Aubrey's Rise of the Runelords campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Aubrey the Malformed

Caught between digging out boxes and closets to wash /everything/ we own and the bureaucracy of making this baby official now that we are back in the city. Right now he doesn't have a name as far as the state is concerned because they expect you do do that through the church with an orthodox baptism at their one year birthday and we're trying to take care of that as neither of us are religious in general or orthodox in particular. Spent half of today officially declining the basic state insurance so that we could go to another office and sign him up for his mother's work related insurance. Yay bureaucracy!

So until further notice, shall we just refer to your son as [ ]?

I'm not sure how they do for one child, but my twin nephews were officially known as "Frangos Alpha" and "Frangos Beta" until they were baptized as Dimitris and Giannis. So maybe "Atchley Alpha" ?

I would suggest Δεν-έχω-ένα-όνομα-ακόμα-αλλά-είμαι-χαριτωμένος as a temporary solution.

I'm not sure how they do for one child, but my twin nephews were officially known as "Frangos Alpha" and "Frangos Beta" until they were baptized as Dimitris and Giannis. So maybe "Atchley Alpha" ?

"Atchley Alpha?" You should just go ahead and make that the official name, then! :)

Okay-
Illes:
HPs 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 defaults to 4+2=6
Favored Class: add a 2nd level spell known (Disguise Other)
+1 Fort
+9 skills (6 + 2 int + 1 human)
My skills are a mess, but I now have at least 1 rank in every knowledge giving me +10 or better in all with the bardic ability to take 10 for 20 or better and once per day take 20 for 30 or better. Also added Perform Oratory after my failed attempt at storytelling back in gnome town which will double as sense motive with versatile performance.

+1 Feat = Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment)
+Inspire Greatness (1 target, 2d10+ con mod temp hp, +2 attack rolls, +1 fort saves)

Didn't do the bardic spell swap at L8 so I will do it now. Dropping Inspirational Boost (spell compendium) and taking Silent Image.

New 3rd level spell: Major Image

There are better combat spells I could have picked (and I had to convince myself not to take them), but I don't like that fact that Illes currently has an entire spell list suited for combat. The illusion spells do overlap, but silent image can be used on a whim while major image is more serious. All three allow for some fun and utility outside of combat.

I would suggest Δεν-έχω-ένα-όνομα-ακόμα-αλλά-είμαι-χαριτωμένος as a temporary solution.

** spoiler omitted **

Nice. :) I hadn't realized the board supported Greek characters.

Nice. :) I hadn't realized the board supported Greek characters.

Neither had I ;)

Xaritomenos means exactly "cute" but is kind of formal and serious. That kind of fits with us calling him Mr Baby :) But most people will say something like glykouli (sweetie) or kouklaki (little doll) for babies.

1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5HP

Taken Point blank shot as a feat, since I've been doing a fair bit of shooting into combat, should help a little, and opens up a few more fun feats for that sort of thing later.

oh, also 5d6+5 Sneak attack? +5 bleeding damage that bypasses DR? Oh, yes please.... :)

Guys, just to warn you (slightly) in advance, but my posting schedule is likely to be quite disrupted over the next month or so. I am in New York for business next week, then back in the UK for a week, then in Warsaw for a week, and then immediately after that I'm on holiday for two weeks. Hopefully the US and Poland trips won't be too disruptive to posting, but the holiday (or the first week and a half of it) definitely will be (in a cottage in Northumberland for a week, then a few days with the in-laws in Yorkshire, and then a few days at home).

By the way, sorry my posting has been occasionally patchy over the last few months. I've had a few issues at work but they are now all resolved, so I am now less distracted by extraneous issues.

A question for you English-speaking non-Americans - once we have reassembled the family here in Norway, we'll probably speak English with Emma. So, as it makes more sense to buy her reading materials from the British, rather than the US, version of Amazon, do you have any recommendations for books for little kids (besides Paddington Bear, that is)? All her stuff is American, and it would be fun to mix it up a little.

A Japanese classic in English: Everybody Poos

My friend swears we have to get this West African one: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

This is American, but off the beaten path. A favorite of Jo's: They Might Be Giants - Bed Bed Bed

A question for you English-speaking non-Americans - once we have reassembled the family here in Norway, we'll probably speak English with Emma. So, as it makes more sense to buy her reading materials from the British, rather than the US, version of Amazon, do you have any recommendations for books for little kids (besides Paddington Bear, that is)? All her stuff is American, and it would be fun to mix it up a little.

I'll post a better list later, but how old is she? We *love* anything by Julia Donaldson as a very good start.... (she's bloody prolific, which helps :) )

She's six months now, so right now I'm looking for books with fun, simple pictures and nice rhymes or cadences. Of course, any tips for more advanced stuff is greatly appreciated as well.

She's six months now, so right now I'm looking for books with fun, simple pictures and nice rhymes or cadences. Of course, any tips for more advanced stuff is greatly appreciated as well.

Perfect! We have *lots* of those, I'll do some digging and list some.

"That's not my..." books are cool, all textured, and simple phrases.

"My naughty little sister" for when she's a bit bigger..... The Mrs is hunting too, we have lots for little boys, but need to invest in ones for the girl soon too.

Grrr just lost an edit to that post with a big list!

Here we go again.....

Miffy Books

Maisy Mouse

"Meg and Mog" books.

Books by Oliver Jefferies

"Mr Men" and "Little Miss"

Anything published by Osborne.

"Hairy McClairy" and "Slinky Malinky" (Great Rhyming books)

" ... Love Underpants" series

"Funny Bones" Series

Anything by Janet Ahlberg

We have boys, but we have all of those.... Will be looking for more girly ones as the little one gets bigger...

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Where Is The Green Sheep by Mem Fox

Boy it's a good thing we don't have a paladin in the party right now! We just outright murdered a group of unarmed guys simply because they were trying to steal our stuff. No questioning, no subdual, just homicide.

Vethran even killed one with a fifth-level Necromancy! On a bandit who probably had like 2-3 hit dice! That is so much overkill! I love this game. (Okay, to be fair, as of the time of this posting, he isn't dead yet, but unless he rolls a natural 19 or 20 in the next two rounds, there's nothing short of a dispel magic that can save him. Suffocation isn't dismissible, so even Vethran can't make the choking stop.)

So yeah, I'll go ahead and note that Vethran is very likely one step closer to being "not good anymore" simply because of going all arcane-vengeance-murder on a thief. I see it as "in character," though because if you recall, his whole reason for becoming a mage to begin with was to show all those Varisian sorcerers a thing or two about REAL magic...

I dunno if it's enough to actually knock me to neutral or not by itself, but if Aubrey wants to rule it that way, I can see the argument for it.

I really thought they had killed you, and that was why the ship was so quiet...

And won't a healing spell stop the thief from dying?

And won't a healing spell stop the thief from dying?

Nope. It's not hit point damage. The spell specifies: 1 failed save = 0 HP and unconscious. 2 failed = -1 and dying. 3 failed = dead. Even if you heal them up, the second failed save drops them to -1. If you heal them again, the third failure still ends in death. If he passes at least one of the saves, yes, he can be revived with healing. But three failures is death.

It's a 5th-level spell. Vethran has now entered "save or die" territory. Although in this case its, "save at least 1 out of three times or die." Still, I have kill-spells.

I think you'd have to murder a few people who are stealing your stuff (as opposed to random strangers) before you change alignment. In Texas they do this all the time...

Don't mess with Texas.

A "slip" is a halfling, right? Looks like Camlo's about to rewrite history.

That's what I reckoned.....like a wee "slip" of a lad or something?

Ithers, is everything OK? You've been a bit absent lately.

The "hurricane" is supposed to make landfall here in New York by the end of the day. I think the media is making it out to be way worse than it really is, but on the off-chance that it is as bad as they want us to think it is, there exists a strong possibility of both my home and office losing power for a day or more. If you don't hear from me by the end of the day on Monday, assume that's what happened and NPC me as necessary.

Stay safe Fate.

Hey, Fatey - how are things with the hurricane?

Everybody - I'm sorry about my reduced posting rate. With travel time, I'm usually gone from 8 in the morning to 9 at night most days, and since I have no internet access at work I sometimes struggle to keep up. 'm pretty confident that this will improve in a couple of months, though, so please bear with me until then.

Hey, Fatey - how are things with the hurricane?

The basement of our building got flooded and the fire department evacuated us on Sunday night. We live in a third floor flat, though (that's the second floor for you weirdos that count the first floor as "ground floor" and the second floor as first...) so none of our belongings were in any danger. We sprung a moderate roof leak that has damaged one of our cupboards and the paneling behind it, but all things considered, we're fine and none of our stuff is damaged.

Power was out for a day, but it's back on now and everything is functioning normally except the hot water. The water heaters for our building were in the basement and got flooded out, so the landlord is replacing them tomorrow. She's also supposed to be taking care of our roof issue before week's end.

So, with regards to our shopping spree, presumably Vethran would take a list of requests from everyone before they set off on their wild Shoanti adventure.

Let's use this discussion thread to determine our total item budget, pool our resources, and compile a shopping list for our stay. Was someone tracking a group loot pot? I only have Vethran's personal wealth recorded.

*taps the microphone*

Is this thing on?

No need for sarcasm.

Glad to hear you haven't been swept out to sea.

There was discussion beforehand as to how much to budget for and what people wanted. I never keep track of your treasure (hence the occasional complaints about having to fight giants armed only with a Toothpick of Dental Hygiene +1) but I think we went through an estimation of the funding gap in the same conversation.

No need for sarcasm.

My aim was not to be sarcastic, but rather to provide something more interesting than a simple "*bump*" to raise thread awareness.

There was discussion beforehand as to how much to budget for and what people wanted. I never keep track of your treasure (hence the occasional complaints about having to fight giants armed only with a Toothpick of Dental Hygiene +1) but I think we went through an estimation of the funding gap in the same conversation.

My query was mostly directed at the other players. I recall either Heathy or Mothman had been tracking party loot and simply wanted to know where our final total stands so that we can budget accordingly. Also, I still need shopping requests from everyone (though it would be helpful if we determined our spending limit first).

Aubrey the Malformed wrote:

No need for sarcasm.

My aim was not to be sarcastic, but rather to provide something more interesting than a simple "*bump*" to raise thread awareness.

No worries, I was only kidding.

The estimation of the amount realisable from the spear might rise as you've levelled since the previous exercise was done. It would probably be helpful to revisit that.

The previous conversation was here.

Okay, I'm just trying to get the shopping list all in one place here for my sanity.

Elisile: 10,000gp
Headband of Vast Intelligence +4 (Veth - 8000gp)
Pearl of Power (2nd-level) (Veth - 2000gp)

Alwyn: Pending decision

Camlo: 16,500gp
Bracers of Armor +3 (Veth - 4500gp)
Belt of Physical Might +4 (Dex/Con) (Veth - 10000gp)
Amulet of Natural Armor +1 (2000gp)

Illes: 14,150gp
+1 elven chainmail (6150gp)
Upgrade Headband to +4 (Veth - 6000gp)
Cloak of Resistance +2 (Veth - 2000gp)

Vethran: 12,500gp
Upgrade Headband to +4 (Veth - 6000gp)
Pearl of Power (3rd-level) (Veth - 4500gp)

Obviously I'm only tracking major purchases as a sanity check. Lesser items like scrolls, wands, etc. (unless they're particularly potent and expensive) can be totaled up later.

Also, we're up to 77 days of crafting work here. I dunno what limitation Aubrey is going to put on us here, but we're already looking at almost 3 months of downtime needed to get these prices.

Take Camlo's section as Camlo's wish list. :)

Let's conservatively assume that we're going to get 12k for the polearm in Magnimar. This gives us a total of 44,000 + 12,000 = 56,000 gp to divide between five active PCs (Vethran, Illes, Alwyn, Elisile, and Camlo). That breaks down to a little over 11k each. Since I'm pretty sure we can pool any existing money together, let's call it 12k each. If you have any personal savings you'd like to spend in addition to that 12k, add it into your shopping plan.

Our original estimates were made assuming that Hudak was going to remain out of the equation for some time. Since that is not the case, funds must be reallocated to account for him.

We need to know the resale value of the polearm and add that to the 44,000gp we currently have in "group storage," then divide by 6 to determine our individual shares. We should probably go ahead and assume that Hudak, Alwyn, and Camlo left the Magnimar group with the lion's share of their personal wealth as well (since I suspect you're probably going to want to spend it on some of the stuff we'll be getting in Magnimar).

We're going to be (attempting to) hire on some Shoanti to staff the fort as warriors, and I have no idea how much this will cost.....

I wouldn't worry about that in terms of impacting upon your share of the treaure.

Without getting too metagamey, you have gone up a level as well since this was last addressed. The sale of the polearm was partly to inject bit of cash into the party to give you more-or-less level-appropriate gear. So that value may increase.

Didn't we pick up a fair amount of gear from the elite boggards after we proposed the initial budget? Should we consider those gains along with any increased sale price of the polearm to make up the 6th share for Hudak so that we are still working with the same budget per person?

I want a Phylactery of positive channeling. However, as Vethran can't make it, I just thought I'd buy it somewhere.

Didn't we pick up a fair amount of gear from the elite boggards after we proposed the initial budget? Should we consider those gains along with any increased sale price of the polearm to make up the 6th share for Hudak so that we are still working with the same budget per person?

No - the money for the polearm is supposed to get you up to level-appropriate gear for the point before you got the boggard gear. That said, I suggest that Hudak thinks about what he wants for 12,000gp, and then he can see what comes off the back of the sale subsequently.

Just bought Ultimate Combat at our game store (it's not really a FLGS, as it isn't particularly friendly; also, these days it specialises in Magic: the Gathering and emo 'urban paranormal' novels. But I've gone there for almost 25 years, and that has to count for something...). Maybe I'll find something I want in there.

I like U.C. Haven't read a whole lot of it, but what I see I like.
Don't have U.M. at all.....

Impact Critical Shot looks right up Janosz' alley. And Hudak needs Cleaving Finish.

Has Hudak considered what he wants for his 12k?

I guess I'll get on that next day or two.

Question: I assume (I know, Benny Hill)
I assume that the group is picking up the loot in Magnimar for me, and thus I can't sell an old piece of equipment to put towards the price of a new piece, since that would leave me currently without the benefit of that equipment?