Emerald Kingdoms (Inactive)

Game Master Kevin O'Rourke 440

Eluvias's fire resistance is going to be very handy!

@Eluvias, just to make sure that you spotted it, Amadeen put a Fortune hex on you. A bit redundant this turn with the first roll in crit range, but still handy to remember.

I also moved Eluvias against gold zombie, as the closest to him.

How far back is Johund? How many moves will it take me to get to them? My movement is 20ft.

He can't charge this round but he could double move up to be in a good position for next round.

@Eluvias: Kevin ruled that fortune hex is once per day, but it's a reroll each round per person affected so long as I maintain it with cackle. It's hell on my action economy and I can't recast it on the same person later on.

I see. That’s really nice. Going to really come in handy. That’s for clearing that up

@Eluvias: You're welcome.

@Barek: Barek will hopefully soon see his luck turn around!

@All: If you get fortuned, try to stay within 30' of Amadeen so she can maintain those hexes with Cackle. It's something that she'd have likely mentioned on the road. As a general rule, if ye need to move outside of that, try to give me a heads up IC so I can move Amadeen and then cackle.

Remember if you start your turn beside a burning zombie you take 1d6 fire damage, please roll this yourself.

It's open to interpretation but Fortune is "once per round" but you can't benefit from it later in a 24hour period I take that as once Amadeen drops it you can't benefit from it again for 24hours but you can get it each round... as long as she keeps cackling.

@Johund: I moved Johund 20ft directly west, which puts him next to Amadeen. That's assuming Johund had a move action remaining.

And this is where the action economy of keeping hexes going with cackle starts to bite: movement.

Bar certain items etc, I can do two of three things a turn:

1. Move
2. Cackle
3. Standard action for spell, item, hex

So for next turn, I'll have to pick whether Amadeen is moving and Cackling to keep Fortune going longer, or moving and CLWing Eluvias (or anyone else who gets mangled).

I'm inclined towards Cackle, because those rerolls are handy. But feel free to suggest otherwise.

@Barek: Fortune got refreshed for you this turn, but Amadeen's moved up to the wall.

I'm on vacation until July 2nd. Please bot me as needed.

Enjoy!

Enjoy your break!

Indeed, enjoy your break.

And btw, I'm back from my training. :)

Welcome back!

Waiting on Eluvias and Barek

Amadeen has just arrived at the wall. If the others are willing to wait, she can start using the CLW wand on them while still cackling.

Sorry about that, didn't realize you were waiting on me. Eluvias is all for taking cover under the wall and healing up.

I'm...guessing we have roast owlbear on the table tonight.

Pre-cooked!

Found a *great* kingmaker feat, if anyone is interested...

http://archivesofnethys.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Nation%20Builder

Nation Builder (Story)
Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 71 (Amazon)
The land calls to you to conquer it and forge a realm all your own.

Prerequisites: You must have explored and claimed an area of at least 100 square miles.

Benefit: When in either unclaimed wilderness or land under your own control, you receive a +2 bonus on Perception checks, Stealth checks, and Survival checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in one of these skills, the bonus on that skill increases to +4.

Goal: Explore and conquer an area of at least 1,000 square miles, in the process decisively defeating a challenging foe. You must also lay claim to the land either in your own name or in the name of a leader you directly report to, and establish a stronghold or other fortification to defend it.

Completion Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks, attack rolls, and saving throws while in the area you have claimed.

An excellent find!

Enough to tempt me away from constant extra hexes. :)

Glad you like it. :)

Was quite excited to find story feats
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/story-feats/

They're very flavorful, depending on what a character wants to do. Another good Kingmaker one (for someone who wants to be the nation's general)

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/story-feats/stronghold-story

Prerequisite: You must have the Leadership feat and must lead at least 10 combat-capable followers (such as fighters or rangers).

Benefit: You can spend a move action to give battle orders to your troops, granting creatures under your command within 60 feet your choice of a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls, a +1 dodge bonus to AC, or a +1 bonus on a single type of saving throw. All creatures must receive the same benefit. You can’t use this benefit on allies not under your command. This is a language-dependent, mind-affecting effect.

Goal: Build or capture a stronghold capable of housing a force of at least 200 troops, and staff it with at least 100 combat-capable soldiers (or the equivalent) under your command. You must also provide food and water sufficient to survive at least a 6-month siege and a gold reserve sufficient for at least 6 months of wages if your troops require pay.

Completion Benefit: Your battle order bonuses improve to +2, and the range of your orders increases to 120 feet. In addition, you can give two different orders to your troops. For example, you could grant your archers +2 on attack rolls while your front line gains a +2 bonus to AC.

The feat gets good for an adventurer...if you can convince other PCs to count as being your troops." In which case, this is *great* for a caster. Standard action to cast a spell, move action to issue an order to buff the party.

Stronghold is a recommended feat in one of the battle herald guides. Flavourful too!

Other PCs should count if the stronghold owner is a tactical leader type. At the very least, it's a great way to buff NPC allies.

Does it? Coolness. :)

Also...to change off topic, I was thinking about the party and kingmaker in general. Do we have leadership roles figured out?

Ruler

The ruler is the primary leader of the kingdom. Unlike the other leadership roles.
Benefit: A baron or baroness chooses one of a nation’s statistics (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability) and modifies that score by a value equal to the character’s Charisma modifier.
Vacancy Penalty: A kingdom without a ruler cannot claim new hexes, create farmlands, build roads, or purchase city districts. Increase Unrest by 4 during each Upkeep phase in which the kingdom has no ruler.
Special: Two characters can fill this role if they become married, in which case the two rulers can jointly command the kingdom. Both rulers apply their Charisma modifiers to the kingdom’s Stability, Economy, and Loyalty checks as appropriate for their rank, and as long as one of the two rulers is present for 1 week per month, they avoid the vacancy penalty.

Councilor
The councilor ensures that the will of the citizenry is represented.
Benefit: Increase Loyalty by a value equal to the Councilor’s Wisdom or Charisma modifier.
Vacancy Penalty: Decrease Loyalty by 2; the kingdom cannot gain benefits from festivals. Increase Unrest by 1 during each Upkeep phase in which the kingdom has no Councilor.

General
The General commands the kingdom’s armies and is a public hero.
Benefit Increase Stability by a value equal to the General’s Strength or Charisma modifier.
Vacancy Penalty: Decrease Stability by 4.

Grand Diplomat
The Grand Diplomat oversees international relations.
Benefit: Increase Stability by a value equal to the Grand Diplomat’s Intelligence or Charisma modifier.
Vacancy Penalty: Decrease Stability by 2; the kingdom cannot issue Promotion Edicts.

High Priest
The high priest guides the kingdom’s religious needs and growth.
Benefit: Increase Stability by a value equal to the High Priest’s Wisdom or Charisma modifier.
Vacancy Penalty: Decrease Stability and Loyalty by 2. Increase Unrest by 1 during each Upkeep phase in which the kingdom has no High Priest.

Magister
The Magister guides a kingdom’s higher learning and magic.
Benefit: Increase Economy by a value equal to the Magister’s Intelligence or Charisma modifier.
Vacancy Penalty: Decrease Economy by 4.

Marshal
The Marshal helps organize patrols and enforces justice in rural and wilderness regions.
Benefit: Increase Economy by a value equal to the Marshal’s Dexterity or Wisdom modifier.
Vacancy Penalty: Decrease Economy by 4.

Royal Assassin
The Royal Assassin can serve as a public executioner, a headsman, or a shadowy assassin.
Benefit: Increase Loyalty by a value equal to the Royal Assassin’s Strength or Dexterity modifier. Fear inspired by the Royal Assassin reduces Unrest by 1 during each Upkeep phase.
Vacancy Penalty: A kingdom without a Royal Assassin suffers no vacancy penalty.

Spymaster
The Spymaster observes the kingdom’s underworld and criminal elements and spies on other kingdoms.
Benefit: Increase Loyalty, Economy, or Stability (Spymaster’s choice) by a value equal to the Spymaster’s Dexterity or Intelligence modifier. The Spymaster can change which value he modifies during the kingdom’s Improvement phase (but only once per phase).
Vacancy Penalty: Reduce Economy by 4 because of out-of-control crime. Increase Unrest by 1 during each Upkeep phase in which the kingdom has no Spymaster.

Treasurer
The Treasurer organizes tax collection, and manages the treasury.
Benefit: Increase Economy by a value equal to the Treasurer’s Intelligence or Wisdom modifier.
Vacancy Penalty: Reduce Economy by 4; the kingdom cannot collect taxes.

Warden

The Warden leads the kingdom’s defense and city guards.
Benefit: Increase Loyalty by a value equal to the Warden’s Strength or Constitution modifier.
Vacancy Penalty: Reduce Loyalty by 4 and Stability by 2.

I crossed out assassin, as we are already short on leadership positions, and that is the one role which doesn't have a vacancy penalty.

From what I can see, we *need* a ruler, a treasurer, and a grand diplomat.

Amadeen: Int20 Dex16, Cha14 Elven Witch
- Ophaned, raised by an elven hermit

Barek: Dex16 Wis15, Human Hunter
- Kelled human, son of a tanner, prefers being in the wilderness

Johund: Str20, Dex16, Human Warpriest
- Born a bastard, raised by thieves and ne'er-do-wells

Jorin: Dex16, Wis14, Halfling Monk
- Can't find background

Eluvias: Dex18, Int18, Elven Magus
- Raised by human swordlord

That's what we have to work with right now, with the top 2 stats of each character. Have there been conversations yet about who would do what?

Great summary! Both of options and characters!

Not much in way of conversation yet about it, though myself and Kevin were mulling about options earlier.

Amadeen could enjoy being ruler and has good social skills. Along with some odd personal quirks.

We will need a bunch of NPCs. Like the blue basilisk leaders perhaps, or cohorts. Maybe even for top posts.

To be honest...when it comes to kingmaker one of my gripes is that once the kingdom is founded it becomes hard to justify some roles going out adventuring.

(*) Grand Diplomat: "I'm sorry sir, but the diplomat isn't in. She's out battling gnolls right now."

(*) Treasurer: "I know, I know. Foreiniganistan has put tarrifs on our kingdom. We would certainly retaliate, but our Treasurer is out fighting bandits."

(*) Counselor: "The people are rioting due to the new taxes! Ah, if only our counselor didn't wander off to wrestle with giants..."

etc. It's just problematic...

-------

What I could see working well:

Ruler
* Cha
* Amadeen would fit this. Cha14. And a ruler can do whatever she wants, including wandering off. So long as the people who run the kingdom day-to-day are in place. Very fantasy-esque.

Marshal
The Marshal helps organize patrols and enforces justice in rural and wilderness regions.
* Dex or Wis
* Patrols? Rural and wilderness regions? Sounds perfect for an adventurer.
* Barek fits the background of this perfectly. And with Dex16 he'd be as good as his story would suggest.

Spymaster
The Spymaster observes the kingdom’s underworld and criminal elements and spies on other kingdoms.
* Dex or Int
* A spymaster wandering around, keeping tabs on emerging threats? Right.
* Jorin could fit this well with Dex16.

Warden
The Warden leads the kingdom’s defense and city guards.
* Str or Con
* Johun has a very impressive Str20, so he'd be great at this. And thematically, a warden who is a warpriest of the god of waterways, who travels throughout the kingdom keeping an eye on threats and dangers? Yeah, makes sense.
* Johun would also make a good High Priest. Who, given the deity, could also travel alot. It's just that mechanically Str20 fits the Warden better.

Magister
The Magister guides a kingdom’s higher learning and magic.
* Int or Cha
* Eluvias is a Magus, so he's a natural to fill this. Plus, with Int18, he'd be good at it.

---------------------------------

Then if we have NPCs fill the other, less-adventuring roles, we'd be pretty much set.

Anyways, just a suggestion so that if the PCs leave the kingdom to adventure, it wouldn't leave gaping holes in administration.

Barek as Marshall looks good, I can see him with 3 or 4 harried clerks doing all the paperwork while he plays with Mong.

Speaking of which, what would be Mong's role?

Mong. Dex18, Con15.

Obviously he'd be the Spymaster. "I would have got away with it if it wasn't for your meddling dog!"

Great work Eluvias! I'd love the role of Warden, and your assessment is spot on!

Eluvias, I think you've a great list there.

While technically we could put a NPC in the ruler seat and rule through them, this group is very hands on in my view.

Amadeen, bar objections, can gun for the seat.

Glad you’re all happy!

Looks like we all are in agreement. Let’s go conquer a kingdom!

Hopefully not this weekend, as I am unlikely to be able to post then!

Just to be clear, after Eluvias becomes disabled, he attacks again (nice hit, suspenseful moment!) and is now at -1hp and dying, right? This is really tough. I could channel, but I'd burn my remaining fervor for a mere 1d6 healing, and couldn't exclude any enemies. I could double toward the stairs, but wouldn't reach Eluvias until next round at the soonest.

Could we get the result of Eluvias's last attack against the Stag Lord?

Also, what's the fastest route to the stag lord, south to the stairs and up toward him? We really don't want to just let them rain arrows down on us.

I think disabled is 3.5. Eluvias Just remains at 0Hp and is staggered. Save your Fervor, if the Stag Lord is up then Eluvias is dead. Super-dead. Which is alright as I’ve never had such a cool character death. I’d recommend double moving this turn to avenge Eluvias in a suitable cinematic fight scene.

If the Stag Lord is dead, then I don’t think any of the bandits have it in them to kill Eluvias outright, and he can then safely stabilize. Which in turn is very dramatic.

No matter what though, I’m extremely pleased on this turn of events. Right now we are at the part of the movie where one character gets stabbed, and with his last surge of strength, he stabs right back. Both grip each other with one hand, and their bloody swords with the other. The audience waits to see which one falls. A comrade scrams “No!” as he charges up the stairs, knowing that he is already too late.

The stairs leading to Z2a is the closest way up.

Unfortunately though very badly wounded Eluvias has not taken the Staglord out with his second hit! Tense moment ahead.

In fairness Eluvias put himself on his own which led to a target rich environment... but thats a lot of targets very upset with him. If Eluvias was down it'd be one thing they'd go deal with the rest of ye. But he's on 0 still dishing out damage, 14 hit points is doable from a single hit sadly.

Not to be a rules lawyer, and GM can narrate this dramatic moment as he sees fit, but disabled is still a thing in pathfinder:

Disabled (0 Hit Points)

When your current hit point total drops to exactly 0, you are disabled.

You gain the staggered condition and can only take a single move or standard action each turn (but not both, nor can you take full-round actions). You can take move actions without further injuring yourself, but if you perform any standard action (or any other strenuous action) you take 1 point of damage after completing the act. Unless your activity increased your hit points, you are now at –1 hit points and dying.

Healing that raises your hit points above 0 makes you fully functional again, just as if you’d never been reduced to 0 or fewer hit points.

You can also become disabled when recovering from dying. In this case, it’s a step toward recovery, and you can have fewer than 0 hit points (see Stable Characters and Recovery).

So RAW, Eluvias would fall unconcious after striking (barring some ability like orc ferocity), and perhaps the Stag Lord and the others would turn their attention away from him toward the rest of us.

As a note: I definitely did put Eluvias out by himself and made him into a target. Certainly not something I would have done with a more controlled, orderly character (such as Drazh in the other campaign you are running). Seeking out a suicidal situation just to feel his heart pumping is just something that Eluvias would do, and now he's paying for it.

And the GM is certainly right, at 0HP he is more than capable of dishing out damage. A smart foe would just put him down. And if he dies...well...I'm ok with that. Because all I ever want for a character is a good story. Nobody remembers character that never were in danger of dying. And the ones that died...well, those are the ones you remember.

I've had an SFS character whose persona was being bold, cocky, and infatuated with his robotic hand. He charged an injured enemy, looking to deliver the killing blow with his fist. The injured foe shot him into pure and utter death. Everyone laugh. I laughed. I remember the character fondly because of it.

So...let the dice land where they will. Let's just make sure that alive or dead, Eluvias' name becomes one worth remembering. :D

Live or die, Eluvias is certainly making a name for himself!

As for Amadeen, I think the flight hex has suddenly become a big priority for her to get at level five. It's taken her far too long to get inside. Whether or not Eluvias dies, she is going to make plans to make sure that doesn't happen again. Especially if he dies.

Live or die, Eluvias is certainly making a name for himself!

As for Amadeen, I think the flight hex has suddenly become a big priority for her to get at level five. It's taken her far too long to get inside. Whether or not Eluvias dies, she is going to make plans to make sure that doesn't happen again. Especially if he dies.

Yes to flight! Amadeen is really proving herself to being a *very* useful character. For flight, I know it is min/level. But with cackle could you have all day flight, so long as you don't stop laughing?

Also: I'm on pins and needles to see what happens here. :)

Cheers. :) I very much see Amadeen as a force multiplier. While she can deal damage or take hits, neither is her forte. Debuffing with a sideline in buffing and perhaps battlefield control is.

Plus, I do love the image of a witch flying over the battlefield, cackling and bringing doom to enemies with a glare and a grin. :D

As for the cackle extension on flight, unfortunately not. Cackle has a specific list of hexes that it works on:

Effect: A witch can cackle madly as a move action. Any creature that is within 30 feet that is under the effects of an agony hex, charm hex, evil eye hex, fortune hex, or misfortune hex caused by the witch has the duration of that hex extended by 1 round.

A thought for a few levels ahead: cohorts from the Leadership feat.

As much as I love the Extra Hex feat, I may actually spring for Leadership. We do need competent and reliable NPCs to fill roles in the future kingdom after all. And a NPC helper could be massively useful. My two main notions are as follows, but I'm open to suggestions.

1. A bodyguard. A switch-hitter or a shield expert of some sort, to keep the squishy elf witch from being well squished.

2. A crafting mage. A crafter specialising in making magic items, as Amadeen has zero interest in crafting such herself.

Any thoughts?

I've never used Leadership, so I'm afraid I don't have much to offer, but the idea of a crafter sounds pretty nice!

Have we heard from Jorin? Will his player be able to return to the game?

Not for the moment at least, after this fight I'm moving him into the background for however long it takes for him to come back.

Throws dice at Johund...

That almost went terribly wrong. I am glad I went back to double check things once I believed I had killed our great servant of the river rat. Loot incoming.

<cheers while facedown in his own blood>

Man...one d20 going different and Johund would have been super-dead.

This is why pbp gm can be so tough. The players aren't around to help resolve the rolls. Johund's AC was 24 with ironskin, so he would have only taken 15 damage.

Sorry for the confusion! I'll separate rolls and damage from now on.

It's cool, I'm not afraid to have character deaths. I've claimed a few in my time but I like to pause and double check.

The Kingdom building element can begin soon, OOC we need to make some choices. Countries have a few edicts that affect stats, we'll get through them one by one.

Kingdoms have a few main stats including Stability, Economy, Loyalty and Unrest. Consumption is basically a hit to income but you can reduce it with farms and fisheries.

Amadeen-Ruler
Barek-Marshal
Johund-Warden
Eluvias-Magister
Jorin-Considering

Holiday Edicts
Holidays are general celebrations or observances that take place across the kingdom. The BP expenditure includes lost revenue from citizens not working during the holidays, preparations and logistical arrangements that occur year-round, and the cost of the actual celebrations (these annual costs are averaged over the year and included in the listed Consumption modifier that you pay each turn).

The number of holidays per year is the number you promise to uphold and the number that the common folk expect to enjoy over the next months. The Loyalty and Consumption modifiers change as soon as you change the number of holidays per year. The listed number assumes that you are fulfilling your promise—if you announce 12 holidays in the coming year but don’t actually hold and pay for them, the GM should increase your kingdom’s Unrest to reflect public disappointment and outrage.

Per Year Loyalty Consumption
None –1 +0
1 +1 +1
6 +2 +2
12 +3 +4
24 +4 +8