The Spider's Web: A game of assassins and mistrust.

Game Master Tark the Ork

This is the OOC thread for the Spider's Web. The following are soem basic rules.

1.Minimal metagaming: It happens and I don't particularly mind it so much. But blatant metagaming won't be tolerated.

2. I fill in gaps.: For the sake of clarification and story it's not uncommon for me to fill in gaps in character backstories that have remained empty or vague. This is mostly to make the backstory fit the game or to give a character incentive to take part in soemthign he'd otherwise not care about.

3. How combat works.: Essentially I roll everyones initiative and take the average of those rolls as the groups initiative. Same as the badguys. Initiative for the group itself is done in order of posting. If there have been a bunch of posts and you have not posted for 24 hours since the last actions than you'll get NPCed for that action so we can get through the combats quickly. I'll use a battlemap with X/Y coordinates to make things simpler on you.

4. Ask questions: If you need to know something; ask. preferrably with some kind of roll attached. That way I don't have to ask for them. Sometimes I'll roll knowledge checks ahead of time so I can give you that knowledge beforehand to save time. But not often.

5. Posting: Let me know ahead of time if you can't post for a day or two for some reason. One post a day is the minimum I ask, If you disappear for three or four days without notice expect to be replaced and not let back in until someone drops again.

Felgrael checking in. Working on the build now, I should have it finished by end of the weekend at the latest.

Thanks so much for accepting me, I'm really looking forward to this game.

Thanks for choosing me. Who gets to go sleep swimming first?

I think that most of my character is done. Might add to the backstory this weekend if I get the time.

Ok - now I am really ticked. This is the second time this character has reverted and deleted crap. WTF - I will redo it for the third time this weekend.

TarkXT I had a question/request. As a dhampir there are a number of issues I'll have to deal with which I'm fine with, it will add to the RP aspects. One thing I would like to try to maybe work out is the negative energy affinity thing. I react as an undead, i.e. negative energy heals me, positive hurts. This could prove problematic to say the least and I don't want this to potentially drag the game down or cause extra stress to deal with for the group.

I've had GM's before who would allow monstrous races, including undead, and they would often allow the creation of potions of inflict wounds at the various levels to help deal with this type of situation. These have to be ingested so they don't work as weapons but they do allow for an undead character while maintaining a cleric who can heal the rest of the group.

You can probably see where I'm going with this. I would like with your permission to be able to take the Inflict spells as extracts for my Alchemist. If you're cool with this I figure I would simply swap the Inflict spells for the Cure spells as options at the appropriate levels.

The light sensitivity isn't an issue that could cause true gameplay issues but the healing could cause really big problems.

If this is an issue, then I might need to swap the race choice but the overall character concept will stay the same.

You can replace but not add the inflict line in exchange for the cure line. You'll still need to take the infusions discovery to pass them out as "poisons".

You can replace but not add the inflict line in exchange for the cure line. You'll still need to take the infusions discovery to pass them out as "poisons".

Perfect, that's exactly what I was hoping for. I might use them as poisons later like you describe but I really just want to keep myself in the fight, so to speak.

Just a dot for now, will be polishing up the character tonight.

Oh, and yes - I will most definitely be shopping for a better avatar ;)

*blushes*

I meta gamed yesterday. And I am still ashamed. It wasn't intentional, I just am more than a little stupid when i first get up in the morning.

Will work on getting Lilith an alias sometime today, which... is while most folk on the North American continent are sleeping anyway, so it should not be too much of a disruption.

Wow, did I really forget how to spell continent?

Tark - I've been looking over my fellow assassins and thinking about future potential development.

Mulling over going Ranger (Warden) to 4, then 2 levels in another Martial class and getting at least three levels of Horizon Walker after that.

The payoff hits at level 9, when I'd have a +8 Favored Terrain bonus in Urban as well as a +8 Favored Enemy bonus against any creatures who are native to the urban environment. It's got a faint scent of gouda to it at the moment though, and I'm not necessarily sold on it.

Do you have any issues with multi-classing that way?

Also, is the campaign going to be mostly urban? - or will we be spending alot of time out of cities?

Great! I'll work on finishing the backstory for Csiza. Looking forward to this!

Oh, and Felgrael: I can heal you! I have the Inflict line.

Ooh, I just realized Murderous Command has no components for me... I think, people attack...

Ok, character fixed AGAIN!!! I think that the background is about the same as before. I saved it as a document on my computer this time since Paizo seems to hate this character so that it keeps getting reverted.

Character is ready, complete with background!

All righty. Got this sukka made. Now just gotta go through my posts to find her complete history (which was made for another game so I'm going to remove the heavy religious overtones before submitting) and should be done... sometime before tomorrow :P

Ok, so we have the blind oracle, the deaf oracle, the vampire alchemist, the witch who lives in the sea, and a ranger. Mark, ya gotta do something with that ranger or it will just be too normal for this group.

Welcome all, this should be interesting from a tactical standpoint.

And with that, Psyara disappears back beneath the water.

seriously? we have a deaf oracle? Make a mute ranger, we'll line up together, side by side :P

Yep - we will be DD-BUF Assassins. The Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Undead Fish Assassins. Actually, that has a good ring to it - we are DD-BUF.

seriously? we have a deaf oracle? Make a mute ranger, we'll line up together, side by side :P

What? Did someone say something?

Hey Lilith, I don't want to tread too much on your MO. Right now, we both have Inflict and Murderous Command. I plan to be Obscuring-Mist-Water-Sight-Sneak-Attack as a Waves Oracle/Ninja as my main MO, so we'll diverge pretty quickly from here. Shouldn't be a problem, but I figured I'd give you a heads up just in case it starts looking like we're similar.

i can learn a cure spell... i mean... it'll make me significantly weaker over time, but i think someone might find one of the divine casters being able to heal them handy sometime.

*laughs*

Nah, I don't mind the overlap right now at all. I think that it'll not be a problem over time. You're more of the strong caster, and I'm more of the sneak-in-and-strike kind.

(It's what I love about oracles. Two oracles can be completely different.)

Well, technically Lilith is neutral, so she can pick either, but yeah, being able to keep the group up and healthy probably would be a good thing. And while playing puppeteer is more her thing, specializing in enchantments probably isn't going to be the greatest pay off until I have spell focus and greater spell focus to make taking those spells actually a sound investment.

Me, I love playing clerics and bards. I'd play a cleric of norberger if I wanted to slaughter the party to please my god, but... that seems rather counter productive to being a party member :P

Oh, and Felgrael: I can heal you! I have the Inflict line.

Huzzah healing! Having, at most 2d8+2 healing per day with no other extract options was already scaring me.

Alright, Felgrael should be pretty much built mechanically. I'll have a backstory up at some point but I'm ready to go otherwise.

Going to be ineresting to see hwo this plays out.

The answer to "Will this be an urban game" is: no not really. Eventually you'll graduate from your city into the empire proper, and from there into world class.

Well decisions on progression have a conceit that I'll even last that long ;) - and I'll be Warden to Level 4 regardless anyhow. Can decide the rest when it comes up in anger.

3 year old son has a fever and flu, so character probably won't be done till tomorrow - will see how I go.

While I cannot cast spells spontaneously, I can cast CLW - so I can always take 1 or 2. I plan on using the Slumber Hex a lot, and will likely take Flight, Fortune, Misfortune and Cackle over the next few levels, I could take the Healing Hex, although it is not really in character with my I don't give a crap about anyone else motto. I will probably take Extra Hex for my feats as well at least a few times.

Perhaps we should get me a Pearl of Power, 1st level. Then I will be able to cast 2 CLW for the cost of 1 spell.

Gethric - get your kid up an running, there will be more than enough time to kill things in the game once he is better.

Well, he's down for a nap so I've a few minutes ;)

Profile should be mostly done - only need to polish up on the gear section mostly, fill it out with all the minor bits and pieces that just take time to choose.

I've taken Cosmopolitan to grab Knowledge (local) and Diplomacy (for the purposes of information gathering) as class skills as well as a couple of languages.

For the second language - is there some form of semi-agreed hand signals that would be used by those that lurk and sneak? - kind of like Thieves Cant. If possible I'd take that as the second language alongside Infernal.

Here's a quick rundown of my planned progression:

L2: Ninja. Poison Use, Sneak Attack. Skill points in Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Stealth, Perception x2, Swim x2.

L3: Oracle. Spells: Touch of the Sea, Mending. Feat: Point Blank Shot.

L4: Oracle. Revelation: Fluid Nature. Spells: Divine Favor, +1 DEX.

L5: Oracle. Spells: Slipstream, Guidance, Inflict Moderate, Silence. Feat: Precise Shot or Deadly Aim.

L6: Ninja. Ki Pool, Trick: Deadly Range or Fast Stealth. Curse improves.

Csiza won't be a main caster. Perhaps I should be the one to trade out Murderous Command? I won't have the saves Lilith will.

My tentative plan for Lilith is social and enchantment magics. And yes, if you're multi classing, you'll not have the pull that she will. And if you cast murderous command, that's a round that you're wasting that you could be divine favoring and kickin' butt.

All boils down to economy of action.

Heh - after a few levels I kind of see Gethric's role as the bus conductor. Make sure you get there in one piece and then stand outside and keep an exit open while warding people away from all the screams and terror erupting from where the mark lives ;)

Oh and in response to Psyana - Gethric is a reasonably devout Kuthite, so he'll be plenty weird enough ;)

Oooh, a Kuthite. Egg-cellent!

Tark, any problems with my pro's true neutral alignment? Her methodology is such that only those who have been contracted to be killed will be, and it's just business to her, never personal. But then, taking money for services performed in the commission of murder is still evil isn't it?

Er - yeh, I think that killing for any reason other than defense is generally considered evil - if you are doing it to balance things out, then perhaps you could claim neutral -- but contract killing I am pretty sure has a highly evil bend to it.

My progression is probably:

Level 2 - Rogue - sneak attack
Level 3 - Witch, Extra Hex - Hexes -- Misfortune or Fortune, Cackle
Level 4 - Witch
Level 5 - Rogue, Rogue Talent - Sniper's Eye(will figure this out when I get there), Evasion, Extra Hex - Fly
Level 6 - Witch
Probably all Witch thereafter, possibly with 2 more Rogue levels at some point for skill points and 2d6 sneak damage

I figure I am the disabling/buffing assassin.

Tark's call ultimately - but I could see a hired assassin in a Neutral alignment very easily, especially if you focus only on the marks and not on bystanders. Issues of alignment are pretty damn subjective anyway.

The concept of going into Horizon Walker is actually really growing on me, so I'll likely progress that way. Quite a nice bit of synergy between it and the early level Warden abilities.

So Warden 4, then Something x 2, then Horizon Walker X. Gethric will be capable in melee, but hardly an overwhelming figure. Probably will focus more on field control than damage.

Another PC died today. All I'll have for running my characters for a bit will be the SRD.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Another PC died today. All I'll have for running my characters for a bit will be the SRD.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Sorry to hear that, I have just one word for people with PC problems:

MAC

HA! You obviously have never been to scandinavia, friend. Everything here costs at least 3 times its American counterpart, so you can imagine how much a Mac would cost.

I would take Edward from Twilight to my bed before I go over to the dark side and touch anything associated with apple.

I switched 2 years ago when I went on my own, and have never been happier - 2 years without a crash or any lost data. Reboot about once a month just because.

Nope, never been to Norge - my brother lived in Ski near Oslo for a year though.

HA! You obviously have never been to scandinavia, friend. Everything here costs at least 3 times its American counterpart, so you can imagine how much a Mac would cost.

I would take Edward from Twilight to my bed before I go over to the dark side and touch anything associated with apple.

So you'd rather have sex with an inhumanly strong cold fleshed emotionaless sickly looking creature of darkness who snaps your spine with the force of his thrusts (has no one ever told him about cowgirls?) and then give birth to his dark unholy spawn two weeks later in a wretched birthing ritual that will in all likelihood result in your death than get an iPhone.

No issues with the neutral assassin. I did say this was a neutral to evil game.

How is it you know all this stuff, Tark? I was more referring to a glittering girly man who exhibits behaviors consistent with having a vagina and an excess of what I like to call b*tch hormones.

My Sony Errikson is three or four years old.

And my PC could play videya games.

How is it you know all this stuff, Tark? I was more referring to a glittering girly man who exhibits behaviors consistent with having a vagina and an excess of what I like to call b*tch hormones.

My Sony Errikson is three or four years old.

And my PC could play videya games.

Let's just say I'm a sadist who took far too much enjoyment from watching someone go on about it whilst getting drunk and being depressed over the loss of his years long girlfriend.

It was like watching the perfect storm of black depression unfold into a beautiful flower of drunken nerdness.

My defence against knowing exactly how crappy Twilight is falls under the Know your Enemy theorem.

My tentative plan for Lilith is social and enchantment magics. And yes, if you're multi classing, you'll not have the pull that she will. And if you cast murderous command, that's a round that you're wasting that you could be divine favoring and kickin' butt.

All boils down to economy of action.

So I am switching out Murderous Command for Divine Favor.

Point of Contention: I'm assuming the end bit in Lilith's backstory is her introduction to the Spider's Web. Sadly the game starts with the aforementioned invitation. Secrecy is a big deal to them and chances are you won't even meet a single member face to face before third level.

Otherwise everyone is okay thus far.

Okie doke, I can change it. As I said, I made this character for a game that never got passed the recruitment part.

You can tell Spoony doesn't drink because he has a bottle of Canadian Club and calls it whiskey. When I bought Segrem's Seven to drown it in 7-Up, I never called it whiskey.

Tark - I'm aware that I haven't thrown up much in backstory, but that is partially because there isn't much of note in his history.

If you need any more specifics, let me know - but I'm fairly happy letting Gethric's story organically evolve during the PbP

Huh...

How would one stat Bella Swan? NE, surely... commoner 1, WIS 5, CHA 7 (for being repugnant). Maybe... she's a changling? The daughter of a hag... hmmmmmm.

Small Animated Object? - I mean she is pretty much just a doormat...

I hear the initially tried a small inanimate object, but even for a vampire that was a little cold.

So I am switching out Murderous Command for Divine Favor.

I must admit, though, I'm so tempted to replace it with Liberating Command, though. A no-component immediate-action get-out-of-X-free card sounds so nice... But so reactive and less likely to occur than, well, combat in general...

Psyana sinks back beneath the dark waters and takes a nap waiting for the message to be delivered.