Level 4

Your characters have achieved level 4!  Below are listed suggestions and instructions for levelling up each character that will be continuing on to chapter 2:  The Skinsaw Murders.

As an added reward for continuing with the campaign, I'm giving you a chance to swap out and feats that you don't like or haven't been using.  Complete list of feats located HERE.  I'll also be talking a little about Prestige classes - highly specialized tracks that your character can move onto in later levels. Most don't start until levels 7 or 8, but you need to start thinking about them now if you want to qualify.

Sasha

Pathfinder Balancing: The pathfinder RPG is a little more generous to its playerswith ability scores. To compensate, Sasha gains either a +2 Str or +2 Con

Ability Score Bonus:  Sasha gains a +1 to any one ability score at lvl4.  The obvious choice here is +1 Dex. Dex influences her AC, accuracy with whip and rapier, reflex saves and many of her skills. 

Uncanny Dodge: Sasha reacts to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so.  She cannot be caught flat footed, even if the attacker is invisble.

Rogue Talent:  Sasha gains a new rogue talent.  The full list can be found HERE.   Recommedations include:  Surprise attack, Trap Spotter or Weapon Training.

Stat Increases:  Sasha gains +1 to her base attack bonus, and relfex save.  She gains 6 HP.

Loot:  Sasha's cut of the loot from Thistletop includes  a potion of cure moderate wounds ( heals 2d8+3 hp), and Nualia's medalion, depicting a seven pointed star ( +1 to all saves, can be used 1/day to cast false life, granting 1d10+1 temporary HPs), 2,950 gp

Prestige Classes and Feat Swaps:  There are two prestige classes that Sasha may be interested in at higher levels.  The one that fits most thematically is the Duelist.  You would have to swap out Combat Expertise for Dodge, and and take 2 ranks of Perform some time between now and lvl 8.  The other is the shadow dancer, which you could enter earlier (lvl 5), but I don't see it as being as good a fit for Sasha's personality.  It would mean swapping out mproved initiative and cobat expertise for dodge and combat relfexes, and taking 2 ranks in perform(dance).


Yola

Pathfinder Balancing:  The pathfinder RPG is a little more generous to its playerswith ability scores.  To compensate, Yola gains a +1 Str

Ability Score Bonus: Yola gains a +1 to any one ability score at lvl4.  Stregnth makes a lot of sense, increasing Yola's accuracy and damage in melee, but dexterity gives her access to more specialize two weapon fighting feats.  Constitution is also an option, increasing her HP and length of rages

Rage Power: Yola gains another rage power.  The full list can be found HERE.  Recomendations include guarded stance, quick reflexes, renewed vigour,  powerful blow, surprise accuracy.  Since Yola has never used her knock back rage power, you may want to swap it out for one of the ones mentioned here.

Stat Increases:  Yola gains +1 to base attack and Fortitude saves.  She gains 9 HPs and 2 more rounds of rage.

Loot:  Yola's cut of the loot from Thistletop includes a cloak of resistance+1 ( +1 to all saves),  Nualia's Breastplate+1, and Bruthazmus' composite long bow (+4 Str), 2050gp

Prestige Classes and Feat Swaps:  There really aren't any prestige classes that would benefit Yola.  In hindsight, two-bladed sword may not have been the best choice.  Yola may be better served by swapping that out for weapon focus quarterstaff or double slice.  Alternately, I have invented a feat that is more flavourfull for a Shoanti:
Klar Dance:  The Shoanti has leaned the martial form of fighting with paired klars.
Prerequesites:  Two-weapon fighting, Weapon focus Klar
Benefit:  When fighting with two klars, you may retain the shield bonus of your off hand klar. When armed with two klars but only making a primary weapon attack, you may retain the shield bonus from both klars.

Sasha gulps down her healing potions and Poot runs forward to use the last of the energy in Father Zanthus' wand on Yola, who bounces from foot to foot like a prize fighter between rounds, her eyes blazing with intent.  At the same as Sasha and the militia jog up the halway, weapons drawn, Poot backs up, saying, "That's all there is lass, lets hope its enough."  Yola doesn't hear the last part as she kicks down the down and barrels into the chamber beyond...

... and is struck full in the chest by a purple-black bolt of arcane energy.  Lyrie stands in the centre of the room.  Icy, necrotic power plays across Yola's limbs, trying to douse the fire of her rage, but the Shoanti woman proves tougher than the wizard's magic and keeps right on charging, cutting Lyrie down with a single mighty stroke.

Sasha ducks into the room behind her friend.  She watches Lyrie go down, regretting the fact that she didn't get to finish the job herself.  Instead she twists to the right and makes a quick thrust with her rapier at Nualia, trying to catch the woman off guard.  Her quick moves pay of, and though Nualia steps back at the last momment, Sasha's sword point pricks her painfully on the arm.

Nualia Recovers in a heartbeat and hacks back at Sasha savagely.  Sasha evades Nualia's sword swing easily, but doesn't see the followup swipe of the evil red claw.  Sasha is raked across the face. Yola jumps over Lyrie's still form and attacks Nualia head on, but the tall silver haired woman's reflexes are impressive - she manages to bring her sword around and parry both ends of Yola's double blades.

Rizzo, Dyer and Alpert pile into the room and Nualia steps back, placing her back to a large round fountain filled with frothy blue water. Surounded now on all sided, she smiles once, briefly, the most emotion to cross her face yet.  Then it is gone and she explodes into a blur of clawed, blade swigning cold fury.

Yola can feel her rage finally starting to ebb.  She steps to Nualia's side and focuses all her remaining strength into a single massive side swing as Nualai attacks.  The blow connects, biting through the back of Nualia's breastplate.

Yola's attack  opens an opportunity for Sasha, who stabs in from the opposite flank.  This time her blade strikes deep into Nualia's unprotected midriff, leaving behind a bleeding puncture wound behind.  Nualia sags under the two brutal wounds, but again, only for a momment.  Surging forward again in time to parry and block the attacks of all three militiamen.

Tasting victory, Sasha lunges forward again, but this time Nualia is ready and steps into the attack, elbowing Sahsa's sword arm and spoiling her attack.  But Sasha snakes out with her free hand and grabs hold of Nualia's silvery hair, pulling her off balance, and creating all the opening Yola needs to finish the fight.  With a final yell Yola strikes down, burying one end of her doble blades deep into Nualia's back.

The wrath in her eyes goes out instantly and Nualia sinks first to her knees, then falls face down to the ground...

* * *

Congratulations!  With the death of Nualia the threat to Sandpoint is over and this part of Sasha's, Poot's Gerund's Seoni's and Yola's story too.  The room Nualia died in contains her notes and field journals, which detail her plans to raise an army of goblins to burn Sandpoint to the ground as an offering to her evil goddess Lamashtu, and to fuel the runewell in the catacombs wtih enough souls to summon forth an army of the freakish sinspawn that the party faced before.  The room also cotains the reset lever for the gate trap that seperated the party.

The gear for Orik ( who bled to death during the fight thanks to Sasha's Bleeding attack), Lyrie and Nualia has been added to the loot list in the side bar - please call dibs on whatever you like now.  I'll be dividing the rest evenly amongst the party, Shalelu and the militia.

Thanks so much to everybody for participating in this story with me.  Though it did go on for a lot longer than anticipated (17 months, 123 posts, 553 comments, not including side quests and diversion!), I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as I enjoyed creating this for you.

Finally, Rise of the Runelords will be continuing with a new chapter - The Skinsaw Murders - this November.  If you are interested in participating, please email me no later than Oct 15, at irondesk@live.ca

Cheers all,

Greg.