Interlude 15: Info on the Drow/Darklands

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setanta14
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Interlude 15: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by setanta14 »

Since we have some time on our hands while the magic rituals are prepared to transform us into drow, is there any resource forthcoming to us to gain more information on the Darklands that we will be going into?

If we are to successfully impersonate drow, do we know their language? (it is the same as elven?)

Even knowing some vague geographic details would help, so maybe the Pathfinder Society has info they might share?
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NukeHavoc
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by NukeHavoc »

setanta14 wrote:Since we have some time on our hands while the magic rituals are prepared to transform us into drow, is there any resource forthcoming to us to gain more information on the Darklands that we will be going into?
None Almost nothing is known about this area. It is deeper than anyone has ever gone before; it is as alien a world as can be imagined by anyone living on the surface. We're talking deeper than the ancient dwarven homelands, before the Quest for Sky. In Golarion the drow are the whisper of a myth -- the fact that you know they are real is a *huge* deal. Even the elves of Crying Leaf know very little about the drow save that what they've gleaned from surface battles. The revelation that the dark elves travelled through a corrupted elf gate rocked their community.

The divination that revealed the gate leads to a vault deep below the earth was itself a revelation; no one knew if the drow were on Golarion, on a distant planet, or even on a shadow plane.
If we are to successfully impersonate drow, do we know their language? (it is the same as elven?)
The magic that transforms you will allow you to comprehend and speak the drow language, which is an ancient variant of elven.
Even knowing some vague geographic details would help, so maybe the Pathfinder Society has info they might share?
You're going to a place no one has been before. Even the Pathfinder Society has never delved this deeply. The Darkland races might know something ... but you have no contact with them. You will be explorers in a strange land ... and far beyond help.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'll try and be a tad more quiet as I desperately struggle to break free -- and save all creation!" -- Doctor Strange
setanta14
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by setanta14 »

Ok, do any of the captured journals or notes make reference to individuals or specific places? We might not know where any of these beings or places are, or how to get to them, or much context about them, but then at least we might know who and where to ask about, or mention (or use spells to divine more).
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erilar
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by erilar »

NukeHavoc wrote: The magic that transforms you will allow you to comprehend and speak the drow language, which is an ancient variant of elven.
Hearing this, ruling requested: Does it make story sense to wait until LVL 10 to take Linguistics/Drow, since I will then have had major exposure to the language, or has our combat time in Selwynvian and the Echo been enough?
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EvilGenius
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by EvilGenius »

On a related meta-note, I'm really not that excited about continuing to run Tholyr. He's ok but as we get higher in level I find myself more and more unhappy with him (at least as my primary character). However, I don't necessarily want to bring in a new character if a compentent Rogue is going to be super useful to the party now compared to say, a cleric or paladin.

So Ken, I'm strongly considering bringing in a dwarven cleric or a human paladin (or maybe a dwarven paladin). Without giving anything away, which character do you think would be more appropriate/needed for the rest of Second Darkness?
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EvilGenius
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by EvilGenius »

I've decided that I'm going to swap out for a Dwarven Paladin of Torag. If possible I'd like to 'carry over' some of the magical items from Tholyr (clansman to clansman to help save the world, etc). I'm just not happy with the way Tholyr developed, and no small part of that is the way his personality developed. I can play 'edgy-slightly-evil' for a short time but it's not satisfying or enjoyable for me. And of course, I miss playing a divinely focused character. :)

Here's the statblock for my new character, Valkur of Clan Baar'Arrd, Devotee of Torag.

Valkur (Divine Wall)
Male Dwarf Paladin 9
LG Medium Humanoid (dwarf)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 25, touch 10, flat-footed 25 (+11 armor, +4 shield)
hp 76 (9d10+18)
Fort +11, Ref +6, Will +11; +2 vs. poison, spells, and spell-like abilities
Defensive Abilities defensive training, fortification 25%; Immune charm, disease, fear
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee
+1 Spell Storing Cold Iron Warhammer +12/+7 (1d8+3/x3) and
Heavy Shield Bash +11/+6 (1d4+2/x2) and
Ranged
Masterwork Throwing axe +12/+7 (1d6+2/x2)
Special Attacks hatred, smite evil (3/day)
Spell-Like Abilities Detect Evil (At will)
Paladin Spells Prepared (CL 6):
2 (2/day) Resist Energy, Remove Paralysis
1 (3/day) Protection from Evil, Bless Weapon, Divine Favor
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 14, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16
Base Atk +9; CMB +11; CMD 21 (25 vs. Bull Rush, 25 vs. Trip)
Feats Alignment Channel (Evil), Channel Smite, Craft Magic Arms & Armor, Extra Lay on Hands, Extra Mercy
Traits Reactionary, Scholar of the Great Beyond (Knowledge [history])
Skills Acrobatics -6 (-1 to jump), Appraise +1 (+3 to determine the price of nonmagic items with precious metals or gemstones), Climb -4, Craft (armor) +6, Diplomacy +10, Escape Artist -6, Fly -6, Heal +9, Knowledge (geography) +2, Knowledge (history) +14, Knowledge (religion) +9, Perception +7 (+9 to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors in stone walls or floors), Ride -6, Sense Motive +9, Stealth +4, Swim -4
Languages Common, Dwarven, Orc
SQ aura of courage, aura of good, aura of resolve, blinding (2/day) (dc 14), divine bonds (weapon [2/day]), fortification (light), greed, hardy, lay on hands (4d6) (9/day), mercies (mercy [cursed], mercy [diseased], mercy [poisoned], mercy [sickened]), paladin channel positive energy 5d6 (4/day) (dc 17, slow and steady, spell storing, stability, stonecunning +2
Magical Gear:
Ring of spell storing (minor) (from Tholyr), Ring of chameleon power (from Tholyr), Handy haversack (18 @ 29 lbs) (from Tholyr), Potion of shield of faith +4, Wand of Bless Weapon; Full plate +2, Fortification (light), Heavy steel shield +2 Blinding, Warhammer +1, Cold Iron & Spell Storing , Throwing axe, Masterwork x2, Boots of Striding and Springing, Golembane scarab, Headband of mental prowess (Int & Cha +2) (Knowledge:History),
Mundane Gear:
Bedroll, Belt pouch (empty), Blanket, winter, Bucket (empty), Candle (5), Crowbar, Fishhook, Fishing net, Flint and steel, Grappling hook, Hammer, Holy Symbol of Torag, Rope, Sack (empty), Sack (empty), Vial (3), Waterskin (2), 150 GP
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TRACKED RESOURCES
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Action Points - 0/9
Blinding (2/day) (DC 14) - 0/2
Disguise Self (At will) - 0/0
Divine Bond (Weapon +2) (9 minutes) (2/day) (Sp) - 0/2
Lay on Hands (4d6) (9/day) (Su) - 0/9
Masterwork Throwing axe - 0/1
Paladin Channel Positive Energy 5d6 (4/day) (DC 17) (Su) - 0/4
Potion of shield of faith +4 - 0/3
Smite Evil (3/day) (Su) - 0/3
Wand of Bless Weapon - 0/50
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Special Abilities
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Alignment Channel (Evil) Channel Energy heals or harms outsiders of the chosen alignment.
Aura of Courage +4 (10' radius) (Su) You are immune to Fear. Allies within aura gain a morale bonus to saves vs Fear.
Aura of Good (Ex) The paladin has an Aura of Good with power equal to her class level.
Aura of Resolve +4 (10' radius) (Su) You are immune to charm. Allies within aura gain a morale bonus to saves vs charm.
Blinding (2/day) (DC 14) Creatures within 20 feet are blinded for 1d4 rds (Ref neg).
Channel Smite Channel energy can be delivered through a Smite attack.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Defensive Training +4 Gain a dodge bonus to AC vs monsters of the Giant subtype.
Detect Evil (At will) (Sp) You can use detect evil at will (as the spell).
Divine Bond (Weapon +2) (9 minutes) (2/day) (Sp) Weapon shines with light and gains enhancement bonuses or chosen properties.
Fortification (light) 25% chance to ignore critical hit/sneak attack.
Fortification 25% You have a chance to negate critical hits on attacks.
Golembane scarab Can combat golems with weapons, unarmed attacks, or natural weapons as if those golems had no damage reduction.
Greed +2 to Appraise checks to determine the price of nonmagical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.
Hardy +2 Gain a racial bonus to saves vs Poison, Spells and Spell-Like effects.
Hatred +1 Gain a racial bonus to attacks vs Goblinoids/Orcs.
Immunity to Charm You are immune to charm effects.
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Immunity to Fear (Ex) You are immune to all fear effects.
Lay on Hands (4d6) (9/day) (Su) You can heal 4d6 damage, 9/day
Mercy (Cursed) (Su) When you use your lay on hands ability, it also removes curses, as per the remove curse spell at a caster level of your Paladin level.
Mercy (Diseased) (Su) When you use your lay on hands ability, it also removes disease, as per the remove disease spell at a caster level of your Paladin level.
Mercy (Poisoned) (Su) When you use your lay on hands ability, it also neutralizes poisons, as per the neutralize poison spell at a caster level of your Paladin level.
Mercy (Sickened) (Su) When you use your lay on hands ability, it also removes the sickened condition.
Paladin Channel Positive Energy 5d6 (4/day) (DC 17) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Ring of chameleon power As a free action, the wearer of this ring can gain the ability to magically blend in with the surroundings. This provides a +10 competence bonus on her Stealth checks. As a standard action, she can also use the spell disguise self as often as she wants.
Ring of spell storing (minor) A minor ring of spell storing contains up to 3 levels of spells (either divine or arcane, or even a mix of both spell types) that the wearer can cast. Each spell has a caster level equal to the minimum level needed to cast that spell. The user need not provide any material components or focus to cast the spell, and there is no arcane spell failure chance for wearing armor (because the ring wearer need not gesture). The activation time for the ring is the same as the casting time for the relevant spell, with a minimum of 1 standard action.The ring magically imparts to the wearer the names of all spells currently stored within it.
Slow and Steady Your base speed is never modified by encumbrance.
Smite Evil (3/day) (Su) +3 to hit, +9 to damage, +3 deflection bonus to AC when used.
Spell Storing Weapon Store a spell of up to 3rd level in weapon.
Stability +4 Gain bonus to CMD vs bull rush/trip while standing on ground.
Stonecunning +2 +2 bonus to Perception vs unusual stonework. Free check within 10 feet.
--------------------
Clan Barr'ard (Mighty Guardians)

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EvilGenius
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by EvilGenius »

Hmm, come ot think of it, the Ring of Chameleon Power is actually George's. It was only Tholyr's on a rent-to-own program which he never paid off. :)

So the Ring of Chameleon Power should go back to George's cleric. (Why the heck would a pally need a ring of the chameleon anyway?)
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setanta14
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by setanta14 »

We're all being magically made into drow anyway
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EvilGenius
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by EvilGenius »

I was considering giving Valkur the Leadership feat and either bringing a dwarven cleric or a straight class dwarven ranger as a cohort. Does anyone have a preference between just paladin, paladin+backup cleric, or paladin+backup ranger?
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NukeHavoc
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by NukeHavoc »

EvilGenius wrote:So Ken, I'm strongly considering bringing in a dwarven cleric or a human paladin (or maybe a dwarven paladin). Without giving anything away, which character do you think would be more appropriate/needed for the rest of Second Darkness?
I'm fine with switching out characters. This is a good time to do it. As far as the type of character (and I realize you've already posted a paladin further down in this thread) keep in mind that you're about to go to a drow vault. There could be tough moral choices involved with the mission, and being a paladin (or any lawful good character) will certainly make those more ... interesting. :)

An inquisitor might be a better fit: http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/adva ... sitor.html It's not that a paladin can't work, but a class that has a bit more grey might work better.
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NukeHavoc
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by NukeHavoc »

erilar wrote:Hearing this, ruling requested: Does it make story sense to wait until LVL 10 to take Linguistics/Drow, since I will then have had major exposure to the language, or has our combat time in Selwynvian and the Echo been enough?
Story-wise 10th makes much more sense.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'll try and be a tad more quiet as I desperately struggle to break free -- and save all creation!" -- Doctor Strange
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NukeHavoc
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by NukeHavoc »

EvilGenius wrote:I was considering giving Valkur the Leadership feat and either bringing a dwarven cleric or a straight class dwarven ranger as a cohort. Does anyone have a preference between just paladin, paladin+backup cleric, or paladin+backup ranger?
We already have Carila as a backup. Given Nate intends to continue adventuring with Skender (and we are leveling up Carila so she doesn't get splatted) I don't know that another cleric NPC is necessary. A ranger may be more helpful. This assumes Nate wants to continue playing Skender; he'd mentioned possibly playing something else.

My preference would actually be no cohort. Most nights we have more than enough PCs at the table to handle combat.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'll try and be a tad more quiet as I desperately struggle to break free -- and save all creation!" -- Doctor Strange
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NukeHavoc
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by NukeHavoc »

setanta14 wrote:We're all being magically made into drow anyway
In a city full of sneaky drow, it's helpful to be able to change your appearance. :)
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'll try and be a tad more quiet as I desperately struggle to break free -- and save all creation!" -- Doctor Strange
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NukeHavoc
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by NukeHavoc »

setanta14 wrote:Ok, do any of the captured journals or notes make reference to individuals or specific places? We might not know where any of these beings or places are, or how to get to them, or much context about them, but then at least we might know who and where to ask about, or mention (or use spells to divine more).
The notes are extensive observations on Earthfall and the approach of the meteor. There are crammed with all manner of calculations and algorithms, annotated with a shorthand that defies comprehension. Even when translated via magic, the notes seem like little more than gibberish; clearly the context died with the writer.

There are a handful of understandable references. First is to "Zirnakaynin"; there are a number of calculations and diagrams that are clearly attempting to determine what effect the impact of skyfall would have on a large cavern located thousands of feet below the surface of the planet.

There is also frequent references to "my dark lady Allevrah" and "House Azrinae". It appears the researcher was a servant of a drow noble woman named Allevrah Azrinae.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I'll try and be a tad more quiet as I desperately struggle to break free -- and save all creation!" -- Doctor Strange
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Jonkga
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Re: Info on the Drow/Darklands

Post by Jonkga »

So, just to clarify: we are, at the behest of the elven nation, using magic to transform into drow, then going through a gate to the drow city far below the ground. Our mission is simply to gather info and learn about the drow, correct? Do we have any other goals/objectives?

What are the plans for getting back from the drow city? And, is this metamorphosis permanent? If not, is there a time limit? Will we need to do anything to maintain our magically disguises? Will the drow be able to counter this, do the elves think, or not?

I'm just asking because with all the preparations going on for the mission, and our lack of any information at all about the place we will be going and the drow there, I just want to be sure we are as prepared as possible.
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