I handled Baron earlier, actually. And we only have to do five of the seven, so I think we were going to skip messages and wine.
Yeah, that's why I have them in OOC noteface. :)
And, sorry, didn't realize the baron was finished! I'll update my post. :)
Oh, oops, I guess I read your line wrong about the ones in ooc text. Sounds like we're on the same page now. : )
We're crack intelligence agents, Taldor's best of the best, with licenses to kill. Let's hope we can figure this out. ;)
Yeah. I’ll grab the buckler in the next round. I wanted to give socializing a go when my social penalty wore off, but that clearly didn’t quite work. Hopefully I’m a bit more lucky when it comes to stealing.
Alright. So I’m confused. Elif motioned for Doritan to join her and Katria. And Elif was going to aid Doritan’s Bluff but instead the two of you have gone elsewhere or undertaking another mission?
DM Brainac, what would you have Elif do now to finish the mission with the Duke? I rolled an aid thinking Doritan would work with Elif, but that wasn’t the case.
So am I, sorry. This is what I get for speed-reading the campaigns between classes. At the moment, Doritan went to finish off one of our jobs.
Basically, I saw 'help with a Bluff check' and then later, I saw a Bluff check that succeeded, and I didn't realize that the two Bluff checks weren't connected. So, I went back to stealing the artifacts. If I succeeded on the Buckler, that job is done and I'll aid on the Bluff if you still need it. Alternatively, with DM permission, I could use my roll as an Aid roll (though with only a +6 bonus) to help your bluff and finish stealing next round.
If you want, anyway.
Doriitan, you can either use your roll as a Bluff check as the primary check to influence Centimus with a +2 for Elif's aid, or you can keep the Sleight of Hand check and finish that mission now. If you choose the latter, Elif's check will count as a primary Bluff check this round to influence Centimus (which will fail, but you can try again in a subsequent round).
If you decide to hold off on the Bluff check, Maya can wander over next round to try to help out. Y'all are more familiar with the situation, so I think she would just try to Aid Another.
Elif doesn’t have Bluff at the moment (although she does get it as a class skill as an Oracle of the Streets) and so it makes better sense for her to aid. If Elif fills in Maya on what she’s observed, I think Maya could roll the primary Bluff check and Elif can then hopefully aid. Or else, Elif fails this round and just tries a straight charisma check to try Bluff the Duke next round. But she gets a penalty for the first fail and unfortunately with Elif’s drawback, she cops a secondary penalty on her Bluff. So, it doesn’t look good.
That works for me. I just figured since Maya led on a couple of the other missions, someone else might want to for this one, but if Maya's got the best shot at succeeding, I'm good with her leading this one as well. I'll have Maya come over to try to learn about the situation on the next round of interactions.
Go for it. I'll meander over as well, with a shiny new buckler. You've got the best chance of success, after all.
Alright, just need Katria's action for this round then.
I thought casting spells inside the Senate was a no-no according to the rules/etiquette of the conclave? Unless we got prior approval. Katria cast Detect Magic on the dagger, so does that mean we’re approved for magic?
Ah, yes, forgot about that. Let's assume she went into one of the private rooms in area A3 where nobody could see her. :)
Ah, sorry, this is partly my fault. Elif's last in-game post ninja'd mine, so I never saw it (until just now as I read this discussion thread). Which is also why I seem to have blatantly ignored her. Sorry!
I'm going to try to influence the room in general again, since it sounds like we're both wanting to aid others' Bluffs. Give me a second and I'll post in game.
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Katria's an occult caster so there's no sign that she's using magic.
It can happen with play-by-posts. Glad it wasn't a deliberate shun. ;) I get paranoid about it, so I check for new postings when I'm previewing my own entry or even after I've posted. It's a good way to catch ninja'd postings. Least we're sorting it now. :)
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Just a courtesy heads up. I'm leaving for an out of town business trip tomorrow morning (my Friday/your Thursday) and it'll be a 3 to 4 hour car trip each way. I will not have time to post tomorrow. I will be returning in the afternoon of the next day (my Saturday/your Friday) and I will catch up then and make any necessary posts. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Yeah, no. I typically try to work with my campaign mates when I catch a request- at the very least, it means I can save time instead of agonizing over what to do next. ;P
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10 Things to Know About Taldans
10. Taldans Love Wordplay. As originators of the Taldane language, Taldans understand a considerable breadth and depth of the Common tongue that even their former colonies don’t share, and fast-paced banter and clever linguistic choices are proud parts of their heritage. Even the flintiest of farmers love insightful plays on words, and a cleverly timed, crass pun can delight even the stodgiest of nobles.
9. Taldans Love Board Games. Every Taldan fancies herself a general, and so board games, strategy games, and war games are popular pastimes for everyone from gong farmers to emperors. While gambling can be fun, it leaves victory in the hands of fate—something few Taldans can stomach—and they prefer diversions that offer at least the illusion of control. While many board games—the equivalents on Golarion of agon, backgammon, chess, Parcheesi, and rithmomachy—were either invented or adopted by Taldor, just as popular are war games played out with wooden miniatures using elaborate rules.
8. First Emperor Taldaris Is the Man. Taldans are a people suffused in patriotism and a love of history, but until we published Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Taldor, The First Empire, they lacked yhe sort of founding myth typical of large (and especially old) nations. When we updated their history, we fleshed out their origins as a series of city-states united by a great leader: First Emperor Taldaris, Taldor’s own Romulus or George Washington. Like similar figures, he’s often invoked and exploited by residents: politicians insist they know what his vision for Taldor really was; tutors place him in all sorts of parables for bravery, honesty, and other virtues; and inns and estates advertise that “Taldaris slept here” to impress travelers—even though few, if any, structures in modern Taldor have survived since the First Emperor’s day.
7. Taldan Hair Is a Big Deal. Even poor households invest in quality brushes, sheers, and oils from the tea tree and argan tree to keep themselves looking and smelling good, and every family has its own secret recipe for shiny, healthy hair. Many outsiders consider this yet another example of Taldan vanity, but the truth is more complex. Taldans’ world travels have brought a wide array of parasites home over the centuries; clean hair is a simple comfort that also promotes health.
6. Taldans Will Eat Anything. You can’t be a refugee or a soldier on the march and still be a picky eater. Since the founding of their nation, Taldans have embraced a philosophy of “whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger,” and that very much extends to their embracing of unusual and exotic foods. For nobles, this translates to eating almost anything that walks, crawls, flies, slithers, or swims, while for commoners it more often means making a meal out of whatever parts the rich won’t eat.
5. Taldans Are Creative. Shelyn began as a Taldan god, and Taldor still reveres the arts in every form. “Anything worth doing is worth doing with a flourish,” the Taldan saying goes, and almost every citizen of the empire pursues an art in her spare time, especially music and dance. Most families have a long tradition associated with a particular skill they may turn into a business—such as painting, weaving, or woodcarving—but just as many are farmers who pluck away at their lyres after work or sing reprises from their favorite operas to make the harvest pass more quickly. Illustrated or illuminated books are especially popular, and many families record their history in books passed down and doodled in over generations.
4. Taldans Love Dogs. Taldor claims it domesticated the first dog, but then again, Taldans claim to be the first to do a lot of things. Realistically, while dogs were rare in Azlanti society, they were common among the Kellid and Garundi societies that early Taldans filtered themselves through, and dogs became companions and workers in a culture hard up for extra hands. In those first unstable centuries, Taldor bred a hundred specialty dog breeds to assist with herding, pest control, physical labor, warfare, and even kitchen work, and as the Taldans’ fortunes rose, they also bred dogs to serve purely as companions.
3. Taldans Love Pie. Since before the first Army of Exploration, Taldans have been sealing their tastiest treasures—and especially leftovers—inside pie shells to help preserve them, and that trend continues to this day. Sweet pies are the traditional breakfast, while farmers and laborers carry a savory hand pie or two with them for a midday snack. Taldans particularly love blending the sweet and the savory into pies, creating treats such as jubilee pie, a rich mix of currants, cherries, and fowl served at almost every major event.
2. Taldans Are Very Polite—Until They’re Not. Taldans live by their politics and succeed through cooperation. Sometimes that means smiling politely and shaking the hand of the man who tried to kill you last week. Rudeness isn’t just unseemly... It’s un-Taldan! They instead couch insults in careful language, usually as unhelpful critiques and backhanded compliments, most notably the cold Taldan “Well, aren’t you a treasure.” Once Taldans decide to stop being polite, they take their outrage and insults up to 11, insulting, scolding, threatening, and yelling in tirades that usually end in duels.
1. Taldans Never Quit. While most of Azlant sank, the ancestors of modern Taldor dragged themselves onto a foreign shore and pulled their lives back together. Orcs attacked and they rebuilt. Kellids plundered them and they rebuilt. They founded a kingdom and ran into one natural barrier after another—from rivers to forests to deserts to more orcs—and every time they pushed forward again. Taldor’s glories stem from bravery and skill, to be sure, but more than anything they come from the fact that Taldans never look at a challenge and say “maybe not this time.”
Thanks for that, DM Brainiac. :)
Maya, hope Elif's bluffing wasn't too much on the nose or poor ... In real life, I'm quite the opposite and rather forthright. Haha. So I hope Maya can come in and get what we need from the Duke upon Elif's introduction. (The reason I posted the aid and dialogue now is because I won't have time before I leave for my business trip in the morning and I didn't want you or the DM having to wait around for me to post.)
I've updated the Dramatis Personae list on the Campaign Info tab.
I can get behind Nos. 3 and 4 especially.
Is my Aid on the bluff check still needed? I can't really tell.
Maya has succeeded on the Bluff check, I'm just waiting to fill in the dialogue, so you can take another action of your choice. :)
Hey! Extremely sorry for my sudden disappearance, I've been on a trip around the country with my school to learn about the Holocaust from Sunday until now and couldn't bring myself to use the phone. I'll try to catch up while digesting everything I've learned this past week and post something substantial tomorrow.
It's alright, Bernal. Thanks for letting us know--we were getting worried!
I've had Martella keep you busy running errands for her while you were away. Catch up and post when you can--you can take actions for the current social round.
Does anyone want me to snag the journal/spyglass if we have time in a later social round? I could imagine they might have some value, considering both the buckler and dagger had value.
Also, which areas do we still need to influence?
You still can influence the courtyard (A2) the gallery (A4) and the servant area (A7), as well as hit the higher thresholds for the senate floor (A6).
I would say yes, no reason not to snag them.
I'm planning to head to the Senate floor next, unless I need to keep more of an eye on our Senator's daughter.
That list is great, DM Brainiac! I can definitely support the Taldan love for dogs, the rest are good/informative, too.
Elif, your introduction was great. It set up Maya quite nicely.
Glad you're back, Bernal! We need our swashbuckler. : )
I agree with Katria, Doritan. Snagging the others would probably be good. I'm curious as to whether or not the spyglass has any magical properties.
If Katria's headed to the senate floor, I think Maya will head to the gallery. She needs to investigate this 'Fantabulous' halfling.
I saw that someone from Paizo tweeted that the Player's Guide should be out by the end of the week, so today or tomorrow, I would assume. Looking forward to reading it and finally selecting a campaign trait.
EDIT: The player's guide is listed under the Adventure Path now! It's showing as unavailable, but it looks like it may be out sometime today!
SECOND EDIT: There's a Paizo blog post up about it now, so it should definitely be available sometime today!
Hurrah!
It's out now! I just downloaded it! Woohoo!
Hooray!
Hmmm....
So, I'm thinking Young Reformer, as it fits best with my backstory. That said, knowing what it does, GM, might I be able to move a skill rank from Disguise to K (local)? Then, I could at least *try* the wine mission as well.
So the Rising Star trait definitely fits Maya the best, albeit with a bit of reflavoring. Lady Martella would be Maya's noble patron, I assume.
As for the masterwork instrument or tool of my choice... is there any chance we could have some sort of custom thing that gives Maya a +2 bonus to Perform (Oratory)? I don't really see her picking up an actual musical instrument and I'm not sure she'd get much use out of a masterwork tool. Maybe a masterwork pointer or masterwork gloves or something? Maybe some sort of voice amplifier, but that might be too sci-fi. Just thoughts, but I'm open to other suggestions.
Speaking trumpet, maybe?
Feel free to reconfigure your characters as much as you want to accommodate the new traits.
Maya, you can have something like "masterwork speech training" to give you that +2 bonus.
Short on time now, so I will post Centimus's response in the morning. This will give Bernal some time to catch up, too.
Okay, with that in mind, I would switch a rank from Disguise to K (local) and my Skill focus from Diplomacy to K (local) as well- getting a 1/day boost to a few different skills isn't half bad, after all. That puts me at a +8 Knowledge (local), which is enough to try the wine task if we want.
That sounds great. I've updated my character profile to reflect the Rising Star trait and the skill bonuses it provides. I'll make Survival a class skill since the others already are. With all the bonuses, assuming I'm able to utilize the Pomp and Pageantry bonus as well, Maya's up to +12 on Perform (oratory). Now I just have to remember to utilize that 'once per day' bonus.
The player's guide is quite nice. The background on Taldor and Princess Eutropia really helps establish the setting and gets me more invested in it. It was nice that they included the social combat rules in it as well.
I’ve given Elif the Young Reformer campaign trait as it seems to fit her backstory best. This gave me the chance to make Disable Device a class skill.
Which means Elif has Appraise, Know. Nobility and DD to tackle the wine mission. I suppose Elif and Doritan can work together to get it done?
I'm probably going to tweak my languages a bit based on the guide (when I'm more awake), though as I expect to invest regularly in Linguistics, I assume I'll have a ton of them when all is said and done... I'm not going to redo any skill points for first-level.
I'm trying to decide on campaign trait. I was thinking about Young Reformer, which probably makes the most sense and gibes with what I was thinking, but I wonder if we really want three of us with the same trait? I could see Katria being a senatorial hopeful, though maybe that would have been her longer-term plans (as she's still not really got the personal skills down for that). Both would add Know (local) to her list of class skills and I think using that bonus to get scrolls could come in pretty handy over the course of the AP...
I've swapped Halfling for Hallit, as the former is mentioned to be unusual outside Halfling communities, while the latter common among peasants. I'm keeping Athletic Champion as my trait, and the bonuses from it are now accounted for in my character sheet.
Katria- I'd say to go with Senatorial Hopeful. It's super useful and allows for a *bit* of variety in the party. But that's just me. Do as you will.
That said, now that we have the possibility to complete all the missions, should we?
Bernal has by now a +5 to his check, between the trait and our bonus from the Forum.
FYI, I'm really enjoying the speed of this game. I know combat will slow things down, but I hope we can keep it up. :)
I officially chose Senatorial Hopeful, so character is fully updated now (I didn't end up changing any skills/languages). I did make the mistake of reading up on how UMD works with scrolls, so may have to do some more work before it can be quite as useful as I thought it'd be, but I still like the idea of something to work toward. :) I haven't played an occultist before, so it's interesting learning how it works.
Brainiac's games are some of my fastest paced. It's a big part of why they're so great.
Oh, and forgot to mention, I see no reason not to try to complete the mission. Collect them all!
I think it's worth at least trying to complete all the missions...like Katria said. Lady Martella mentioned that relaying messages was the easiest mission, so I doubt the checks are very high. Even if we fail, we should easily have five of the seven.
And agreed on the pace of the game. It's been great.
Maya has UMD as well, Katria, so between the two of us, someone should be able to activate scrolls when needed.
Yeah. I'm good with any arcane -- except I guess I didn't realize that I still need to worry about armor (typically I'm playing arcane casters if I'm using arcane scrolls, so it's a moot point). So I may invest in some feats if I get better armor to lower the spell failure chance.
I could cast divine scrolls, but my Wisdom's not good enough to let me do above more than 2nd level. (Obviously not a big worry at the moment, but was just doing the research.)
Any ideas as to who I should choose to learn about?