[PbP Community MTS III] - Race for the Runecarved Key - GM HQ. (Inactive)

Game Master Nik B.

@Red & Suede
Hope it all goes well! Crazy weather you guys are having huh?

@Aero
Good effort on their behalf, but what I don't want it to come down to is simply one dude with a pumped Diplo skill mitigating the thing with a single lucky die roll. The party makes a good point, but for all the guards know the party are a bunch of blow hards inflating their strength, nothing a good old non-lethal duel wouldn't solve. Champion vs champion. Maybe that gives them a partial miss?

I needed to make a quick rules call at the start of a combat, so I did a quick bit of research and told my players what we were going with for right then. Now I realize I made an error. It was an error in the players' favor. In fairness, I need to keep with it for the rest of this encounter. Do I keep with that ruling for the entire special, or just for the encounter?

I needed to make a quick rules call at the start of a combat, so I did a quick bit of research and told my players what we were going with for right then. Now I realize I made an error. It was an error in the players' favor. In fairness, I need to keep with it for the rest of this encounter. Do I keep with that ruling for the entire special, or just for the encounter?

** spoiler omitted **

In those situations, I admit to the group I made the error and keep it for that encounter. But in warn them in future I will uphold the appropriate ruling. So just for the encounter.

Redelia wrote:

I needed to make a quick rules call at the start of a combat, so I did a quick bit of research and told my players what we were going with for right then. Now I realize I made an error. It was an error in the players' favor. In fairness, I need to keep with it for the rest of this encounter. Do I keep with that ruling for the entire special, or just for the encounter?

** spoiler omitted **

In those situations, I admit to the group I made the error and keep it for that encounter. But in warn them in future I will uphold the appropriate ruling. So just for the encounter.

I agree.

Huh, that error is always the way I've seen that spell ruled! Is there any proof that would allow them to skip the will save?

Yep, just roll with it for now.

Going forward, just run it as a +4 to the save per usual.

@GMEwok, not really - knowing its fake only gives +4.

Just to keep in time, we are a bit over 24 hours before the next update?

We are now 26 hours(ish) away from the 'bird', which is the signal for 24 more hours.

Noticed something odd in the 'development' section: At my table (tier 1-2, APL 1), the penalty for killing any of the mercenaries (-2 on future diplomacy) is worse than the penalty for killing any of the non-combatant drivers (-APL). Makes no real difference, and not true for any other tier, but an odd result of the way it was written.

That's an interesting quirk...!

Alright, my APL 4 players are moving slowly through this fight. They're fighting a basilisk. There's a chance that one gets Stoned but they don't have time to finish the fight.

If this theoretical scenario happens, what should I do? Per the writing, they have to leave and won't have time to butcher the basilisk and bathe their Stoned ally... Any suggestions? Or is the unlucky sap a goner?

Kill them all and let their names be stricken from the annals of history for their complete failure!

Or just put the poor sap in the Balkros museum to be animated later by whatever "evil force du jour"

I always wanted to be pigeon perch :)

Speaking as said sap. Worse case it will be one less table for me to worry about, though I might take it out on the next table I have to cover. I almost killed one of Cwethen's table

Once the curtain comes down (Overseer post) the combat 'ends', in this case I would suggest the party are able to grab their stoner friend and make good a daring escape.

Statue person will have to be carried around 'Weekend at Bernies' style until something can be done about the condition.

Thank you, Shifty!

Here's hoping they will close their eyes and we won't be stuck in that unfortunate situation.

If an Oread is turned to stone, who would notice?

If an Oread is turned to stone, who would notice?

Good point.

The statue would probably be at conversation.

The raven is up! 24 hours notice...

My players want to drive the wagon back with all the loot. On the one hand, I hope someone in that party remembers the part about not letting on who they really are, on the other hand I'm already thinking about how Sheila will yell at them for bringing that Aspis wagon to her doorstep.

...yeeeeeeeah no. Doesn't seem like a wise choice :)

My party is doing the same kind of thing. I plan to give them one 'chance to think about it' before I narrate by asking them how far they take the wagons or something like that.

And yes, GM Dennis, I know, but I'm trying not to metagame (for context, I'm a player at his table)

I figured you were sitting there biting your tongue.

I think my character would probably have wondered if that was a good idea, so I dropped a hint, and I'll leave it at that.

That's totally fine. I appreciate that you're trying not to metagame, but I don't think that means you can't make decisions or say things that your character would say.

Well, if the party doesn't have anyone with Handle Animal, that might be tough.

I would also remind them of the Aspis Consortium insignia on the wagon.

They mentioned the insignia and said 'we'll have to paint over that later.'

#Seemslegit.

For those groups who take the gold in wagons for at least part of the time, what do we do about the key points for the alarm spell? They're triggering the spell when it doesn't matter anymore...

Key Point Awards
Table GMs should award Key Points to their tables as
follows:
+2 points for not triggering the alarm spell during their approach to the chest.
+2 points for recovering the Aspis Consortium’s gold bars.
+2 points if the PCs are not recognized as Pathfinders.
+2 points for not killing any of the Varisian wagon drivers.
+3 points for capturing the magical beast and selling it in Magnimar to Jorston Droaeb.

The word that stood out to me was 'approach', if they trigger it later then it is not really an issue.

Just an observation as I try to figuring out the best way to roleplay Sheila. I was rather intrigued by how morally grey she comes across in this scenario. I mean sending Pathfinders to raid an honest caravan? To scare someone to give up on the auction? To dig up embarrassing dirt on a competitor? I noticed that her alignment is LN, and also that while she sends the Pathfinders to do somewhat questionable acts, she always warn them not to inadvertently alert the authorities. I find that a rather interesting way of interpreting LN. :)

Don't forget trying to steal a man's money, knowing it will get him killed!!!

It's Shelia. She's questionable all around. My Paladin on my table wants to smack her face in with a gauntlet in public. :)

Sheila is morally grey bordering on morally bankrupt. She's consistent though, every time she's in play, that's how she rolls. She seems motivated to keep the Society ahead, but pretty ruthless in how she does it. She seems to care little when it comes to the likes of the Aspis Cons.

Act 3 is now live.
We are on Day 13, this section runs until Day 33.

GMs with Paladin Problems, I would suggest a gentle rollercoastering of your groups towards G & H which are probably the kindest towards their codes. Some (I am sure) are doing fine, but it looks like some people are REALLY struggling.

Striking the VC would probably be rather unwise, despite how some of them appear to feel about it.

I find that only A, B and C are particularly paladin-unfriendly. The others are fine, and that might be enough to occupy them through the 4 weeks.

True, I suppose I was trying to find the LEAST unfriendly, but I agree the others are also probably suitable.

:)

So, since it is not explicitly called out... is the auction (and thus the missions) on the next day?

Or are we doing this all in one day?

end of act 2:

After 45 minutes have elapsed, the Overseer GM calls
time. Table GMs should conclude the encounter and get
the PCs back to their accommodations at Hiedmarch
Manor however possible to keep the event moving.
There they can rest up a bit and prepare themselves
for the auction, which is scheduled to be held on the
following day, just after supper. At this time, Table GMs
should allow their players 5 minutes to make whatever
preparations they need before Act Three commences.

Overseer text at the beginning of act 3:

Two hours before the auction is slated to begin, Sheila
Heidmarch calls everyone back to the theater for another
emergency briefing.

I concluded that act 3 is the next day, so daily use abilities are recharged.

Thanks!

Cheers Red.

So, my table wants to do E. If they elect to allow the hellknight to get drunk in the hope she'll slip, the scenario says to make them wait 5 minutes of real time to simulate the waiting they have to do. Any suggestions for dealing with that in PbP? Should I really make them wait a day? That seems like it might kill any momentum.

There's also the matter of this simultaneously happening 2 hours before the auction and the Doctor hosting dinner the night before the auction. I'm thinking I'll change it to lunch.

5 minutes of real-time still counts, it kills momentum, but that's about balancing the time against other tasks or challenges (so no shortcuts). You can roleplay/chat/pass time - but its 24 hours before the result gets achieved.

The dinner could be a lunch, I think this is just another of these things where the writers didn't quite follow a sequence of events or timeline properly.

That makes sense. It's also always possible they'll make the perception/knowledge checks and will confront her w/o having to wait.

Is there a stat block for Dr. Landis somewhere that I'm just not finding? One of my players is trying to charm him, so what I actually need is just a will save.

Yeah, seems like there should be. The blurb talks about 'if they're successful at convincing him, then he invites them to dinner', but then doesn't give a Diplo DC or a statblock or anything.

Since an average difficulty will save for an APL 3 party would be 13, I gave him a +3 for his will save. It won't really make much difference if they charm him or just convince him the old-fashioned way.

That seems like a reasonable ruling, I'm happy with that.

Page 11: Doctor Ernst Landis (N male Chelaxian expert 5/wizard 5),

From his classes alone you would get +8 on the will save...

Diplomacy and bringing wine is probably a better route, don't cast spells at the caster :p

For anyone going after the hydra I have added an Arena Map to the Slide Deck Slide #8