Well if we were at a table...this is when I would be looking around and wondering if  we should continue.

We are obviously into something, between Kerr's detext evil and Iesha turning out to be an expert killer...but Pisca sis just get downed in one round.

Granted they were very lucky rolls...

They were pretty lucky rolls!  And remember Pisca was flanked, so they got a combat bonus as well as any sneak-attack damage to which they might be entitled.

And yes, Cato, you've cast Haste this round, so Kellan and Liseth you are both under its influence.

I'm still befuddled by my ability to roll criticals on this system.  Hopefully Kerr will get one as well!

They're not illusions.  We've determined that much.  Alternatives are disguise and shape changing.  If we're talking disguise, then we have CHA in play.  But, I'm wondering whether the CHA is placed where it can compete with us.  That is to say, in diplomacy.

Liseth is the diplomacy queen.  If she can convince the city guard, we may have an ally that could tip the balance in this.  Either way, it may be an interesting competition, trying to sway the guard to one side or the other through reason and/or charm.

True, and with no detectable magic, in a dress, here's hoping her armor class is not that high...

I couldn't decide how to do this action, so I went with making placating the guardsmen a full-time action for myself.  I was hung on the fact that diplomacy typically takes a minute or more, but 10 combat rounds might be a little silly in the situation.

I'm not even sure how Racon wants to handle the attempt, so I didn't roll anything yet.  My Diplomacy skill is +16 though.

Racon isn't sure how he wants to handle this either!  :)  Does anyone have any leads on Pathfinder rules regarding trying to persuade a confused person during combat?  Otherwise I suppose I'll have to make up some rules.  But surely this can't be the first time that something like this has happened.

From reading various Google links I get the impression that most folks want to use Diplomacy to convince the people that they are currently fighting to stop.  That, of course, is not what we have here.  But, my impression is that the difference is only one of Attitude.  That is to say, if you're fighting someone, their attitude is likely to be Hostile.  In this case, it may be Indifferent.

As the thread below suggests, to rush a diplomacy attempt involves penalties.  Unfortunately, Paizo is not clear about what those penalties are.  The thread suggests -20 as a holdover from 3.5, but I think that in Pathfinder that's left pretty much up to a GM decision.

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2mm0y?Diplomacy-in-combat

It seems like this falls under "Making a Request" which can be accomplished in 1 round, especially for a relatively simple request versus the "Influence Attitude" which takes 1 minute.

Given that, you can determine the DC, but the guard is probably indifferent or unfriendly, which is a base DC of 15 or 20, then it might even fall under "Give Aid that could result in punishment" because if he lets a bunch of strangers murder a lord, I could see him getting punished.  So that pushes the DC to 30-35 depending on his initial attitude.

This is a little different than making a request, though.  Liseth actually needs to convince the guardsman that she's on the right side; he's not going to help her if he thinks she's on the wrong side, and right now he's (rightfully) highly skeptical.

So what I've done is create a chart of the guard's attitudes and reactions:

BELIEVER - Actively assists in combat

SEMI-CONVINCED - Will defend attacked party members

NEUTRAL - will defend himself.

SKEPTIC - will attack party members who attack the Foxgloves.

ENEMY - Actively assists the Foxgloves

Right now he is at "skeptic."  Where he ends up depends on how Liseth does on her diplomacy roll.  The DCs are for my eyes only.  :)  Roll away, Liseth!

Y'all is gonna kill ya a Magnimar city guard. That there ain't neighborly.

Or we're going to kill someone disguised as a Magnimar City Guard.

In reply to Cato Crispin (msg # 316):

He was a monster in disguise!  Why else would we have attacked him?

Still need you to make the dice roll, Liseth.  :)

Oh!  Oops!  I didn't even see that you had asked me to roll!  Sorry!

23:51, Today: Liseth Thoradin rolled 33 using 1d20+16.  Diplomacy: Influence Guard.

Wow, 33 on Diplomacy!  No wonder why Pisca crowned me Diplomacy Queen.

Woo!  Go, Lysa!

Awesome, that could make all the difference.

Wow, Liseth, lol.  Nice roll!

I have a lot of work commitments this morning but I will move things along this afternoon.

Wow, that's a nice roll.  And a huge diplomacy bonus to boot!

This easily could have gone so much worse for you guys, lol.  Well done Liseth!

Everything we do could easily go poorly for us.  That's why we're adventurers!

Hummm...do I continue speaking with the guard?  I feel like I should keep talking to him.  But I kind of also want to heal Pisca and Kellan.

Could I bother you for Cato's result before Kellan goes Racon? Going to see if he can potentially occupy Alderns space.

He is not held.  At least I didn't roll this 20 during combat, I guess.

06:23, Today: Secret Roll: The Raconteur, for the NPC Aldern Foxglove, rolled 26 using 1d20+6.  DC 17 Will Save v. Hold Person.

Liseth, can you perform some sort of burst healing?  That would allow you enough spare time to converse a bit with the guard while healing at the same time.

As for Pisca, she's going to heal herself.  The spell will put her one point into negative after the completion of the act, but the spell itself will bring Pisca up into positive hit point territory.