Zoso Cendele'tiqile |
I'm here. Work just sucks and my apologies. Zoso has a ring and cloak already so someone else please go ahead and armor up.
Beshtori Sankral |
Speaking of Magic Missile, it's too bad we aren't playing 5E :P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI5VOPDFh_w
Beshtori Sankral |
We'll re-up any expired buffs so that:
Everyone: Haste, Mage Armour, Protection from Evil, Antitoxin.
Saphren: Invisibility, Spider Climb
Brenna: Enlarge, Heroism
GM SpiderBeard |
It's been probably around 15 minutes since the dragon (you did some searching and talked to Shalelu and Kaerishiel), and around a minute since the fight with the drow. I imagine enlarge needs to be re-buffed.
Lyr Scarheart |
The people who I cast Protection From Energy on still have Acid resistance. Probably won't matter, but it's worth mentioning.
Lyr Scarheart |
It's fine. He died with a trail of drow in his wake. It's a fitting death.
Lyr was a collection of mechanics that never quite worked the way I wanted them too, and playing a traumatized, antisocial stoic gets old. I've been wanting to play a more functional and fun character for a while now.
I'm thinking a Life Shaman. I'm going to make the group damn near indestructible.
That's assuming the party survives. Good luck team.
Zoso Cendele'tiqile |
I have learned a lot about Pathfinder in the past year and a half, I can definately produce a more interesting character now. Also, RETREAT!!!
Zoso Cendele'tiqile |
My initial idea is a Drow hunting Half Orc Deep Walker Ranger. Brings back the ranged combat Zoso provided.
GM SpiderBeard |
He's not exactly a cheerful fellow at the best of times. That said Brenna thumped this dude good and he's not high on hp.
Also for Lyr and Zoso - hold off before you start designing characters. Let's let the fight finish and we can discuss stuff.
GM SpiderBeard |
Seriously, that guy had no hp but brutal spells. His flopped stealth roll and the glitterdust very much saved more lives.
GM SpiderBeard |
We're now in the denouement of the chapter, and so congratulations to all of you for completing Book 3 of Second Darkness!
Now, let's talk where we're going here. It's exciting to start moving in to chapter 4, but I'll preface that with a question.
Second Darkness is kind of a weird AP. Although the overall plotline is interesting, and I thought books 1 and 2 were good - but the Armageddon Echo was really weak. As well there's a major loot shortage, the maps are difficult to work with, and the fights are a nightmare to balance. You guys rolled through every fight until the last boss killed two people, and then died the next round.
That said chapter 4 seems pretty wild and is interesting enough I'm happy to go on, keeping in mind the balance and conversino issues.
However, since we have -one- original character from when this game started, and everyone else came in late with less of a tie to the game history, I'm offering a choice to close off here and start a new AP. This gives us a reset so everyone is starting from the same place. That said, I'm more than happy to keep on with Second Darkness if you guys want to see this AP through.
GM SpiderBeard |
I don't have a strong preference or a single AP I'm dying to run. I'd like to do something I haven't done yet. Here's what I have done:
Curse of the Crimson Throne, Rise of the Runelords, Carrion Crown, Wrath of the Righteous, Shattered Star, and I just started Ironfang Invasion.
I've also played in Giantslayer, Reign of Winter, Mummy's Mask, and Council of Thieves although haven't finished any of them.
I'm willing to do -any- of the other APs, including niche ones like Iron Gods and Strange Aeons or third party stuff. Hell, I'll even give other game systems like Starfinder a go.
And that's of course if you all are interested in a reset. Particularly interested in what Saphren has to say since he's been here from the start, when I was a fellow player rather than the GM.
Zoso Cendele'tiqile |
Since I'm rerolling regardless these are pretty equivalent paths to me.
To be decisive, starting fresh has a little more appeal. Especially if it makes GM life easier, it's a big job so whatever helps make it more enjoyable is important. If we stick with SD that's still cool though, I would not be disapointed by a decision either way.
If we go the new AP route, I'm currently in Crimson Throne and Emerald Spire games and running Kingmaker and Dead Suns games. All my RotR attempts failed midway into the first book. Of what you haven't done, Iron Gods, Legacy of Fire, Strange Aeons, and Serpents Skull all look interesting.
Brenna Eklund |
I guess to be comprehensive, I'm currently playing in and have gotten as far as:
• Rise of the Runelords (book 1)
• Serpent's Skull (book 1) <-- start of book 1 is super repetitive
• Skull and Shackles (book 3)
• Hell's Rebels (book 2)
• Carrion Crown (book 3)
• Jade Regent (book 3)
• Iron Gods (book 1)
• Kingmaker (book 2)
• Legacy of Fire (book 1) <-- pugwampis suck
• Ironfang Invasion (book 1)
• Reign of Winter (book 1)
• Shattered Star (book 1)
• Giantslayer (book 1) <-- brutally hard fight at the end of book 1
• Ruins of Azlant (book 1)
I don't mind replaying an AP with a different character, so this doesn't matter that much.
I've not played Curse of the Crimson Throne or Council of Thieves beyond the first little bit. I haven't played Wrath of the Righteous, but I'm running it. I haven't played Mummy's Mask or Hell's Vengeance (and I have no interest in an evil game). I haven't played Strange Aeons.
So, down for whatever! Though there is the tedium of starting over at level 1 yet again, but knowing that we have a regular DM who isn't going to flake out and drop the AP partway through the first book makes that more manageable (I have had so many APs just fizzle out partway due to that, which means lots of characters who never get past level 1).
Zoso Cendele'tiqile |
Crazy thought, what if our SD story ends here and is complete in the eyes of our characters. Then we continue with these chatacters into the second half of another AP?
Lyr Scarheart |
Interesting idea.
"The continuing adventures of Saphren" is kind of a fun idea.
Slightly tangental to that idea, we could start another AP from the beginning at our current level to enjoy the story, knowing that we are essentially going to steamroll the first book. I've done that in another game and it was surprisingly fun. The power curve levels out as the story catches up to our level.
Brenna Eklund |
Interesting notion. The first book would go by super-fast, too, as we'd ROFLstomp all of the encounters, including the first boss, and most of the things that are challenging for first-level characters are easily solved with the resources available to seventh-level characters.
So, Saphren, what's it gonna be? This is The Saphren Show, after all. ;)
GM SpiderBeard |
... ya know I kind of like that. Again I'll wait for Besh and Saphren to weigh in, but in PbP getting to book four is a rare thing. I can do that.
Saphren |
Wow. Gonna be honest - I really like Saphren. I like the personality I have developed for him and his growing relationship with the others. He is fun to play and I hope I make him enjoyable for others too. He has a thing for Brenna and is enjoying watching the unpredictable Besh become more effective. I wonder about raise Dead for both Lyr and Zoso. We have the cash and a generous GM might have the elves cover some, if not all the cost. They are an affective duo, though I'd have to recommend they come back with higher con scores. Really guys, both you you with 10 cons? :P Or bring in something totally new if you want to. All about people having fun.
So I vote strongly to keep these characters and their relationship. Past that I don't care that much, except I am in a lot of games and would rather not double up. Easier to list when I am not playing or have recently played. Also I do like this setting and will not likely get a chance to play into book 4 anywhere else.
I am not playing in or running
Legacy of Fire
Ironfang Invasion
Giantslayer - Started this one but the game died and I did not like it much.
Ruins of Azlant
GM SpiderBeard |
Thanks Saphren, that's what I was looking for.
Considering the sheer number of APs you're involved in (all to book four or ongoing to book four?) that actually makes me lean towards carrying on with Second Darkness. I'll do some reading and get back to y'all.
Brenna Eklund |
And of course if you want to, y'know, change up some of the stuff in S.D., by all means do so. Like, I was thinking of running Serpent's Skull at some point, but rewriting parts of book 1 & 2 pretty significantly (with ramifications for later in the AP).
I thought Saph already had a thing for, um, what's her name, that woman back in... oh, Reva, here?
I guess you can crush on multiple women at once, but that rarely ends well? ;)
Lyr Scarheart |
I've been wanting to overhaul Lyr for a while now. I don't mind keeping the existing characters and their relationships. They are a lot of fun. I just need to make Lyr more mechanically functional.
Zoso Cendele'tiqile |
Totally get it Saphren, all in with ya man! Not sure how I feel about reviving Zoso though, I mean fireball AND potentially falling from the tower? What would be left?
For the story I would seriously entertain having the new character being a sort of bizarro Zoso. Say if his corpse was on the line of being "too far gone" to resurrect and so the spell brought back something more derivative of Zoso than actually him. I'll see how it plays out in RP and the GM's mind first before I make any personal decisions though.
EDIT: kind of ditto with Lyr's sentiment
Lyr Scarheart |
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Say if his corpse was on the line of being "too far gone" to resurrect and so the spell brought back something more derivative of Zoso than actually him. I'll see how it plays out in RP and the GM's mind first before I make any personal decisions though.
So, Reincarnate?
Zoso Cendele'tiqile |
Nice! I didn't know! I'm all for continuing to play an archer bard though.
GM SpiderBeard |
Okay, mind's made up. I'm going to take Brenna's advice and go against my own (sigh) and continue into Second Darkness, with me rewriting where necessary.
I'll post the denouement of Armageddon Echo over the coming week. A few things:
- Lyr and Zoso, there will be potential means for raise dead
- Since I may be rewriting a lot of Endless Night, here's your own opportunity for rewrites. If you want to rebuild your characters, now's your option, as I've heard indications you want to do this from 3/5 of you
Lyr Scarheart |
I'll start working on a rebuild tomorrow. I think I'm going to go with a shaman. Life and Nature mysteries. It's close to my original thoughts about Lyr, but more functional.
Lyr Scarheart |
That's just skill points. I plan on keeping that. I thought about going Grenadier Alchemist, but they make lousy healers. If someone else decides to play a healer of some kind, I'll focus on blowing things up.
Beshtori Sankral |
Sorry I'm late to the party!
I'm probably the least experienced player here (I played tons of D&D in my youth, but am just getting back into RPGs and PF). As a result, I've really only played a couple of APs: currently in book 2 of Crimson Throne, and I've played a bit of Mummy's Mask (part of book 2?), so I'd have been up for anything - continuing SD is fine by me.
I am enjoying Besh and my interpretation of low Wisdom as anxiety - I hope that it's not too annoying for the rest of you. I do need to rethink zir combat effectiveness and spell list as I felt Besh was a bit superfluous in most battles.
Zoso Cendele'tiqile |
For the story and relationships I fully intend on keeping Zoso as Zoso. What I have in mind is he'll come back from this death experience with a changed perspective. He won't fully remember what he experienced but the ramifications will be there as passive subconscious scars. He'll have vowed to never sing again, discarding his mandolin and becoming an orator with a dark wit.
Changes I'm looking to make to Zoso are ~
Gear: No real need for the elven blade or mandolin and changing the +1 Thundering bow to a +2 or maybe spending cash to make it a +1 Holy.
Spells: really need to develop a good direction on this. I'm mostly interested in buffing with Zoso. Besh, we should work together so we support each other well. If I go more aid/buff then you could have more room for damage dealing and explosions if you're so inclined.
Skills: I'd exchange Singing for Oratory, Strings for Comedy, and reallocate the ranks from Percussion.
GM question - The negative levels of Reincarnate are brutal but I like the gamble of a roll and the flavor, since we're in a mid-adventure rebuild period I'm curious what your thoughts are on using the Reincarnation spell without the negative levels as a RP device for the build tweaks? We can alter the race table if there are races people aren't comfortable with, I'm not itching to be a Kobold or anything. I just think it's a cool way to continue the character and explain the differences in game while keeping the story roughly coherent.