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This is the discussion thread.
For players new to play-by-post PFS, please check out some time-tested resources:
Doomed Hero's Guide to PbP Gaming
GM Damo's user profile offers excellent additional guidance and tips.
This Tagline Template offers a basic setup for your own PC's PbP tagline, providing vital information at a glance. Modify/adapt it to your own PC's crucial needs.
Please ensure you have an updated stat block associated with your PC and any companions or familiars.
For those using Hero Lab, it's quite simple.
Under the "File" tab, select "Output Hero Statblock." In the pop-up menu, select the "BBCode" tab and click on the "Copy" button.
In your PC's Paizo profile, click on the "Edit My Profile" button. Then paste it into the "About [Your PC's Name]" block near the bottom of the page.
Got some questions? Post them here in this thread.
When you're ready, use this thread to introduce your PC to the GM and to the party. Please do so in-character.
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"Good eeevening, daahlings," the stunningly beautiful woman says as she rises from her seat. Her expertly tailored noble's outfit and very expensive jewelry are somewhat unusual for a Pathfinder, but looking carefully you can see the hint of a finely-made chain shirt peeking out from beneath the black silk and lace bodice - neither of which hampers the view of her decolletage. Full-length black gloves cover her hands, one of which rests on her cocked hip. Her long black hair tumbles in perfectly coiffed waves across her shoulders but is held back from her eyes by a bejeweled gold headband.
"I'm ze Lady Vanessa Reisende of Panglois, and it's suuuch a pleasure to meet you all," she continues with the slightest of bows of her head. As she looks around the room, she notes the Ulfen sorcerer already here. "Aaah, Miz Einn, I don't believe vee've had ze pleasure of meeting. But a mutual acqvuaintance of ours said to pass along his regards." She favors Einn with a sweet smile before taking her seat again, crossing her legs just so, and reaching for her cup of tea.
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A diminutive figure slips into the room, his frog-like form the most notable feature. He wears a black gi, open at the front, and carries an oversized silver flask in one hand, a small staff in the other. Other flasks of various sizes hang from his sash, next to a coiled net. He takes a swig from the open flask as he enters. "Hullo pretty lady.. " He bows toward Vanessa. "You don't get enough sun." he observes casually as he hops up on a seat. He holds out the flask to her. "Care for something a little stronger in that tea?" He hiccups softly behind his hand, then giggles softly. "'Scuse me."
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Einn nods in greeting to Lady Vanessa. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Einn Sparkbearer." The tall Ulflen woman wears brightly colored clothing. Her thick braids fall down her back, A scorpion peeks out of the thick fall of hair.
She smiles at the small person. "I'm always up for a drink my friend. If your offering, I'm drinking."
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Vanessa extends her gloved hand to take the flask from Einn, and then adds a small shot of its contents to her tea. After taking a sip, she raises her brows in surprise. "Huunter, " she begins, drawing out the first syllable of his name, "zis liquor ov yours is qvuite ... mmm ... potent. I think if I had much more ov it, I vouldn't be able to go in ze sun at all. "
"And, no, I've heard nahsiing of vhat's going on. My dear family friend, ze Paracountess Dralneen said only zat I needed to meet a team here. As usual vif her, she vhas ... evasive about vhat to expect. "
She takes another sip, savoring both the aroma and sharpness of Hunter's added brew, then sets her tea cup back down on its matching porcelain saucer.
Turning back to Einn, she turns her ankle out to display her new shoes. "Einn, my daahling, have you seen zeese? Zhey're all ze latest fashion here in Absalom. I don't think it's caught on anyvhere else yet. If you vant to get some after ze briefing, I know an ehhxcellent shop. " Then looking at Hunter and Seltyiel, she smiles and says, "As for you boys, I don't think zhey go vif your outfits. But if ve do have to dress you up for a formal party, I'll make sure ve all have ze latest accessories. "
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As several of the Pathfinders chat and begin to get to know each other, the door opens and a young woman with pale green eyes and dirty blonde hair wanders in, closely followed by a...chicken?
"Um, hello? Are we in the right room?" she asks as she looks around with a vague sort of smile. But then as her eyes settle on the colorfully-dressed Ulfen woman, she emits a thrilled shriek and practically tackles her.
"Friend Einn! It's so good to see you again!" she beams. "We've not gotten to work together since we got sent to Korvosa that one time, have we? Ohhhh, I love getting to work with Familiar Friends on missions; this is going to be so much fun!"
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A tall man enters, and his cold demeanor is obvious at first sight. He does not choose a seat, instead choosing to stand with a view of the door. You notice that no matter his stance, one hand is always near one of his three Kukri. "Hello. My name is Zadim. I was dispatched to assist you in this job, so it must have an equal measure of importance and danger."
As the group stands around, his eyes continue to be drawn to the chicken. What sort of outfit is this, which brings a mascot? Pathfinders are so... unique.
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Einn gives a squeal as well and hugs the small woman right back.
"Corona so good to see you. Things have changed a bit since we met last." She indicates her clothing. The last time Corona saw her she was dressed in medium armor carrying a sword.
"My sorcerer powers appeared right after that mission. Armor doesn't work with those. I still feel a little naked." The small scorpion peeks out of her hair and looks at the chicken.
"Come meet Lady Vanessa. She knows all about shoes." Einn will lead Corona to the other woman. "I believe you have a lot in common."
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"Noooo, Stuffing isn't lunch," the young woman explains hastily as she releases Einn. "She's my friend! But I did learn an important lesson from her - be careful about who or what you feed cornbread to, because they just might follow you home. That egg merchant still thinks I stole her," she sighs.
Looking around the room she smiles, even at the scowly-looking half-elf and the rather stern man that has just stepped into the room behind her. "Anyway, hello New Friends! I'm Corona Merrion and when I'm not working for the Society I'm a baker," she announces, shaking the hands of anyone that'll take her up on it.
She then turns her attention back to Einn and smiles. "I wondered where your armor went, Friend Einn! I'm glad that you learned something new about yourself but I'm sorry that it's left you feeling naked. But don't worry, I've got my armor and those two," she points at Zadim and Seltyiel, "look really tough so I'm sure we'll be able to keep you safe. And I'd love to talk to your New Shoe Friend!"
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"Corooona, daahling, lovely to meet you," Vanessa says as she gracefully rises to give the young woman a peck on the cheek. With a quick appraisal, she thinks to herself, Vhat a lovely sweet girl, such an ingenue. And a chicken familiar. How .... interesting.... "I truly hope ve get time to take you shopping. I cahn't vait to introduce you to some of zis city's best tradesmen," she continues, being completely sincere.
Then linking her left elbow into Corona's arm as if they were the best of friends, she turns to face the rest of the group. "Since it looks like ve're all here, I do have vun thing I need to ahsk ov you all. If I should be injured, please don't use any regular healing on me," she asks, looking especially to the young Oracle on her arm. She gestures with her free hand toward the finely tooled bandolier slung like a belt low across her hips. Her long fingers come to rest atop two potion vials marked with black crosses. "Please use zhese instead, or my own vhand. "
As she continues, a very subtle change occurs to her smile and her voice drops a bit, "But I don't suggest using zhem on yourselves. You may not like ze effects. "
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Pathfinders the link to Maps, Handouts and More! is live.
Please enter your PFS #, PC #, and after you've rolled for your day job (here in the discussion thread, if you have one), enter the result of the roll and the gold earned.
Please also place your PC's icon where you'd like him or her to be in a typical single-file and two-abreast march order.
I'll make the first post in the gameplay thread tomorrow, Monday morning, to kick things off.
Happy hunting,
Larry Smith
aka GM Lorenzo
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We all probably have differing ideas about what mentoring entails, and I won't presume to pontificate or lecture.
My own learning style includes observing how others perform a task, then adopting and adapting what works well and discarding much of the rest.
In the RP-heavy scene-setting phase of this Grand Lodge faction-centric part of the scenario, I'm trying to draw the PCs into the scene and the social interaction, inviting action, and providing reaction to the PCs through the NPCs, building on the brief sketch provided in the author's text through the addition of some improvised details and dialogue.
It's a cycle of stimulus/action/reaction until the scene is resolved.
There's no right or wrong response to the stimulus, unless there's no response at all. Usually, that indicates somebody's not happy with the way things are going. Sometimes a stimulus doesn't require an actual skill check.
I try to avoid the ooc GM hints, unless the PCs seem confused or play is stalling. In that case, I try to intervene quickly, especially when it has a potential impact on success criteria or player rewards.
I'm not passing judgment on anyone, just letting you know what I'm trying to do, in case it isn't obvious.
Don't worry, you'll get to kill baddies real soon.
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No worries GM; it's always interesting to see the thought processes behind how each GM handles certain things. I've not really sat down and hammered out my own thought processes for how/why I do certain things the way that I do in my own GMing but hopefully the mentoring games (this one and True Dragons) will help me better put my own thoughts to words when the time comes :)
*edit* For those celebrating, Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Thursday to everyone else :)
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Hope you all enjoyed the holiday.
We're just waiting for Seltyiel and Zadim to search the room [Craft (alchemy) or Perception] and to attempt to identify the sticky substance on the stairs [Knowledge (dungeoneering)], before we move on.
If necessary, we'll bot their skill checks later this evening and move on.
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Good morning! Checking in to say that I'm working until early afternoon but I shouldn't have a problem posting Corona's combat action once it gets around to her - I'll either get it when I get home or perhaps sooner should work be quiet.
Also, I approve of Vanessa's use of Shadow Trap! Such a flavorful spell :)
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I adjusted Seltyiel's position on the map to a point where he could get to crossing the difficult terrain and still be able to make his attack.
I always appreciate a player including a hyperlink for spells, abilities, feats, or traits that the GM and other players might not be familiar with. It streamlines posts and makes it easier to look up and understand the mechanics, effects, and other nuances.
A brief ooc or spoiler description is helpful and works, too, but the GM often has to look up the full prd entry to fully understand the details.
I'm not entirely sure when the ooze would regenerate and gain a growth point, immediately or on its turn. The text says 'whenever it's struck.' I chose to apply the effect immediately, so the party can see what happens when the creature is hit by a slashing weapon.
This description provides a little cinematic display and also enables the GM to convey a little more information about the creature, even though the knowledge checks weren't high enough to reveal more.
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Zadim, can you help me understand how you get a +2 attack bonus from higher ground? Under normal circumstances that's a +1 bonus.
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When the party is engaged in combat, I try to post as frequently as possible, rather than wait for everyone to act. That helps me paint the picture for the players as each PC's actions develop the tactical situation. The intent is to enable the remaining players to respond with a clear sense of what's already happened as a result of the actions of the others.
This helps especially in cases where the party is not quite sure of what they're facing or lack a full awareness of their foes' capabilities.
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Monstrous Growth (Ex) A hungry flesh gains growth points from its reactive regeneration ability or from eating creatures. When it consumes a creature that's been dead no more than an hour, it gains 1 growth point if that creature is of its size or one size category smaller, or 2 growth points if its meal is larger than it is. Eating a creature takes a full-round action if it is the same size or smaller than the hungry flesh or 1 minute if it is larger. Each time a hungry flesh reaches 5 growth points, it gains the giant creature simple template. This template stacks with itself each time the hungry flesh gains another 5 growth points, but the hungry flesh can't increase its size beyond Gargantuan. When it stops gaining growth points, a hungry flesh loses a single application of the giant creature simple template for each hour that passes.
Reactive Regeneration (Ex) Whenever a hungry flesh takes piercing or slashing damage, it regenerates 5 hit points and gains 1 growth point.
Zadim slashed the creature twice this round. If the burning hands spell and the alchemist's fire hadn't temporarily suppressed its regeneration, the creature would have weathered more damage, survived, and gained 5 total growth points. I would have had to apply the giant creature simple template.
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The party was unaware of these abilities from its knowledge checks, but I described what happened with each type of your attacks, as seen through the eyes of the PCs.
I included the growth points, ooc, to provide the PCs a sense of urgency/impending doom, even though I couldn't explain the mechanics to the players.
My intent was to provide reasonable clues without breaking the fourth wall. I think this method is more immersive and enjoyable than withholding the information altogether or dumping a bunch of ooc text that explains what's happening.
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As a player, I noticed that too even if Corona didn't have much chance to comment or act on it herself :)
And I like the sort of implementation that you did - I dislike it when information is withheld despite something giving visual/auditory cues and it's much more fun to have the 'thing' come to fruition in an immersive fashion rather than getting an OOC info. dump.
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A scenario's author often includes a great deal of information that explains the context of the setting, the motivation of the NPCs, and the cause or catalyst for the present situation.
When I first started GMing, I was amazed at how scenarios that had puzzled me as a player made so much more sense, when I read them in their entirety as a GM. I resolved to find ways to help players and their PCs better understand what was happening.
Some players love to learn the who, what, when, where, why and how of things. The challenge for the GM is to find opportunities to reveal that information, much of which is included in the adventure summary provided at the beginning of a scenario. The box text in each encounter area is insufficient to accomplish that. I look for ways to pass as much of that information as possible through the NPCs' dialogue. I sometimes add a little more information to the results of knowledge checks. If there's no better way to convey the background information, I usually have the Venture-Captain reveal it at the end of a scenario.
Some players won't give a hoot, and that's okay. I provide it, anyway, for the players who are interested, for their enjoyment.
Some players aren't as interested in roleplaying their PCs, enjoying more the thrill of rolling the dice in combat, and that's okay, too. For the players who enjoy the interaction with the NPCs, I try to give them a chance to do so. If everybody takes a pass, we simply move on.
While not every scenario is a dungeon crawl, all of them have plenty of combat encounters. So, if the GM does the job right, catering to each type of player, there's no reason anyone should go home unsatisfied with the experience. That's the goal.
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It frustrates me as a player and as a GM, when a scenario presents what seems like an important NPC, plot point or interesting callback to another scenario, but then an answer remains elusive.
Erya Bastorieth is a mystery I haven't solved. Neither the Borg, nor the Paizo boards, nor Google seem to know anything about her, except that she's named in this scenario.
Her mention seems to be a callback to a previous scenario, but though the question was once asked in the GM discussion, it was never answered.
I could have simply given an answer in ooc prose, but that would have broken the fourth wall. I try to avoid that kind of interruption in the telling of the story.
So, I went with what I imagined would be a characteristic response from Zarta Dralneen, if she were asked such a question.
Sometimes, that's the best the GM can do.
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When I first started GMing, I was amazed at how scenarios that had puzzled me as a player made so much more sense, when I read them in their entirety as a GM.
This. A bajillionty times, this. And it's a shame too, because the scenarios that I've read and GMed really do have a lot of cool backstory/background that'll likely never come up or be discovered without you as GM making the effort to get it out there to the players in some way.