Mortika's "Severing Ties" Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Chris Mortika

This is the discussion board for the "Severing Ties" play-by-post.

A couple of ground rules:

I
I'll need you all to send me (1) your characters PFS number (So, if your personal PFS number were 15896, and this were your second character, you'd let me know 15896-02.) I'll also need (2) your post address so that I can send you a Chronicle sheet when we're finished, and (3) your email address you want me to allow to see the map images.

II
I am hapless when it comes to mapping software. I'll try posting things to Google+ when we need a combat map. If anybody has any other image storing or mapping solution you'd like to recommend, I'm all ears.

III
Actions and rolling during combat. When It comes time for combat, I'll roll initative for everybody and let you know the order. During combat, initiative matters more in some cases, and less in others. After the first round, strict initative is problematic.

Really, the issues with initiative are (a) who goes before the opposition in the first round, and (b) does anybody's action foul up or otherwise affect somebody else's? I've found it useful to allow people to post their actions in any order, and make changes if someone at an earlier initiative does something that makes a difference:

Ranger at Initiative 10: I shoot the stupid little elf: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23 .
Barbarian at Initiative 14: I charge the stupid little elf. 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Ranger at Initiative 10: Well, then, I guess I won't be shooting. I'll try to Demoralize him.

I strongly recommend that you let your characters "delay" if your lower-initiative allies post their actions first. So the situation above would go like:

Ranger at Initiative 10: I shoot the stupid little elf: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 .
Barbarian at Initiative 14: I delay until Initiative 9 and then charge the stupid little elf. 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

IV
Incidentally, kudos for the hypothetical Ranger's player, in the examples I made up above, who didn't decide that he would shoot into melee, in the foreknowledge that he would have hit, even with cover and engagement penalties...

VI
In the last game I ran, the players ceded all dice-rolling to me. That's not necessary, but it did turn out well. I'd like to continue that practice here, unless anyone has any objections.

Dotting, and thanks.

Thanks for the selection and for running another game, DM. Much appreciated.

Shel here and reporting for duty. Ready for the slighty OCD control freak halfling rogue to join the group!

I'd like to point out that Shel has some of her combat stats in her by-line description. That's pretty handy. I would sugget she heals up before starting the new adventure, however.

Just edited her hps...you beat me by a few seconds,DM!

*****RAWR*****

"I summon myself from the aether and into his thread! I call myself into being by the force of my will!!!"

A male oread steps through a rippling portal and into the discussion thread.

"Sad Rock is here."

* * *

I'm excited for this and honored to be here. Thanks for the invite, GM Chris. I hope to keep it fun.

I won't be able to send you my char sheet until tonight, but will do so when I get home.

I have one great read for you all... I wish I had written it: Doomed Hero's Guide to PbP.

Greetings and salutations fellow Pathfinders! Maximo enters with all the grace of an actor stepping onstage.
Gentlemen. A crisp salute.
Ladies. A deep bow with hand nearly sweeping dust from the ground.

I have come... that is how you say, yes?

Thanks for picking James again Chris, Sorry I was late to the party yesterday, I had a bit of an extended weekend.

"Glad to see you Maximo, and Shel may Taldor be with all of us"
Hello to the new faces

So we are off to have adventures, see strange sights and narrowly avoid death... hopefully, again. It is good to be a Pathfinder.

Subtle, James. Very subtle.

I'll be at a con this weekend and the hotel charges for internet access. I'll try to keep up using my phone, but posting may be sporadic.

Not a problem; I'm busy and away from computers most weekends.

I like the infiltration aspect of this scenario. It sounds like it will be very different from what I have played so far. I'm excited to see how this one shakes out.

No spoilers, please, lol...

James,

As I understand it, a weapon cannot be "upgraded" to masterwork, any more than it could be upgraded to silver. Firearms might be an exception; I honestly don't understand all the gunsmithing rules for PFS.

As of the 4.2 version of the rules, page 26, you can have masterwork transformation cast on one item, and that spell will continue from one adventure to the next.

Gunsmithing feat

Special: If you are a gunslinger, this feat grants the following additional benefit. You can use this feat to repair and restore your initial, battered weapon. It costs 300 gp and 1 day of work to upgrade it to a masterwork firearm of its type.

Page 103 Ultimate Combat

Yep = Used the same thing for my Musket

There we go, then. Yes, you can do that on board a ship. (I don't see anything that says it requires a forge or foundry.)

There are times when I feel bad about moving the storyline along ...

but this aint one of them?

My checking in will be intermittent for the next day and a half or so.

I am expecting lyrics.

You shall expect a verse from me

I am expecting lyrics.

Just wrote the hook.

Evoker Day Boon.

No boon for me please. I am also running 2 PFS games and will take it as a GM instead of as a player. One each only :).

Badr/Helaman

I am on my iPad for the week and can't download the boon. Anyone care to pass me a hint what it does?

+5 to a single spell craft or Know Arcana.... and a SINGLE spell can be taught at just cost, minus the material components - this doesn't impact scroll costs though.

The Taldan faction missed a bet with the music mission, although "Oppara! Gangnam Style" would probably work better as a dance number.

Oh! Time to hire dancers I think!

"My uncle has a barn!"

Sorry I haven't posted before this; we had a little fire at work last night, and I spent most of the day running and jumping to deal with the aftermath.

I suspect we're in the midst of the anticipated Thanksgiving slowdown. Post if you can over the next couple of days; we'll begin in earnest next Monday.

I should still be able to post if needed, but I should be back full speed by Saturday.

Sad Rock is happy to RP with others if they are around and interested during the holiday.

Awesome, I loved our exchanges thus far

Please, then, be my guest....

No evokers boon for me as well I finished GMing thornkeep the accursed halls last night.
I highly recommend it, felt like a classic dungeon crawl.

All right.

(I'll be running that level next Sunday.)

--

Incidentally, I'd like the in-game storyline to progress a little faster.

Feel free to play up in character, but if you can do so, while advancing the plot, that would be better.

Right now, Maximo has proposed going to the Publican House first. Does anybody have any counter-proposal?

No counter proposal here.

I'm happy to move faster.

-HS

Sounds good to me.

To the publican house

I am on a business trip - posts may be delayed. Please feel free to NPC bot me if needed for a couple of days if I don't post in a timely manner.

Roger. Wilco.

(assuming the Paizo site is up, to allow me to do so ...) (grin)

Tomorrow I will be on travel for a business trip - posts may be delayed. Please feel free to NPC bot me if needed for a couple of days if I don't post in a timely manner.

Safe travels.

Chris, I know we have rolled local and religion checks for our many locations, I just ask those questions when we are heading off to a new location to get in the proper mindset :)

Sure. No problem at all. (Back a couple pages ago, we checked to see what the party knew about the three temples in Riddleport. The answer was: some, but not much.")

Yes sir I lack any knowledge skills in character, so I just ask when I feel the time is appropriate. I try to avoid the "meta".

Incidentally, Painlord, I've been trying to keep quiet about Sad Rock's bonuses and abilities, but I'm going to have to let some of them out of the bag now that we've hit combat.