to run this game for a player, there’s enough here to get you started.
This is the third instalment in our exciting adventure in the city of South Fort. If you haven’t already played through the first scene, please head there now. The second chapter can be found here, and you’ll need to play that for this post to make any sense.
Chapter 3 – The Bandits Lair
You arrive at a dimly lit tunnel, with candles burning on the tops of crates that are obviously from old plunder. They appear empty and some have rotted through from the damp air. There is no guard posted at the entrance of what must be the bandits lair, and you have time to organize a surprise attack. should you wish. Make a stealth check at DC 9. If you succeed you get a surprise round in your favor when the combat begins.
The lair is a simple affair, set up in a dry stone cistern of the sewers. A small fire burns in a pit, warming the contents of a battered pot and providing a flickering light in the room. A table made from tressels and planks of rotting wood takes up the center of the room. On top of the table are spilt the contents of a broken chest, a mass of gold pieces, a necklace of pearls on a silver chain and some crumpled papers. Six chairs sit on either side of the table, two of which are occupied by dirty, travel stained men, the others are empty. On the far side of the table, on a ledge of stone, sits a gaudy throne of yellow painted wood, in which an ugly, angry man sits arguing with those below him, spittle flying from his lips. An ugly scar covers the left side of his face and his ruined eye, while his good eye seems ready to pop out with rage.
You may attack at now, or if you have passed the stealth check, you can listen in. If you are listen to the conversation read the block below.
“I don’t care Dungie, things are bad enough, we lose that bloody Blue Coat and now you rob someone under the protection of the bloody Sentinels. They’ll skin us alive they will. Tell me, Dungie, who employs us?”
A shorter man with a leather skull cap and nervous sweat dripping down his forehead answers “The… the… the Sentinals do, but I…”
The man on the throne cuts him off. “Really Dungie, you’re not as stupid as you look. Let’s just hope we can fix this mess before it gets any worse. Where are all the others?”
At this point something catches the man on the thrones ear and he holds up a hand for silence. Now’s the time to fight.
Play the encounter out as a normal combat encounter, using the map below. You get to roll for the bandits and Rotham as well, use the listings in posts one and post two of this campaign. There are two bandits and their leader, each who start on a section of the map with a chair. The bandits react to your attack by getting between you and their leader, and if you are with Rotham they divide their attack between the two of you. Their leader, Lazar, shouts directions to his men and every second turn throws various objects at you or Rotham (Roll to decide who he targets). They fight until they can all safely escape, or if the two bandits fall Lazar will give up, pleading for his life, so that you or Rotham can manacle him. If anyone escapes you can continue the chase into the sewers as you see fit.
Click here to download the full sized map.
The Merchants Treasure
The loot on the table belonged to a merchant, who you now suppose has new use for his treasure for the amount of blood on the broken chest. There are 40 gold pieces and the silver and pearl necklace is worth 100 gp. The papers contain letters and cargo manifests, mostly detailing cargo of linens and silks from the Southern Pirate Ports. One letter stands out though and is reproduced below, it is dated from some two days ago.
Tactics: Lazar throws his dagger when he’s sure he’ll get a kill, otherwise he picks up bottles littering the table and the area around his throne.
The quest isn’t over just yet. Continue the fight for justice in Chapter 4, the final scene. For more information on Avernos, the setting of Sentinels Watching, head over here.
Merry Christmas everybody! I’m currently enjoying a ride through Naha, Okinawa, with my wife Julia and have a quick moment to post the next instalment of the adventure. I hope you’re enjoying it, leave a comment and let me know.
Legal
Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Publishing, LLC. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Publishing, LLC does not guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse this product.
Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more information on the compatibility license.
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under license. See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
This content produced in terms of the Open Game License, a copy of which is available here.
Rules
Sentinels Watching is a mini solo campaign using the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game for a level one (1) character. Everything is provided here so you can jump straight in, or, if you want to run this game for a player, there’s enough here to get you started.
This is the second instalment in our exciting adventure in the city of South Fort. If you haven’t already played through the first scene, please see last weeks post.
Scene 2 – Smells Like Rat
Once the brawl is over you can get aquainted with Rotham. If you were defeated you awake with a throbbing skull and a swollen eye one hour later, with Rotham dumping cold water over you to revive you. You heal 2 hit points of non-lethal damage per character level for the 2 hours of rest you get before things move on again.
Rotham is glad to see you again, and even happier that you responded so quickly to his message. He explains that he has discovered the hideout of some bandits. Their lair is in the sewers. Furthermore, he suspects they have ties to a larger crime syndicate within the town and may have some corrupt Blue Coats in their pay. “You see,” he continues, “they were on to me. The bandits captured me and took me to their lair. I was lucky to escape and I want to hit back before they have too much time to recover. So that’s why I need your help, I need someone I can trust. I should be able to find them again easily enough, but I need more hands if I’m going to bring them in. Their leader, Lazar, should be worth a fair reward.”
You know Rotham rather well. He’s an old friend that you met through a master of yours and he’s been very good to you in the past. Rotham offers you 25 gold coins for each criminal you help bring to justice. He will also supply you with extra gear for the task ahead.
You can decide to leave Rotham behind, and if you do read the section marked Lone Blade, otherwise read the section headed Lawmakers below.
Lone Blade
Rotham has marked out the route on a piece of cloth for you?It is not a very good map, but it will help. At this point Rotham leaves and you’re on your own.
Lawmakers
Rotham hands you a lantern with enough oil for two hours. He also offers you the following items, take what you want you wish.
A long sword
A dagger
A sling and 15 pellets
50’ of hemp rope
3 Sacks
A pair of manacles
He also gives you a potion of Cure Light Wounds, telling you to save it for an emergency. If you get into combat, play Rotham as you would your own character. He acts on his own initiative round and follows your orders.
Navigating the Sewer
The tunnels are pitch black and it is a dark, moonless night outside, so you’ll have to use a source of light to see, see the “Vision and Light” section in the Additional Rules of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Download the tiles from the Lunatic Labyrinth and print them out, preferably on card stock, or laminate the sheet and cut out each tile. Lay them out randomly in front of you with the start and end tiles on opposite corners of the map. Use a counter to mark your position (if Rotham is with you he stays with you, so only one token is enough).
You move through the maze one tile at a time, spending “rotations” to navigate the mass of tunnels and pipes in that section. Each rotation lets you rotate a map tile by a quarter turn left or right. The actual sewer is not moving, this is just an abstraction to make solo play more interesting.
You gain the following number of free rotations:
If Rotham is with you +4
On a successful Knowledge Dungeoneering check of DC 16 +3
Having Rothams map +2
Magical sight +2
Using a pet or familiar that is small, tiny or fine to scout for you, assuming it can, then +2
You must subtract the following penalties:
Being blind or without a light source -4
Total up and use any free rotations whenever you wish, while any negative rotations must be played out on the start tile.
Time spent in the sewer brings a chance of encountering bandits or other inhabitants of the sewer: on each rotation and each move to a new tile, roll a d100 and consult the table below. Free rotations don’t require a roll, as a result of good navigation.
(d100) Sewer Encounter Table
1-90: Nothing but you and the sewer rats.
91: You find some barrels, roll on the treasure table.
92-94: You hear claws scraping on the sewer floor and turn to see a dire rat scrambling after you.
95: You find some open crates, roll on the treasure table.
96-98: You hear a shout and someone comes running at you from the darkness brandishing a club. It’s a bandit.
99: You find some sacks, obviously loot gathered by the bandits, roll on the treasure table.
100: See Old Tom below. *
(d10) Bandits Loot Table
5 coppers worth of goods.
A map of this section of the sewer, +2 rotations.
3 pieces of quartz, worth 3d6 silver each.
A tarnished dagger, still good but only worth 2 silver.
5 arrows.
10 silver pieces
3 gold worth of linens.
5 gp worth of trade goods.
10 gp worth of art items.
10 gp and 2 more rolls
Old Tom
Old Tom can only be found once. An old beggar who lives in the sewer near a drain from the richer part of town. Tom lives on a platform where the rats can’t reach him and has been ignored by the bandits. Make a Diplomacy check when you meet him, DC 12. If you pass he explains the way through the next section of the sewers, giving you +3 rotations. If you wish to attack Tom you must make a DC 15 climb check to get onto his platform as he tries to beat you down with his gnarled walking stick.
Once you’ve made it through the maze of the sewers you arrive at a dimly lit tunnel, with candles burning on the tops of crates of old plunder, the crates appear empty and some have rotted through from the damp air. You can hear the sound of arguing up ahead…
Head over to the next post for an exciting encounter with the bandit chief and a whole new map.
Skills: Stealth +1, Knowledge Local +1, Perception +1.
Feats: Dodge
Inventory: Scale mail, club, torch, 1d6gp.
Tactics: Flees after receiving 5 or more wounds.
Dire Rat
See the Pathfinder® Roleplaying Game Bestiary™.
Tactics: Flees after receiving 3 or more wounds.
The quest isn’t over just yet. Continue the fight for justice in Chapter 3. For more information on Avernos, the setting of Sentinels Watching, head over here.
