Rashid is still here, and ready to keep going :-)
You might want to consider PM'ing some of the other players... :-)
Proffpotts! Welcome back :)
I'm still very much interested in this great game but I have to let you know that I played the AP in rl while you were on hiatus.
You're game is very much different from the one I played in rl, just vanilla I believe, so I'm very interested in seeing where you'll take us.
So if that's ok with you I know I can separate player and character knowledge.
Hey, glad your not dead!
I'd be interested in jumping back in too, but I am now Gming Legacy and know everything in the core story. I can probably keep Yousef's knowledge in the dark.
Cheers!
I'm not sure I've got the time to run three games at the same time again, but if the players for this one aren't interested I'll be looking into resurrecting one of my other two... Blinky may yet live again! :)
One thing you can do is if you can't get everyone back, to consolidate all returning players into two games.
Also, may I request a revisiting of our character builds and maybe a retcon to the point where we leave Kelmarane. It would sync in nicely with the real-life time gap between Howl and House.
Yay! This game is back! I'm a bit heavy loaded, just started GMing my 1st pbp game myself. So I might be a bit slow going at times , but if this game is starting back up, I'm all for it. It's been a while so I might have to get re-acquainted with the character. A Revisiting of the character build might not be a bad idea.
I'm diffidently in though.
|
Great stuff guys, and thanks for being so understanding.
I wouldn't worry about having read the books too much - I tend to change stuff round a bit anyway, and knowing at least a couple of players have read this one just gives me more license to change even more stuff... ;)
We can PM now? I'll need to look into that, I guess...
I'm not keen on a retcon back to leaving Kelmarane (I kinda' liked the last fight you guys had), but if there's any character build tweaking people are interested in let me know. I can't claim to be as up to date with the latest Pathfinder stuff as I used to be, but if you let me know what you want to change and where to find it I'll take a look.
Hmmm... I guess we could say the last encounter you guys had was during the year of downtime, and now you're just setting off if people really want that, but it'd just be going over saying goodbye to people and leaving the town again, so seems a little redundent to me (unless anyone had anything specific in mind they desperately want to do?).
Since your characters are traveling in the game where we (I...) left it anyway, skipping ahead a little (until you're closer to the Pale Mountain) should be fine.
I'll need to re-read some posts myself, but I'll try to post something in the game thread today. Don't let that stop you asking about character tweaks though (I assume no-one's thinking of anything too drastic... Rashid the antipaladin or Yousef the celebate monk for example...).
Looking it over I think I'll keep Bahram as is.
Yousef has a Cloak of Shade that I can't seem to find on the PFSRD. Has anyone heard of this? I believe I bought it at some point when we were given free reign to buy stuff.
Well, there is a spell called Cloak of Shade on the PRD (so I can reproduce it here):
Cloak of Shade
School abjuration; Level druid 1, ranger 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Component V, S, M (a leaf from a shade tree)
Range touch
Target one creature per level
Duration 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
This spell provides the subject with some degree of protection from the harmful effects of the sun. The cloaked subject treats environmental heat due to sun exposure as one level less: severe heat is considered very hot conditions, while very hot is considered average temperature (see heat dangers). The cloak of shade also reduces any penalties from sunlight by 1. The spell does not, however, eliminate the effects of direct sunlight on creatures vulnerable to sunlight. Cloak of shade has no effect on environmental heat from sources other than the sun.
P.S. Words cannot express how happy I am that this game is back :-)
"Man... It's like we've been climbing these mountains forever..." Lavender complains as she continues along with the others. "What tha-!" Lavender exclaims as she scrambles to get out of the rising waters!
Climb 1d20-1 = 9
"Gah! Spider Climb, Spider Climb, Spider Climb! Please tell me I still got some more use out of you slippers today!" With the assistance of the slippers of spiderclimb, Lavender gets to higher ground, not without getting wet!
"...What in the heck was that?!"
Ha ha ha looks like you needed that Aid another but then you didn't!
Glad to see you all back in game. I've been running this one myself and it was alot of fun watching the good Prof's twists.
-serial lurker
Hey Prof... Concidering it for a day I'm wondering if I should maybe change Bahram to an Air Elementalist Wizard... It wouldn't brake his theme as an air-headed dandy and his spells/powers would remain similar but it would enhance his bookish themed nature with a higher intelligence (and more skills) plus more versitility with regards to spell selection between me and Lav.
Whad'ya think? I'm happy with him as is and I don't whant to brake the theme but I've found I like the versitility of wizards over the power of sorcerers.
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advanced/coreClasses/wizard.html
+1. I was thinking of swapping around a level here or the. Keeping him a rogueish type for sure, just maybe make it rogue 3 fighter or barb 2. Not sure.
|
|
They both sound fine, as long as you're not changing too much stuff you've already used in character - so you should at least make sure that 'wizard Bahram' has all the spells he's cast in-game in his spellbook, for example. Oh, and don't nerf his Charisma to the point where he'd of had issues binding Zaina either... ;)
Not sure about Yousef as a barbarian - rage would have had a significant impact on what's happened by now - but mixing up the Rogue / Fighter levels couldn't hurt (he's a Rogue / Fighter now, isn't he? Heading towards Chevalier IIRC?).
Not sure about Yousef as a barbarian - rage would have had a significant impact on what's happened by now - but mixing up the Rogue / Fighter levels couldn't hurt (he's a Rogue / Fighter now, isn't he? Heading towards Chevalier IIRC?).
Yeah. I thought of barbarian as an extreme last second before I hit submit. He would stay fighter, I just wanted to go through the new options that have come out since we last played. I really like the Lore Warden and Unbreakable archetypes for fighters and definitely and keeping the dirty trick maneuvers has well as dirty thoughts.
Oops I didn't see your post Yousef. You must have posted while I was typing mine . My post was on the next page so I missed it.
The new and improved Bahram.
Male Human Wizard (Air Elementalist) 5
Chaotic Good Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +5; Senses perception +0
----------------------
DEFENSE
----------------------
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 dex, +4 armor)
hp 30/30 (5d6 + 5 con + 5 favored class)
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +5
-----------------------
OFFENSE
-----------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee Club +1, 1d6-1, 19-20/x2
Melee Dagger +1 (+3), 10 ft, 1d4-1, 19-20/x2
Ranged Crossbow +3, 80 ft, 1d8, 19-20/x2
Space 5, Reach 5
Special Attacks Lightning Flash DC 18, 7/day [][][][][][][]
Spells Known (Spellbook) (CL 5, DC 16 + spell level +1 conjuration, Concentration +9)
Cantrips; 5/day at will; Message*, Spark, Ray of Frost, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Resistance, Detect Poison, Daze, Dancing Lights, Flare, Light, Ghost Sound, Bleed, Disrupt Undead, Touch of Fatigue, Mage Hand, Mending, Open/Close, Arcane Mark, Prestididgitation
1st; 4/day; 8x + Alter Winds, Shocking Grasp, Wall of Smoke ©, Enlarge Person, Mage Armor ©, Magic Missile, Comprehend Languages, Identify, + Burning Hands, Color Spray, Sleep
2nd; 3/day; 4x Glitterdust ©, Summon Monster II ©, Invisibility, Gust of Wind, Resist Energy + Continual Flame, Grease©
3rd; 2/day; 2x Lightning Bolt, Haste
-----------------------
STATISTICS
-----------------------
Str 8, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 16(14)
Base Atk +2; CMB +1; CMD 12
Feats Scribe Scroll, Lightning Reflexes, Augment Summoning, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Improved Initiative, Elemental Spell (Electricity)
Traits Merchant's Child: +1 on Appraise, Genie Blood (Air): +1 on save vs. electicity & +1 trait bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, intimidate & sence motive vs. creatures with air subtype.
Skills (2+4+1+1) Appraise +13, Bluff +8, Diplomacy +8, Knowledge (Arcana) +12, Knowledge (History) +12, Knowledge (Plains) +12, Linguistics +12, Spellcraft +12
Language Kelish, Taldain, Elven, Osisian, Auran, terran, ignan, orrid, draconic
SQ Favored Class Wizard(Air Elementalist), Arcane Bond (Familiar –None), Cantrips.
Air Supremacy (Su): You gain a +2 enhancement bonus on Fly skill checks. This bonus increases by +1 for every five wizard levels you possess. In addition, you can cast feather fall on yourself at will. At 5th level, you can cast levitate on yourself at will. At 10th level, you can cast fly on yourself at will. At 20th level, whenever you make a Fly skill check, assume the roll resulted in a natural 20.
Lightning Flash (Su): As a standard action, you can unleash a flash of electricity. This flash deals 1d6 points of electricity damage + 1 point for every two wizard levels you possess to all creatures within 5 feet of you and dazzles them for 1d4 rounds. A successful Reflex save negates the dazzled effect and halves the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your wizard level + your Intelligence modifier. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
Combat Gear; Dagger x2
Other Gear; Fine Traveling Outfit, Club, bell, signal whistle, small steel mirror, waterskin x3, torch x3, flint and steel, sack, salt 1Ib (5 gp), soap 1Ib, cinamon 1Ib (1 gp), scroll case x2, Trail Rations x2, a copper holy symbol of Nethys - one half polished bright, the other blackened.
Potions: Cure Light Wounds x2, Cure Moderate Wounds x1, Delay Poison x1.
Scrolls: Animate Rope x1, Identify x2, See Invisibility x1, Rope Trick x1, Message x1, Mage Armor (CL 4) x1, Invisibility.
Magic Items: Cloak of Resistance +1, Headband of Alluring Charisma (+2), Ring of Feather Falling, Guide's Token
Weight carried: ? Ibs
Wealth; 4715 gp, 7 sp, 4 cp.
|
|
Glancing over 'new cherry flavoured diet Bahram'...
I think his spell DC is one too high: it should be 10 + his Ability Score bonus (+4) +1 for his Guide's Token + spell level, or 15 + spell level (+1 for conjuration spells).
He can only prepare 4 cantrips per day (neither a high casting Ability Score nor being a specialist wizard increases the number of cantrips a wizard gets to prepare... leave something for the poor sorcerers!).
His spells per day for his other levels should be...
Level 1: 3 (base) + 1 (high Ability Score bonus) + 1 (specialist wizard)
Level 1: 2 (base) + 1 (high Ability Score bonus) + 1 (specialist wizard)
Level 1: 1 (base) + 1 (high Ability Score bonus) + 1 (specialist wizard)
... although I'm guessing you've just not listed his bonus air elementalist spell for each spell level 1 and up, right?
The '8x', '4x', '2x' I'm guessing is just a notation of how many 'free' spells he got in his book for each spell level, right?
The bonus spells from the Temple of Nethys were...
Level 1: burning hands, colour spray, grease, shocking grasp, sleep
Level 2: continual flame
... so it looks like he's got one too few 1st level spells, and 1 too many 2nd level.
Besides that it may be prudent for Bahram to hand off his ring of feather fall (although as soon as he does you can guarantee he'll be KOd and knocked off something high at the same time...).
Also, since the group's just had a year of downtime, feel free to spend some of that gold he's got left on scribing extra spells into his book (and / or making copies of his spellbook...) if you want (since it's not an opportunity which will arise all that often). Costs are on page 219 of the core rulebook, or basically...
Level 0: 7.5gp
Level 1: 15gp
Level 2: 60gp
Level 3: 135gp
... including both the cost of materials and the cost to 'rent' a spellbook to copy from.
That's about all I can spot at the moment. ;)
|
|
Just checked out the Lore Warden - lots to like! I like Fighter archetypes which give up the heavier armour proficiencies anyway, 'cos I often picture characters I develop as not running around as full-on clankies, but if you're getting the proficiencies and not planning on using them it always seems a waste. Combat Expertise without the Int pre-requisite is nice too (although I generally don't mind playing Fighters with smarts anyway), and the combat maneuver bonuses at level 3 are great! May be my new favourite Fighter archetype... ;)
... Fitting for Yousef too, since a hot climate and heavy armour (not to mention trying to be sneaky) don't mix anyway, and with Tempest he's not likely to be using a shield any time soon either. Plus Dirty Tricks do kinda' rock...
Yeah, I threw him together at work. When I should have been working. He's not baking your noodle?
Spell DC; Check.
Cantrips; What threw me off is the elementalist spell list listing message as a school spell but when I think about it every school has an acosiated spell so duh..
Spells per day; Your right.
8x first level spells are for 6 at lvl 1 (3 + 3 (17 int)) + 2 at level 2, 4x second level spells are 2 at 3rd and 2 at 4th and then 2 3rd level spells at 5th.
Bonus spells; I have no idea why I had crease listed as second level, my mistake.
The Ring; Who wants it? Yousef's seen the greatest use for it so far with his paragliding charge attack..
Downtime; Can Bahram Scribe scrolls during that time as well? He's got the feat.
Otherwise: I was contemplating switching around a couple of his feats to take Eldritch Heritage. Both to keep in theme with his genie blood and because it's awesome to have a spell-like blast multiple times a day without having to use up a spell slot.
Aaaand then there is the arcane bond feature of the wizard, I didn't want to nail it down before talking to you first but Bahram's basicly got the option of taking a familiar now (and improved familiar at level 7).
I'm still keen on the Daivrat prestige class and I don't want to break what we've got going on with his struggles to keep Zaina by his side so I'm thinking (careful.. I'm thinking..) of dropping the familiar feature in place of a bonded object and wanted to ask if the Guide's Token would function as such.
Oh no, you didn't just throw Yousef a chance at responding to this, given his wisdom score and propensity for....well, inappropriate dialogue.
'You seem like wealthy travellers,' he observes, 'gold or jewels would suffice... but some interesting magical trinket would be better...' he seems lost in thought for a moment, before adding, '...something a female would appreciate...'
|
|
Downtime; Can Bahram Scribe scrolls during that time as well? He's got the feat.
Yep, that's fine too.
Otherwise: I was contemplating switching around a couple of his feats to take Eldritch Heritage. Both to keep in theme with his genie blood and because it's awesome to have a spell-like blast multiple times a day without having to use up a spell slot.
Sounds good, if you can free up a precious Feat or two...
... so I'm thinking (careful.. I'm thinking..) of dropping the familiar feature in place of a bonded object and wanted to ask if the Guide's Token would function as such.
That sounds like a good idea to me, and yes the Guide's Token would be fine for that.
... I can't think of any other type of fighter I would want to play other than Unbreakable; which from reading some posts can make a character that just won't go down.
I'm a big fan of the Diehard Feat for solo play or small groups, but generally I don't think it gets much use in an average-sized group where people actually cover each other's backs and weaknesses (of course, having said that I've probably counjured up everyone but Yousef dropping round one of the next fight...). Also, these days, someone like a Heart of the Wilderness racial trait Human character tends to squeeze a little more utility out of Diehard (especially once you start to hit levels where one well placed spell by the bad guys can drop your hit points from 'comfortable' to 'well past your Con into negative' in a single lucky/unlucky roll). The save bonuses and related Feats the Unbreakable Fighter gets are nice, but again I think they're more help if you don't have a Father Rashid type covering you in the first place. (Even as I type this stuff I feel I'm summoning some horrid disaster where a Fortitude save re-roll will turn out to have been vital...)
Edit: How do you feel about the race options in the Advance Race guide.
Should be okay... any options in particular you're thining of? Any the alternate racial trait options and/or favoured class options would be fine, but I'd need to read up on any specific racial archetypes if you were thinking of something like that... but probably still fine anyway (as long as the guy's still recognisably Yousef).
EDIT: Oh, and speaking of alternate racial traits, if Bahram does end up with Skill Focus to qualify for Eldritch Heritage then it's probably a good idea to check out the 'Focused Study' human alternate racial trait - take Skill Focus in place of the 1st level human bonus Feat, and get another Skill Focus Feat free at levels 8 and 16!
EDIT: Oh, and speaking of alternate racial traits, if Bahram does end up with Skill Focus to qualify for Eldritch Heritage then it's probably a good idea to check out the 'Focused Study' human alternate racial trait - take Skill Focus in place of the 1st level human bonus Feat, and get another Skill Focus Feat free at levels 8 and 16
Oh yes, that's awesome. I'm switching out Lightning Reflexes and Improved Initiative for them and piking up those two e.g. Skill Focus (Knowledge Plains) and Eldritch Heritage (Genie).
I need to think a bit about the spells I'm buying (need to hit the sack) but I'll probably be spending most my gold into scribing.
Btw, I added my favored class bonus to HP because I couldn't think of a skill Bahram would take but I see now I qualify for 1 point in the fly skill so I'll be switching that too,
Edit; I'm suddenly getting the feeling that those feat switches are going to come back to haunt me...
@ProfPotts:
In terms of rebuilding, what are our thoughts about archetypes?
I was considering either Crusader, or Separatist/Scroll Scholar - the former, since we are down Keldar, and the latter, because I think it is cool ;-)
Also, since I have read-up on the region thanks to the Inner Sea World Guide, how do you feel about the Nodachi as a weapon? It is a curved blade, and although of Tien origin, there are a *lot* of Tien in Katapesh...
Bahram Zarishu
Male Human Wizard (Air Elementalist) 5
Chaotic Good Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +1; Senses perception +0
----------------------
DEFENSE
----------------------
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 dex, +4 armor)
hp 29/29 (5d6 + 5 con + 4 favored class)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +5
-----------------------
OFFENSE
-----------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee Staff +1, 1d6-1, 19-20/x2
Melee Dagger +1 (+3), 10 ft, 1d4-1, 19-20/x2
Ranged Crossbow +3, 80 ft, 1d8, 19-20/x2
Space 5, Reach 5
Special Attacks Lightning Flash DC 18, 7/day [][][][][][][]
Spell-like Abilities; Lightning Ray, 30‘ touch +3, 1d6+1, 6/day [][][][][][]
Spells Known (Spellbook) (*School Spells)
Cantrips; 5/day at will; Message*, Spark, Ray of Frost, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Resistance, Detect Poison, Daze, Dancing Lights, Flare, Light, Ghost Sound, Bleed, Disrupt Undead, Touch of Fatigue, Mage Hand, Mending, Open/Close, Arcane Mark, Prestididgitation
1st; Alter Winds*, Burning Hands, Color Spray, Comprehend Languages, Enlarge Person, Grease©, Identify, Mage Armor ©, Magic Missile, Sleep, Shocking Grasp*, Wall of Smoke © 2nd; Continual Flame, Glitterdust ©, Gust of Wind*, Invisibility, Resist Energy*,
Summon Monster II ©*
3rd; Haste, Lightning Bolt*
Spells Prepared (CL 5, DC 15 + spell level +1 conjuration, Concentration +9)
Cantrips; Detect Magic, Read Magic, Message, Mage Hand
1st; Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp*, Burning Hands, Wall of Smoke
2nd; Gust of Wind*, Invisibility, Summon Moinster II*, +1
3rd; Lightning Bolt*, Haste, +1
-----------------------
STATISTICS
-----------------------
Str 8, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 16(14)
Base Atk +2; CMB +1; CMD 12
Feats Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Knowledge (plains)), Augment Summoning, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Eldritch Heritage (Djinni), Elemental Spell (Electricity)
Traits Merchant's Child: +1 on Appraise, Genie Blood (Air): +1 on save vs. electicity & +1 trait bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, intimidate & sence motive vs. creatures with air subtype. Focused Study- trade Human 1st level Bonus feat for Skill Focus at 1st, 8th and 16th level.
Skills (2+4+1+1) Appraise +13, Bluff +8, Diplomacy +8, Fly +8, Knowledge (Arcana) +12, Knowledge (History) +12, Knowledge (Plains) +15, Linguistics +12, Spellcraft +12
Language Kelish, Taldain, Elven, Osisian, Auran, terran, ignan, orrid, draconic
SQ Favored Class Wizard(Air Elementalist), Arcane Bond (Object- Guide‘s Token), Cantrips.
Air Supremacy (Su): You gain a +2 enhancement bonus on Fly skill checks. This bonus increases by +1 for every five wizard levels you possess. In addition, you can cast feather fall on yourself at will. At 5th level, you can cast levitate on yourself at will. At 10th level, you can cast fly on yourself at will. At 20th level, whenever you make a Fly skill check, assume the roll resulted in a natural 20.
Lightning Flash (Su): As a standard action, you can unleash a flash of electricity. This flash deals 1d6 points of electricity damage + 1 point for every two wizard levels you possess to all creatures within 5 feet of you and dazzles them for 1d4 rounds. A successful Reflex save negates the dazzled effect and halves the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your wizard level + your Intelligence modifier. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
Electricity Ray (Sp): You can unleash an elemental ray as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. This ray deals 1d6 points of electricity damage + 1 for every two caster levels you possess -2. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Combat Gear; Dagger x2, staff,
Other Gear; Fine Traveling Outfit, Club, bell, signal whistle, small steel mirror, waterskin x3, torch x3, flint and steel, sack, salt 1Ib (5 gp), soap 1Ib, cinamon 1Ib (1 gp), scroll case x2, Trail Rations x2, a copper holy symbol of Nethys - one half polished bright, the other blackened.
Potions: Cure Light Wounds x2, Cure Moderate Wounds x1, Delay Poison x1.
Scrolls: Animate Rope, Identify x2, See Invisibility, Rope Trick, Message, Mage Armor (CL 4), Invisibility.
Magic Items: Cloak of Resistance +1, Headband of Alluring Charisma (+2), Ring of Feather Falling, Guide's Token
Weight carried: ? Ibs
Wealth; 4715 gp, 7 sp, 4 cp.
Take two, don't know about you uys but I'm happy with him. Looking over spells to buy/scribe now.
btw, we're down two players with keldar gone so I'm wondering if we should look for a fifth player? Maybe even ask if somebody wants to take over an existing npc or even Saul or Keldar?
Eh. We *can*, but there is no absolute *need* to; the APs were written with four PCs in mind, after all...
(Plus, we have a couple of NPCs/'cohorts' plumping-out the party-mix.)
Having said that, if ProfPotts wants to add in an extra player, I would have no objection - I am merely saying that we don't have to :-)
Alright, here's what I want:
Spells bought and scribed into spellbook:
1: Air Bubble, Ear-Piercing Scream = 30
2: Comunal Endure Elements, Scorching Ray, Whispering Wind, See Invisibility = 240
3: Chain of Perdition, Hostile Levitation, Cloak of Winds, Fly, Summon Monster III, Arcane Sight = 810
Totaling = 1080
Leaving me = 4635
Spells scribed into scrolls:
1: Air Bubble x4, Ear Piercing Scream x1, Comprehend Languages x1, Enlarge Person x1, grease x1, = 100
2: Whispering Wind x1, Summon Monster II x1, comunal endure elements x1, Scorching Ray x1 = 300
3: Chain of Perdition, Hostile Levitation, Summon Monster III, Arcane Sight, Cloak of Winds, Fly = 1125
Bringing the total to = 2605
Leaving me = 3110
I want to buy a level 1 Pearl of Power (1000) and a handy haversack (2000) and 2 more scroll cases.
(Yes I know I'm leaving myself open to get into trouble by not buying a backup copy of my spellbook.)
|
You'll forgive the intrusion, I hope, but I'm glad to see you're back Prof. I enjoyed your SS game immensely. That being said if you're looking for a fifth (or sixth) wheel for this game I have a 3rd level Paladin I created for another campaign that I've been waiting to start now for over three weeks (I personally don't think that it's ever going to) so please look him over and let me know what you think.
Nasir ibn al'Said: Human Paladin of Sarenrae (Sacred Servant)
If approved I can bump him up to the requisite level.
Thanks for any and all consideration,
M
|
|
I was considering either Crusader, or Separatist/Scroll Scholar - the former, since we are down Keldar, and the latter, because I think it is cool ;-)
Crusader would work okay - it's a loss in spell power, but the bonus Feats are solid and the Legion's Blessing class feature at level 8 looks like it could be very nice (although if I'm being honest I've not had time to really take a good look at which spells would go particularly well with it yet).
Separatist is a little nasty 'cos Rashid would lose his free Proficiency with a scimitar (and he's been rocking the scimitar nicely for the past five levels...), and it generally seems a hit to power for not much return.
Scroll Scholar is interesting, but again it seems a hit to power for not a huge amount of return. The bonus to Knowledge is nice, but comprehend languages and identify as once per day SLA doesn't seem overly useful. Flash of Insight looks nice, but you don't get it until level 10, and by then it probably seems a little less impressive.
Of course the biggest problem with Cleric archetypes is that Clerics pretty much rule anyway - there's nowhere to go but down! ;)
Also, since I have read-up on the region thanks to the Inner Sea World Guide, how do you feel about the Nodachi as a weapon? It is a curved blade, and although of Tien origin, there are a *lot* of Tien in Katapesh...
I'd prefer to leave more 'foreign' stuff like that until (and if...) the characters actually wind up in the city of Katapesh itself - where anything goes!
Bahram - looking good! Although where are the 'Chain of Perdition' and 'Hostile Levitation' spells from (just point me in the right direction, please)?
Marik - I'd rather not add any PCs to this game right now. I'd love to run all three of my games again, but I'm trying to be a bit careful with how I manage my time. Once I've seen how I get on with this game, if okay, I'll definitely be looking at getting the Serpent's Skull game running again: no promises, but that's my hope at the moment. Then we can get 'Blinky lives!' T-shirts printed up! ;)
Edit: How do you feel about the race options in the Advance Race guide.Should be okay... any options in particular you're thining of? Any the alternate racial trait options and/or favoured class options would be fine, but I'd need to read up on any specific racial archetypes if you were thinking of something like that... but probably still fine anyway (as long as the guy's still recognisably Yousef).
The only one I was really looking at is Forest Walker, which replaces darkvision with low-light vision and a bonus to climb. But I don't think I want that. I am thinking of that trait for a half-orc in an upcoming Skull & Shackles game.
I made the changes to Yousef, keeping with his flavor and theme. Mechanically, I think he may be a bit worse off but I have him going in a more fun direction. Going to move to the spring attack and possibly whirlwind attack. I'm not to sure on how viable WA would be in a pbp though.
Awesome Prof, profile updated though I need to update his description, background and maybe work on his beliefs.
I might adjust from Elemental bloodline to Djinn Blood line. Still thinking about it.
|
|
Yousef looks a little up on Skill Points, and a lot down on Feats... ;)
By my calculations, as a Rogue (scout) 3 / Fighter (lore warden) 2, Yousef should have...
Skill Points (including his Int bonus):
Rogue 9 per level x3 levels = 27
Fighter 3 per level x2 levels = 6
Lore Warden level 1 Class Feature: Scholastic 2 per level x2 levels = 4 (Int Skills only)
= 33 + 4 (Int Skills only)
Feats:
3 for levels (1, 3, & 5)
plus 3 bonus combat Feats (Fighter 2 + Rogue Talent: Combat Trick)
plus Combat Expertise (Lore Warden level 2 Class Feature: Expertise)
So, 7 Feats, plus Light Armour Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, and Martial Weapons Proficiency too (of course) for a grand total of 10.
The alternate racial trait I thought he might go for was 'toothy', just because an extra attack when you full attack is always very nice (especially so if you're adding sneak attack damage in too)... but I can see that you'd not want to mess up his good looks... ;)
Elemental to Djinn would certainly make a lot of sense for Lavender, especially now that she and Bahram aren't stepping on each others' toes so much role-wise anymore (not that there was ever a problem with their class similarities that I could see, but you know what I mean).
Oh, and just in case I didn't put it very well, I wasn't saying 'no' to Rashid taking a different Cleric archetype, just giving my opinions on the archetypes mentioned: go with whatever makes you happy! :)
Bahram, How are we going to use our wonder twin powers now?
The thing that is making me hesitate switching the bloodline is the whirlwind ability versus the Elemental Blast. Djinn is better in every way, flavor wise and ability wise except in this case. Whirlwind is ok, but it is based off strength. When Lav gets this ability her save dc will be 12. And in the off chance she succeeds, it will deal 1d3-2 non lethal damage (I think, I don't have a slam attack, so I assumed it would be the same as a punch). Elemental blast is not much better, but it grants electricity vulnerability for one round. In a good set up, Lav and Bahram could really dish out some hurt with it.
One thing I could do with the whirlwind is pick up 2 of the party members and carry them around in flight for a few rounds.
Hmm Still thinking about it, leaning heavily towards switching to Djinn.
So far various utility spells coupled with creative thinking has served us much better than straight up power blasting so I'd say go with whatever suits the story first.
As with the whirlwind I'd look at if it has any vulnerabilities and utility as well as it's potential damage output, I believe it would be an effective shield against arrows f.ex. and I'm not sure how you go about damaging a whirlwind when I think about it.
I switched to djinn back then because it was better flavored than straight elemental though I liked the bonus spells better for the elemental. The abilities are similar, mostly the same actually.
Edit; Can you cast spells in whirlwind form? I'm picturing a whirlwind holding a couple of gnolls and shooting them with lightning as the twirl helplessly in it's vortex.
|
|
Unfortunately, whatever out-of-game logic may suggest, the Whirlwind ability doesn't grant a creature the incorporeal state or any such defensive abilities. Although it has it's own dimensions listed, it also doesn't change the character's size category, so a medium-size Lavender in Whirlwind form is only going to have a chance of damaging and trapping 'small' or smaller creatures. There's no reason she couldn't increase her size category (via an Enlarge Person spell for example) before turning on the Whirlwind though.
What it basically does, even when not facing opponents smaller than the Whirlwind user, is grant the character a Fly speed, the ability to move without provoking AoO, the ability to pass through and even occupy the same space as others (friends or foe), and the ability to stir up a cloud of debris if touching the ground. Since the bloodline granted Whirlwind is always 10ft high (no matter the base size category of the user) the debris cloud stirred up is always 5ft diameter, so it's not large enough to offer concealment to the Whirlwind user themselves, but helps conceal anything in line of sight behind them. It also forces spellcasters to make concentration checks to cast if the Whirlwind and its debris cloud occupy the same space as that spellcaster.
So, unless you're supplimenting it by buffing your size and strength, it's mostly a movement-based ability.
You can cast spells as a Whirlwind, but you can't use any components (material, verbal, somatic, focus) in that form, so are generally going to be needing to use some sort of Metamagic to cast anything. Spell-like Abilities, being purely mentally triggered, are fine though.
Of course if you do manage to buff up your size and strength then the Whirlwind becomes a holy terror since you only need to move through opponents to force them to save. Damage done is based on a slam attack for a creature of your size category (it doesn't matter if you actually have a slam attack in your normal form or not). You're flying as a Whirlwind so tight maneuvering can be a bit tricky. You can't make normal attacks, and don't threaten as a Whirlwind, and a lot of other activities will be problematic as well (you don't have hands, for example...), so usually you'll be double-moving or moving and doing standard action SLAs or similar.
By the time Lavender got this at level 9 she'd have 2x 4th level, 3x 3rd level, 4x 2nd level, & 5x 1st level spells known, plus bonus spells from Bloodline and the like, so combining this with a few transformations cast on herself before she turned it on wouldn't be too much of a challenge (assuming you're not facing an ambush situation or anything...): a basic Bull's Strength + Enlarge Person would buff her size to 'large' and her strength bonus by +3. Whirlwind isn't listed as a polymorph effect either, so stacking it with something like Monstrous Physique II would also be an option.
... That said, Lavender isn't built as a Strength-based character, so the save DC she can generate, even with buffing, is never going to be too impressive. Still, it's a very nice movement power, and can be magically 'weaponised' with the right buffing and effort.
Elemental Burst, on the other hand, is very straightforward, but also a pretty massive bang for your buck. At 1d6 damage per level (half on a save) to a 20ft radius it outstrips your basic Fireball as soon as you hit level 11 (even before you figure in the impressive addition of making targets who fail the save vulnerable to electricity - in Lavender's case) just by the merit of not having a damage cap. If Bahram's tossing in a Lightning Bolt or something as well as Lavender doing her thing you could be getting the damage equivalent of a couple of Empowered spells (one on Lavender's turn following the Elemental Burst and whatever Bahram throws in too) out of that on top of the base damage. When you start using Quickened spells then possibly even a bit more. Of course, that's assuming that two primary casters are happy to devote actions and spells to basic blasting tactics in the first place; but if you're just looking for simple pure damage capability, then it's hard to argue with Elemental Burst.
So, I'd say that Whirlwind has more utility and is probably more interesting, whereas Elemental Burst is more straightforward but more damaging (in Lavender's case anyway). In the end they're both once per day abilities (for the levels you're likely to be seeing in the AP anyway) so neither is likely to dominate the character's actions. After all, Lavendar will already have been in the realms of casting Fly and Fireball level spells for the past three levels by the time she gets one of these, so I'd say go with the bloodline which feels more in character and more fun to play rather than worrying too much about which one of these two trumps the other.
Changing to Djinn will only change the following things:
Lose Electric Hands, Shocking Ray, Pyrotechnics,
Gain Shocking grasp, Invisibility, Scorching Ray
I've used shocking ray a few times before and I don't think I ever used Pyrotechnics. So I swapped Scorching Ray out with Pyrotechnics. Plus the Arcana lets me switch elements to electricity so it is pretty much the same thing.
If these changes are ok, I will make the changes on Lavender's Profile.