GM Captain Trip's Giantslayer Adventure Path - Now with 50% more calories!

Game Master Chad Newman

I think it is more an issue of remembering to apply the buff, than anything else.

Hey guys, I'm alive!!

Sorry to let you down some time ago, I indeed came to the boards once to warn about my missing status but, first, I didn't know how long it would take, and second, I was having computer/internet problems so I posted in one or two of my games only, and I was pretending to come back to normal a long time ago, but....

Anyway, I'm still busy being a lawyer, a manager, an english teacher, a son and a husband, but I'll slowly return to the boards. I just stopped by to apologize, to tell you I'm ok, and that I hope you're doing well.

If you ever again need a healer Jaghal is somewhere around the marshes, orcs or giant tribes having some demented idea to blend in.

Glad to hear you are alive and kicking man. We did have to go ahead and replace you due to the amount of time that passed, but hopefully you understand. Best of luck going forward and if we lose anyone else I'll give you a shout. :)

After the final stuff is taken care of on the barge the group will level up to 5th, so go ahead and make your changes to your character profiles so I can review.

Please post any changes to your characters skills, stats, feats, etc. here so I can review.

Before you set off you can trade with the crew of the barge for limited items, or to sell items you don't want to bring along with you. Let me know what you want to sell or exchange and I'll let you know the result. They have limited resources but do have a few items they might part with.

Once you leave the barge you will be on foot for the remainder of your journey and might not encounter them again. Their task of providing you transport to the marsh has been completed.

Stats on Bloodtusk's belt:

Victor's Belt

Value: 5,000 GP
Slot: Belt
Caster Level: 5th W
Weight: 1 lb.
Aura: Faint Enchantment

This thick leather belt is adorned with several oversized iron plates and disks depicting images of orc gladiators in battle. The wearer of a victor’s belt gains a +2 morale bonus on all combat maneuver checks and to Combat Maneuver Defense. In addition, the wearer can enter a rage (as the rage spell) as a standard action once per day. Whenever the wearer takes an amount of damage equal to at least half his current hit points in a single round, there is a 50% chance that the belt activates its rage ability automatically as an immediate action, provided the power has not already been activated that day and the wearer is not already raging. Regardless of how the rage is activated, it lasts for 5 rounds.

I completely understand man, no worries. I'll be around the boards in any case, since in some games they still didn't find a replacement ^_^

Nice belt! Who wants it? Corentin?

I think you'll be able to use it but use my rounds instead while I inspire rage, but then you don't get the rage powers (spirits, etc.).

@Corentin, I notice you have the Tactician ability. I could take my second level spell as a masterpiece: Battle Song of the People's Revolt, which in short allows me to give a teamwork feat to allies.

Looking at it, one teamwork feat doesn't mean too much compared to raging song, but perhaps there is a way to combine our two effects for greater disaster? For example, Borken Wing Gambit and Paired Opportunist?

Let me know what you think.

Btw, still not sure about Skald's Vigour... I was also thinking Extra Rage Power (Reckless Abandon). Thoughts?

I think Skald's Vigor is ok, not necessarily great. Reckless abandon is pretty good, and it expands the usefulness of the raging song.

I think Skald's Vigor is ok, not necessarily great. Reckless abandon is pretty good, and it expands the usefulness of the raging song.

** spoiler omitted **

Yes, although I would be the only one taking advantage of it, as it comes from one of my feats, so it doesn't apply to allies.

Still waiting on lvl 5 updates from Johan and Sasha, as well as any wrap up you all wish to do before we set off. Just let me know when you are ready to roll on!

Gizsmith Glitterbyte wrote:

I think Skald's Vigor is ok, not necessarily great. Reckless abandon is pretty good, and it expands the usefulness of the raging song.

** spoiler omitted **

Yes, although I would be the only one taking advantage of it, as it comes from one of my feats, so it doesn't apply to allies.

Well that's less fun. I would save it until next level then, since it it's pretty solid to add to your song. Lingering performance might be good. I'm a fan of furious focus as well.

As far as loot goes, Sasha do you want the belt? I figure the bow and Dex belt would be up Johan's alley. Cor is more "sword and board" but would carry the Falchion in case we need magic weapons to hit something.

Speaking of which does Sasha hae Brinya's Dagger? It might come in handy in the swamp.

The saddle we got earlier would help Cor in that it would share his teamwork feat with Resolute but since his ride and Resolutes acrobatics are already pretty pumped it might be more useful for Sasha or Johan

As for the other items Cor would like one of the healing potions but beyond that it doesn't matter much to me.

Anyway those are my thoughts.

Szacha as far as teamwork feats go it probably won't be until 10th that Corentin looks at his next one but I'd be more than happy to sync up with you on that.

Any chance you could retrain?

Sasha will take the belt and dagger, if they are offered to her.

If you are familiar with the retraining rules from Ultimate Campaign, I allow those. If you don't have the book and need more info just let me know.

Since Johan's player is out of town at the moment, I'm fine with moving forward once you all are ready. Just give the word. Obviously you will want to settle the loot split prior so we know who has what.

Szacha the Fiddler wrote:

Gizsmith Glitterbyte wrote:

I think Skald's Vigor is ok, not necessarily great. Reckless abandon is pretty good, and it expands the usefulness of the raging song.

** spoiler omitted **

Yes, although I would be the only one taking advantage of it, as it comes from one of my feats, so it doesn't apply to allies.

Well that's less fun. I would save it until next level then, since it it's pretty solid to add to your song. Lingering performance might be good. I'm a fan of furious focus as well.

You're absolutely right! Furious focus it is!

I'd be happy to swap it out. It will take five or so days of downtime so it's something Cor could do after our assault perhaps. Right now he has Distracting Charge which I think could be nice but more so once he hits 9th in Cavalier so he can hand it out as a swift action (even more so if we get into some fights where he can fight mounted...some day :)

Martok are you interested in the Falchion? If it's something you would use I'd rather you have it.

Martok are you interested in the Falchion? If it's something you would use I'd rather you have it.

Not really. It's not that much better than a battleaxe and I'm not sure I could use it in the first place.

There really wasn't anything too interesting in the loot for Martok but I'm sure something will come up during play. The dwarf is patient and will wait.

@Szacha - You all already attempted Knowledge checks on the subject prior to leaving Trunau, and the information you knew was given then. Knowledge isn't something you can reroll without spending money/time doing research. Now, Martok could attempt to make a check if had the skill trained, but the rest of you have jogged your memory on the subject as best as possible.

Sorry, but no k. dungeoneering for my goat-herding dwarf. :(

It would have been nice to pick some appropriate spells...

Speaking of which, who else casts spells and what do you usually memorize or know and cast spontaneously?

Spells Known (6 x lvl 0): Dancing Light, Detect Magic, Know Direction, Ghost Sound, Read Magic, Summon Instrument.
Spells Known (4+FC x lvl 1): Grease, Hideous Laughter, Vanish, Silent Image, Saving Finale (FC).
Spells Known (3 x lvl 2): Blistering Invective, Mirror Image, Suggestion.

@GM: Any recommended languages to pick up? If not I'll probably go with Aklo and maybe some elemental language.

Do we spend the night to recuperate?

@GM: everything alright? Are you waiting for us?

Yes. As I said, I'm ready when the party is set to shove off. Right now I'm not sure what you all are doing. :)

Hi all. I am back from my excellent ski trip and trying to catch up on life in general (Bills, chores, work, and of course my PBP games. Getting close to caught up.

As far as loot goes Johan would want the belt of Dex more than anything else. He could use the wand of Cat's Grace and would want it if he deos not get the belt of Dex. The bow, while enchanted, is actually a downgrade for him by a point of damage (unless of course he need to bypass magical DR) so he will not normally use it. Is Sasha interested in the bow? I guess its too large for her unless it resizes?

Johan will gladly carry the Falchion for now, though he will not claim if for his own. Its a good melee weapon for an archer until said archer can get that feat that prevents him from provoking in melee. In my planned build that feat comes pretty late. And if no one else wants the mithral chain shirt Johan will offer to purchase it for the sale price in order to later have it enchanted.

FYI, I'll be out and about all day today and may not able to post until this evening. Please bot me as necessary.

[Con Mode] I have a convention in less than two weeks (March 4-6) at which I am the Game Operations Director (presiding over the game room). I will try to keep a regular pace, but if I fall behind, that's why. These last two weeks are the most hectic. Just letting everyone know.

Hey Sasha, both of us wanted the Dex belt. Want to roll a d20 for it and whoever gets it the other takes the wand of Cat's Grace?

Roll off: 1d20 ⇒ 19

John, you are lucky. I have a con March 4-6, another April 8-10, and a third April 22-24, all of which I am the only one organizing all the PFS. Three cons in two months. My life is con hell right now. :)

Rolling for belt: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Looks like I get the wand. :)

As far as movement goes we're quarter movement in the water and normal on the land?

Sorry, the land is considered only difficult. Its still marsh, but not as bad as the water.

Dismounting is a move action unless you make the DC 20 Ride check to Quick Dismount. Because of this, Martok would have had a single move action left, which in this terrain, is a single square.

Martok is not trained in riding so he'll use up the move action to dismount. Does the terrain cost 2 squares or 4 squares? Martok gets 4 squares per move action so I was just wondering.

Water squares are 4, ground is 2.

That is basically a swim speed without having to make the swim check.

Trips, its the same for large animals like horses?

Harry, you will want to look over Handle Animal and the tricks and groups available for training. Combat Training is a specific trait package you can pick up in place of individual traits. Animal companions do not come combat trained by default, since most are not intended to be used as mounts. Understand, there's a difference between an animal trained to attack anything and one that is trained to bear a rider in combat. The Combat Training package covers that.

I'm fine with a little retcon of Thunder's tricks to allow for this, since it sounds like you weren't familiar with the difference there.

So, looking at Resolute and Galor I see both have a trick called Combat Riding. I have never heard of this trick and its not showing up as an option in my Herolab. Is this something relatively new?

Pretty sure it shows in HeroLab, since my Cavalier has it on his mount.

Info is here

I'll see if I can hop onto my home computer and find where it is in HeroLab.

Explanation on the terrain for everyone:

Treat water squares as Deep Bog and Land Squares as Shallow Bog

Bog: If a square is part of a shallow bog, it has deep mud or standing water of about 1 foot in depth. It costs 2 squares of movement to move into a square with a shallow bog, and the DC of Acrobatics checks in such a square increases by 2.

A square that is part of a deep bog has roughly 4 feet of standing water. It costs Medium or larger creatures 4 squares of movement to move into a square with a deep bog, or characters can swim if they wish. Small or smaller creatures must swim to move through a deep bog. Tumbling is impossible in a deep bog.

The water in a deep bog provides cover for Medium or larger creatures. Smaller creatures gain improved cover (+8 bonus to AC, +4 bonus on Reflex saves). Medium or larger creatures can crouch as a move action to gain this improved cover. Creatures with this improved cover take a –10 penalty on attacks against creatures that aren't underwater.

Deep bog squares are usually clustered together and surrounded by an irregular ring of shallow bog squares.

Both shallow and deep bogs increase the DC of Stealth checks by 2.

Who is protected from electricity at the moment?

HeroLabs Combat Riding

As far as Combat Riding goes it might come from the class or be a reference to being Combat Trained (which is the general purpose training group that covers riding a mount in combat). If you look under Handle Animal it has more info on that.

Its confusing. Combat Riding is not listed as a general trick in the PFSRD under Handle Animal. Or the PRD for that matter. But I do see references to Combat Training (Not Combat Riding). I am not sure what resource I need to add to get that option in HeroLab but I will play with it. This is not the first time that some animal ability did not show up for me. For now if you are ok with it I will update the mount to have that trick.

I see references that say if your mount is combat trained then it does not need to take armor feats and can wear any armor. Can that be right, can it?