Faelyn. Duncan's saves vs magic are really high. High base fort and will, +5 racial and via knowledable defense he gets another +2. Later i'll get stalwart.
Tell me what your gonna cast (so I auto id the spell) and I am unlikely to fail. Judgement can grant me energy resist. We can make it a tactic that i can tie up a foe and you could blast.
Roger. I need to memorize some blast spells. I have burning hands, but it is not memorized today! I'll have it next time for swarms and AOE. I will get with Orsin and Andrea when we arrive at our location to help pick daily spells and maybe add some blasts to my spell book and scribe some scrolls.
Orsin, Ermolos finished off the Shadowgarm with his axe so perhaps you can swicth to doing something else. ;)
Roger. I need to memorize some blast spells. I have burning hands, but it is not memorized today! I'll have it next time for swarms and AOE. I will get with Orsin and Andrea when we arrive at our location to help pick daily spells and maybe add some blasts to my spell book and scribe some scrolls.Faelyn. Duncan's saves vs magic are really high. High base fort and will, +5 racial and via knowledable defense he gets another +2. Later i'll get stalwart.
Tell me what your gonna cast (so I auto id the spell) and I am unlikely to fail. Judgement can grant me energy resist. We can make it a tactic that i can tie up a foe and you could blast.
Try BURNING ARC on pfsrd. By far best blast for it's level! And it doesn't hit allies. Flaming Sphere is nice too.
Nice. I will try to find a scroll of that and copy it into my spellbook!
Orsin, Ermolos finished off the Shadowgarm with his axe so perhaps you can swicth to doing something else. ;)
I went after the creature next to John, which I thought was still up...?
Oh, never mind then.
How are they gonna advance? Is the sorc animal level based on HD? Also the ranger could use the animal bond feat , otherwise they'll die easy.
Also there may be some overlap with Lucrezia... have you considered FREEBOOTER?
I'd caution against the double animal companions. Even one animal companion seems like a lot since we have so many people in the party already, one of whom is a conjurer to boot.
I think Duncan's recommendation for the freebooter is pretty sound. I'd trust him: Duncan can optimize the sh*t out of anything it seems.
Roleplaywise, Andrea won't be asking Fiosa to come along any more since Fiosa is too fragile for the encounters we are starting to face and someone needs to take care of Emily. Ermolos will start getting outstripped as well IMO so if we limit the party to just us we can get by with a few summoned critters and perhaps a pet.
As for playing a ranger/sorc? You will suffer MAD just like Sunny I believe. STR and DEX for your bow and CHA for spells. If you leave INT and WIS base you can do better. CON can be left lower if you plan on fighting at range. The big problem is that Sorcerers don't get their big blasty spells until level 6, and since APs tend to end at 14, we will potentially be at the end of the adventure by the time you start fireballing and your DCs will be poor and bounce off of any SR.
If you want to play a blaster, go Evocation specialist with spell focus, spell penatration and perhaps Ectoplasmatic spell so you can fireball shadows/ghosts. Rime spell and Elemental bloodline means you can change fire spells to cold and then entangle targets.
Ok, ignore me if you wish (Got my optimiser cap on)
Pets are cool. If you wanna combine a full pet and full caster.
Race: Human- them extra spells known are too much awesome.
Pet: Either Wolf (for tripper) or Big Cat (for pouncer)
Now Druid does this pretty well. Decent blasts, spont summons, wildshape, better HP and skills. Doesn't really overlap (i'd limit the summoning between you and Faelyn).
The sorcerer has access to the best blasts, and the animal companion works as well. Pick lots of blasting and the stuff from Faelyn's prohibited schools.
By far the best low level blast is BURNING ARC. Up to the10d6 fire to one target and 1/2 again to another. 2nd level spell. Trait: Magical Lineage will let you intensify it to 15d6 for free.
Or
If backup warrior/caster, then besides Magus (I have written a guide on hexcrafters) the best option is Cavalier1 (Gendarme- take power attack as bonus feat), Wiz 5/EK1/AA4/EK 10. Trait Magical Knack
This nets 17BAB, 9th level spells, CL 19, and the ability to place a spell on a bowshot.
Pump all feats into Archery.
Divination (foresight) specialist works best for initiative bonus and you get to roll twice 3+.int a day. Armored Kilt + Haramaki armor is +2AC with no spell failure.
Off to bed now.
I'm getting ready to fly to Miami so I won't be on till this afternoon.
Sunny I saw you PM's but don't have time to answer right now. However here are a few thoughts and concerns. The party is large to begin with 7 PC, plus two regular NPC: Ermolos and Fiosa. One of the PC's is a conjurer so that adds more fodder to the fight. I'm not keen on adding animal companions into the mix with such a large party. These AP's were made for groups of 4 - 6.
The party has an arcane, a 3/4 arcane, a divine, and 3/4 divine adding another blaster to mow through the enemy makes the battles anti-climatic. Plus, I need to tweak each encounter even more to raise the challenge and account for the the additional spellcasting. As far as a magus, I think that class is broken, it reminds me too much of the hexblade in 3.5. I understand optimization but characters should have some weakness for flavor and RP. If this game was being run as a meat grinder that would be a different matter.
As far as the level for the AP this one "ends at Level 13" but realistically with the side adventurers the party could hit level 15/16. The PC's are already at a higher level at this stage of the module then suggested but that is not really an issue for me. This adventure actually sets up well to continue after the AP is concluded with all the side stories that I've woven into the background.
Sunny why not do a rogue? I plan to add a few blasts spells soon. A rogue would be really good. If you do not like playing one, don't do it though. I think it is a role that is needed (unlike arcane caster or character with pets). You could make her a scout/two weapon fighting/traps/dex based skill monkey. By the way, I only plan to use summons for crowd control and "oh poop" button. I do not like taking actions away from PCs.
The players who have been playing longer may know better, but I think it would work nicely.
Lucrezia does do out ranged/trap spotter. Sunny was supposed to be our flanker with her ninja/monk but arrows happened.
Ah...urban ranger. Gotcha. She could go straight ninja or brute rogue (bouncer). Ninjas are awesome when they aren't multicassed.
Or perhaps another flavor of cleric. Maybe John gets a buddy with an Asmodaian cleric. Help him keep the others from burning down buildings. ;)
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Or a Cavalier or Samurai would be awesome.
Thing I love about this game is all the options.....
I dunno about the pet. Doesn't seem a good choice for a Sorcerer.
How about you John? Want a Hellknight Signifier? It can be a cop-buddy thing. :)
John might like an Asmodaian inquisitor. I'm sure that would be fun for the rest of us. ;)
Well clearing out the Shadowbeasts would be something the church of Asmodeus would no doubt be interested in. It could be considered an affort to their authority to have those things rampaging around at night. This is ASMODEUS' city! Those shadowbeasts mock our ability to bring our order to Westcrown!
Yeah, I finally received the hard copy of Rappan Athuk...gorgeous Tome.
Best used as a sandbox for home-made missions or adventures you get from modules and sourcebooks. tryign to dungeon-crawl through it will tire everyone right out.
I did get the 3.5 RA Reloaded, read through it and then shelved it. I like it but do have buyer's remorse that it is something I won't get to play through.
One of the PC's is a conjurer so that adds more fodder to the fight. I'm not keen on adding animal companions into the mix with such a large party. These AP's were made for groups of 4 - 6.
The party has an arcane, a 3/4 arcane, a divine, and 3/4 divine adding another blaster to mow through the enemy makes the battles anti-climatic. Plus, I need to tweak each encounter even more to raise the challenge and account for the the additional spellcasting. As far as a magus, I think that class is broken, it reminds me too much of the hexblade in 3.5. I understand optimization but characters should have some weakness for flavor and RP. If this game was being run as a meat grinder that would be a different matter.
Sounds to me sunny like another full or 3/4 caster is NOT a preferred option.
So that leaves eitherMelee
Ranged
Skills.
If you want some Magic then a single classed ranger fits the bill. Maybe a TWF? With FE and Orsin inspire courage you can be awesome.
WILD STALKER is a REALLY Nice Varient. I can send you an awesome Scimitar/Shield TWF.
Skills, RAGE, Tanky AC and TWF while ignoring preqs is sweet.
Freebooter is awesome as well. It buffs everybody and stacks with Inspire Courage.
An alternatei Paladin, less skills more smitey but the only religion allowed to be openly worshipped is Asmodaeus. So that is out.
OR Straight Ninja, with duel wield wazakasi and bamf tricks would be awesome, but more assassin type char.
Cavalier and Samurai are both great. But require some rules mastery.
Cav is a mix of Buff/Fighter. Either order of the dragon (Helpful trait) can grant +4 to +7 to allies actions or Order of the shield make great lock down TWF blenders.
Samurai is a Fighter with Rerolls vs conditions. Two Handed Katana with Deadly Stroke being most potent. Or an archer is scary.
So...keen to see what you come up with. PM me if you want a hand.
Course a plain old vanilla fighter would be awesome too...
My two favs at the moment
Are either WILD STALKER (Dual wield Axes or Axe/Shield) think the Huntsman from Snow White and the Huntsman.
Or
An Archery focused Ranger/Freebooter with Point Blank Mastery (Think the prince from the same movie)
I only recently saw it but it was awesome.
In regards to having PCs have weaknesses for flavor and Rp, the thing is that quite often NPC opponents are made just for combat and very top-heavy. I have remarked on other boards that creatures like enemy cultists are loaded up with a few buffs and the rest comabt spells and are always at full capacity when the fight starts. Larry the Diabolist will always have 'Smite Good' and never Divination for finding out what
fellow cultist Barry is plotting. They don't exist as 'people' and thus can have all their eggs in one basket while the PCs have to sub-optimise many times and spread resources thinly,(Ex. The cultist's can load up on Perception and tank skills the PCs normally need like knowledges and professions).
Andres uses 'Detect Invisible Ink'
LMAO!!
Huntsman from Snow White and the Huntsman?
Oh, so very hot.
Dang it, lost my post.
tl;dr: Having weaknesses and not being optimized is good for flavor for the PCs, but the NPC monsters more often than not ARE optimised for massive damage and thus will outstrip the PCs who just can't penatrate defenses like huge AC(I have seen things go up past 40!) high SR and BAB/Damage that just hammers through anything that the PCs have. If Baldwin hadn't powered down that Blood Reaver, it would have been a TPK very quickly even if we tried fighting smart.(In fact retreating might not have even been viable with it's ability to teleport to block our retreat.)
In regards to having PCs have weaknesses for flavor and Rp, the thing is that quite often NPC opponents are made just for combat and very top-heavy. I have remarked on other boards that creatures like enemy cultists are loaded up with a few buffs and the rest comabt spells and are always at full capacity when the fight starts. Larry the Diabolist will always have 'Smite Good' and never Divination for finding out what
fellow cultist Barry is plotting. They don't exist as 'people' and thus can have all their eggs in one basket while the PCs have to sub-optimise many times and spread resources thinly,(Ex. The cultist's can load up on Perception and tank skills the PCs normally need like knowledges and professions).
That is true but the NPC's in the AP's aren't really optimized. They tend to be created without having crossover, dipping, minor deities, traits and so forth.
One other thing to remember is this AP was published in 2009, many of the source books people use have feats, skills, spells, gear and so forth that was published after 2009.
NOBODY EXPECTED THE INQUISITOR!
*has a giggling fit*
Going to other topics. How about we get back to doing public service things like freeing halfling slaves and people arrested by the Hellknights for violating religous laws? Get our masks back on since we seem to have drawn too much attention to ourselves.
Former slave: They came in the night and whisked me off to a barge that took me away from being slave in Chelix. I don't know who they were but thanks to them I am a free man!
sonds better(To me) than,
Former slave: The Children of Westcrown, one of them a Six-Fold survivor recused me from a life of slavery! I'm going to let everyone know what heroes they are!
Duncan, Andrea, John, Orsin, Lucrezia you can level up to 6th.
Faelyn - I track the XP and notify when its time to level rather than giving XP through the sessions. You will level up after the first section of the book.
I'm not sure if any looks at the Campaign Info tab but I do update it with NPC's, contacts, PC level and some story lines.
Got it. I do check the tab at various times.
+2=9
Improvements at lvl 6:
+1 BaB
+1 Fort/Ref/will
+1 second level spell, +1 third
5 skill points put into PER
+1 channel DC
Duncan, Andrea, John, Orsin, Lucrezia you can level up to 6th.
Faelyn - I track the XP and notify when its time to level rather than giving XP through the sessions. You will level up after the first section of the book.
Roger.
You can roll your HP and reroll 1's.
The unfortunate thing is the group did not kill and loot any of those troops, they all had +1 Longswords, +1 ROP and various potions.The archers had Comp bows +1 Strength. That was suppose to coincide with you all leveling up. Your light on coin beginning this level.
Easy come easy go.
We could make a lot by doing the play again....
j/k :)
Andrea gives Lucrezia an atomic wedgie.
Leveling Perks:
+1 BAB (increase to attacks, CMB, and CMD)
+1 to all saves
1d8=>7 hp, +1 Con hp, +1 favored class hp
Suggestion, versatile performance (act), +2 rounds of bardic performance
7 skill points: +1 Perform (sing), +2 Spellcraft, +1 Use Magic Device, +3 Knowledge (arcana)
+1 1st-level spell/day, +1 2nd-level spell/day
+1 2nd-level spell known:
Hellknight here I come. :D
Also I have a hellknight signifier planed for if John dies and can't be raised.
Ha! That doesn't work because I'm not wearing underwear right now. Besides which, I usually wear a thong anyway. :P
Now that I'm done eating dinner, I can work on leveling up. :)
Awesome, I get two base attacks now. :)
I have glitterdust at DC 19. I am going to try and buy a burning arc scroll to copy into my spell book when I get back to Talbard's.
Glitterdust is awesome for blind/revealing. I do think Faelyn has that so there is overlap. Silence is good if we use it on an arrow and shoot it at targets(better if it sticks in them)
I don't know how viable it would be, but if Silence was cast on a front liner like John and he melees spellcasters it would be awesome, but we would not be able to communicate ad would need to stand way back.