The way of the flying torch

The tale of the creative use of a cantrip and roll20


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1 comment, 1 point

Way of the flying torch

So today (technically yesterday I suppose) I had a one shot to familiarize myself with the second edition of pathfinder a bit more. I’m really liking what the system has to offer so far, and I just wanted to be sure that it worked the way I thought it did. So I opened “looking for players” on roll20 and got some hits. If I played with my usual friends, they would have used their typical styles, and I was looking for something different to pick apart the game. What I ended up with was just 2 people, a human fighter named Thorik, and an Elven Monk, Silas. I was running a homebrewed one shot adventure where some Kobolds were harassing the townsfolk under cover of some nearby ruins, with the looming threat of something bigger giving them their orders. Because we were playing on Roll20, we were able to utilize what would become the true star of this tale;

Dynamic Lighting

(For those of you unfamiliar, think of dynamic lighting as a way to represent line of sight. So if there’s a pillar or a corner in the room, your character not being able to see through walls will be represented by your screen being black in those sections.)

Neither humans nor Elves have dark vision in P2. So someone had to carry a torch. Thorik had a battle axe and a shield, so that duty fell upon Silas. They entered the dungeon, and after a few rounds of exploration, came upon their first Kobolds.

Now I don’t really think of myself as an unfair DM. But at the same time, if a creature has an ability or weakness, I try to incorporate that in their tactics.

Kobolds have dark vision. And with the narrative showing that they’ve been harassing the town and that any who have gone after them so far have perished, I played it that they were aware that our heroes could not see beyond the light of their torch. So they were throwing their spears and shooting their slings from as far as possible, staying out of sight quite literally thanks to roll20.

Thorik responded by switching to his crossbow and firing at any Kobold he managed to catch a glimpse of. Silas on the other hand, originally was using the elven feat “otherworldly magic” to cast the spell “telekinetic projectile” using caltrops. A cantrip that allows you to hurl an object below a certain weight limit at a creature to deal damage.

That’s when it donned on him.

“What’s the bulk rating of my torch?”

What ensued was a hilarious series of high rolls and laughs as the torch became a combination of a ranged attack, as well as a way to reveal the kobolds locations.

We haven’t quite finished the adventure, but Silas has already become known as the monk who started a brand new school of martial arts.

Way of the flying torch!


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