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No worries here. I has been frazzled after my minicon in devon and then there was a hair razing flight back to the island on monday morning.
What with the storm and engine trouble, a flight to remember. Someone should tell the airport that leaving a firetruck by the plane as you embark after a two hour delay for engine problems is a poor psychological touch!
Anyway ready to get back into the game whenever you are TT.
Cheers
That trip sounds like it would make a good story.
Heads up: I'll be away for the weekend. Maybe I can post Sunday night, maybe not.
Well I just love encounter ending actions..lol
Now we have captured the 'Emperor' what do we do with him?
Varlis' first round arrows dropped Pilts below his insta-flee threshold. But where does he flee to? His room, where Laori is guarding Salvatore Scream.
Well done all around.
In addition to disposing of Pilts -- there's still an unruly mob outside.
Since we're at a kind of break point, maybe we can discuss Istas and Neil. I will try PMing him as well as headlining his name in a new post.
Neil Spicer, phone home!
What do we do with Pilts? Well he left the solution on stage out there...
The guillotine..oh yes that's one way of doing it but...well there's meta-gamey reasons why you should not.
I for one don't think Galtian 'Justice' is called for here and I know a certain Paladin of Shelyn who would have....words with Emerion over using it.
Neil PM'd back.
The short story is that he's overloaded in the near term, family is taking more time as his kids get older, he's working a day job and freelancing, and as a consequence he's unsure whether or not to continue. This is the busy season at his work and RPG superstar is just around the bend. Looking into the future it's March or April before he could rejoin the group actively and something else may come up 'tween times.
I understand all this completely. I really like playing with Neil and I love Istas as a character.
I don't like DM-PCing player's characters for long periods. I don't feel I do a good job and there is a constant tension between trying to let everyone else shine and having the PC be as colorful and effective as the player would have her be. Witness Istas' rather wooden non-performance here at Pilt's.
Options:
1. Boot Neil and Istas permanently. I don't like it at all. I like having a table that people can come back to, if RL gets in the way and they let me know.
2. Have Istas continue with the party and I DM-PC her. See above.
3. Have Istas continue with the party and you all run her(subject to my veto). Better than option 2.
4. Write Istas out temporarily and have her return later at Neil's option. My personal favorite. It's easy to have deities order their clerics arbitrarily away and there are good places for Istas to rejoin the party later in the campaign.
5. Something I am not imaginative to come up with.
It's a group decision. Voice some opinions and we'll hash it out.
I'm all for allowing Istas to come and go according to Neil's availability..we do need a cleric though, this adventure is tough without one.
It's a pity we don't have anyone with leadership then we could have a cleric cohort.
We certainly don't want Laori as a permanent party member.
I would say, go with #3 - we know what Istas is likely to do in any given situation.
FW, you get a say too.
5a. I'll just throw in that I don't mind creating a true NPC support cleric if you want to go that route. I can intentionally build him or her to be quiet and helpful in ways that keep him or her out of the limelight.
5b. Alternatively, we could talk about the possibility of recruiting a new cleric with the full understanding the Istas may or may not be returning to the party.
Either option 5a or 5b would still leave the door open for Neil.
On a completely unrelated topic -- Wellard does Heather have any plans for Majenko?
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I would prefer Neil to have the option to return, he deserves that. You guys let me back and it helps with the continuity in the long term for everyone.
But DMs and/or players running a second PC seems a bit silly when there are so many good players on these boards.
Surely we can find a healer we can get along with? Especially when this isn't the fastest paced game. It just needs someone who can keep posting with style and panache. By teh way I love Emerion AKA Blackjack and that guillotine moment is priceless.
So my vote is with TT.
Cheers
I'll be honest I'm at a loss as to what to do with Majenko...if she was a wizard Heather would probably be taking him as an improved familiar.
She could take leadership and have him as a cohort I guess.
Thom,If we want someone who can play clerics with aplomb..we could ask Set who really seems to get the flavor of Golarion Religion if he wants to give us the benefit of his company unless he' felt he'd be stretching himself too thinly.
Isn't there a feat she can take to gain a familiar?
She could take one level in wizard..but that's just wasteful and using feats would require two because having acquired a familiar she then has to take improved familiar.
Looks like we all want options for Neil to return. Excellent!
Specific options people have shown interest in are:
1. Players control Istas temporarily.
2. Recruit new "cleric." (Set being a suggested option.)
I think I would favor option 2. I take it that FW and Wellard are behind that option. Dabbler, thoughts?
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Regarding Majenko -- I really like what Wellard's done with the relationship between Heather and the pseudodragon. That's why I asked. We might be able to work something out, if you really want to pursue it, Wellard.
He does present a lot of difficulties for me as DM -- mostly due to the telepathy. He also opens a lot of options. You already know I've considerable flaws as DM -- you can probably expect some inconsistency, even nerfing (deliberate or accidental) of him from time to time. Like Uqabi (remember Uqabi, Set's familiar in CoT) I may forget his existence at times. At other times, I am likely to seize control of the little guy for characterization or story reasons.
I have no problem with recruiting a new cleric, and having Istas in the wings.
I've been thinking about the AP. It seems to me there are some NPC clerics in your future. I will review the next two installments and let you know before we make a decision.
OK. So at the risk of spoilering a little, the campaign as written does offer you the opportunity to ally with one or two evil clerics of Zon Kuthon. Story-wise I see no difficulty in moving the alliance up a little bit. Question is would the party buy that? (My gut feel is that it's a sure non-starter for Heather. Em and Varlis might be more pragmatic.) We would still have to bridge between now and the first good opportunity with Varlis and the CLW wand.
I'd like to know how you guys feel before we make a final decision.
1. Players play Istas.
2. Recruit new cleric.
3. Use AP's NPC.
All options leave the opportunity for Neil to return.
Hmmmmmm . . . sorry to hear Neil is so busy. Istas is definitely a great character and you guys should keep her going. Since I know the character, I'd offer to fill in and play her for now for your guys, but stepping into Neil's shoes is daunting and I'm not sure I could do her justice.
Em trusts Laori about as far as he can kick her with a broken leg. He's not likely to trust the other one either.
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Given that we want Neil/Istas back I can see why we would run her for a while. But I'm not convinced that we (Bill included) can match that austere example I see with her. I doubt I can.
Still prefer the idea of recruiting one (or two?) to forestall these issues in the longer run. This campaign has tended to run lean and mean but maybe increasing the team to five would add another level of energy for the future.
Varlis hasn't earnt much trust yet but he isn't very keen on our Laori yet.
OK. No NPC clerics.....
Neil coming back is not a sure bet either; he may leave us forlorn in the spring. So recruiting seems the order of the day. Given that Neil may return in the spring, I would prefer to hunt for only one.
Shall we try Set first? I like him a lot. Wellard's nominated him already ....
Bill's another option. I like him personally. I also have a huge gripe in that he's dumped us without notice twice, especially after I was setting Keliwyn up for a major role in the search for the Seneschal.
Any of you may also PM me if you've any concerns about recruiting you'd rather keep private. I'd like a consensus or at least a majority agreement on who or how we recruit.
Set's cool with me.
Well Set was my first thought partly because he has always given measured and thoughtful posts in any of the discussions of in game religion here on the boards, secondly because we know he is reliable and thirdly because he knows our style of play.
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Thanks for the kind words guys, but I am already a bit over-extended, and finding it sometimes challenging to keep up with the PBPs I'm already in (for which I can blame spotty computer access only in part), so I'm gonna have to pass on this cool opportunity.
Good luck storming the castle / saving the city / whatever!
Our loss.
Good gaming, Set.
So guys, shall I open a recruitment thread or do you have other ideas for who to ask?
Bill's another option. I like him personally. I also have a huge gripe in that he's dumped us without notice twice, especially after I was setting Keliwyn up for a major role in the search for the Seneschal.
You'll get no rebuttal from me. That's all much deserved.
That sounds good, FW. When you ask, I wouldn't limit their selection to clerics, although that's how we've framed the discussion here. As you pointed out, Varlis can spam CLW with his wand. I can even work around some things -- drop restoration items in the treasure you find, etc. Although a PC with a mite of healing will be most convenient.
Meanwhile back in the game thread -- it's the party's play.
Still the party's play in the game thread.
FW, what's the word on your Ravenloft players?
Sounds good.
Hi! I can certainly build a cleric (or another class if you need one) and am a daily poster. We played through the end of book 2 at the table, but I haven't gone beyond that. Here's my campaign page if you want to see other characters and posts.
Let me know if you'll have me or if you want to see a character.
Hi, Treppa! FW's recommendation carries a lot of weight. If he vouches for you, you are in.
The discussion here has been framed in terms of a cleric because the current cleric has bowed out, perhaps temporarily, perhaps forever. So the most obvious replacement is another cleric. But I wouldn't limit you to just clerics. There are ways to work around a cleric-less party.
Regarding us, Wellard, Dabbler, and FW (you know) are a delight to play with. I am more of a problem child. As a DM I come with a long list of faults.
- Lack of game mastery. You will catch me doing things "wrong" -- sometimes on purpose, often not.
- Control freak -- I'm working on it.
- Lack of materials. (See 1) I don't spend a lot of money on this hobby and and loathe to let material I don't know in without prior, often conditional approval. (See 2)
- Occasional lack of continuity. PbP really requires more than my allotment of organizational tools.
- Occasional lapses in posting. I try to notify prior to them, but sometimes they will happen.
- Hopeless communicator. I will write a perfectly clear paragraph only to find it was only clear to me, and corrections are needed.
- There must be many more, too many to list here.
Wellard can fill you in on all of them. Wealth by level is sometimes a big bone of contention. The party typically runs a little short of WBL -- I'm not sure where they stand now. I will adjust monsters if I think your gear is insufficient. I will grant a temporary boon. I do not always get it right. We've had one fatality so far in the game. I used to fudge rolls 'behind the screen', but have pretty much stopped that. (With one notable recent exception in a different campaign where an innocuous seeming encounter as written took a hard left toward TPK.)
Character generation: 4d6, drop the lowest. (The original players rolled high on average. There is a "point buy equivalent" floor, but I'll have to look it up.) Max HP at first level;roll HP thereafter. (Again there is a floor, but it is pretty low. I will look it up if you roll low.) Two traits. One bonus skill point at first level to be put in craft, profession, or knowledge.
Core rulebook is wide open. Other sources with approval. I'd rather not see Summoners, races other than core, or gunslingers at all. Dabbler can tell you a lot about negotiating with me regarding other sources.
Sound good?
On the subject of Scream, I had completely forgotten what we were looking for him for.
On the subject of Scream, I had completely forgotten what we were looking for him for.
's ok . I'm sure Varlis remembers.
I typically go human and CRB classes. L6, correct? Any two traits? There doesn't seem to be much point in getting one of the campaign traits to hook in to the start when you're well past that point.
Stats:
13
8
12
13
15
12
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TT is very modest, Treppa. The game has lasted mostly because of him, although Dabbler, Wellard and Neil certainly played there part. Welcome to the game.
By the way, from a posting point of view, your other players are all UK based, although Wellard is a bit Scottish. TT is from across the Pond.
I'll dig out the WBL and Scream answers later. I know he is important to us but not sure Varlis has mentioned why yet.
Cheers
Wow. That's an abominable set of rolls, Treppa. About a 15 point buy equivalent. Let me check my files....
Yow! The power curve keeps creeping upward. After Give yourself 13 points in point buy to add on to your rolls. Take your 4th level boost as normal.
Yep, 6th level. Campaign trait not required.
Hmmm. Emerion and Varlis say 6th level, Heather says 7th.
OK, guys. It seems we're a little out of sync. Check your sheets -- let's settle on a level. Might as well check WBL now too. Rough numbers -- just count your big ticket items. If you enumerate them and their cost, I promise I will make a spreadsheet and not ask you again.
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DSXmachina has asked if I needed another. He is part of the same game as Treppa.
CH Discussion thread shows his comments. I thought I'd offer you the chance to add one more. No problem is you still wish to stick with four players. I can let him down gently.
Cheers
P.S. Varlis is on or just under 16K (standard for 6th). His wealth goes down every time he uses his magic arrows!
With Blackjack's gear Emerion is looking at over 55000gp worth of kit on him. Suffice to say I do not expect any upgrades of his gear for a few levels.
I think we must be close to levelling, but 6th is where I remember us as being at.
No opinion either way on another player. It'd be nice, but not essential.
Of course if you don't itemize your gear with prices, I won't make a spreadsheet. :-)
Ahh, the Blackjack loot. Very well -- that's a special case.
FW, let's draft DSX too. But that's the limit. Five players is plenty and if Neil comes back that will make 6.
So starting wealth for the new guys will be 16k.
Wellard, how's wealth and level for Heather? Was the 7th level a typo? I suspect Dabbler might have missed leveling up -- there was a period where he was posting infrequently and hurriedly, but for FW to miss it too boggles my mind.
If you only want one, DSX and I can fight to the death in a cage match for your amusement.
EDIT: Dang, cross-posted.
When do you anticipate us being woven in to the story?
I need a two sentence concept and short paragraph background sketch ASAP. That will help determine the most logical insertion scheme in gameland.
We are going to run into the typical PbP dueling timestreams issue. It is difficult to set a RL calender data because the party may take a shortcut, or may get hung up. If they move along briskly, I'd imagine that you'll start next week. If they bog down, maybe I'll run you two in separate threads for a bit until they get where they need to be. I just don't know where they need to be to meet you yet.