Yep, I'm here. Life's keeping me busy, but I'm checking in at least every day - just haven't really been able to figure out if I need to play out that scene. If you guys want, I can figure something out and go with it.
If you know anyone else who'd be interested, post here or PM me.
ETA: I thought healing during combat was one of those things you weren't supposed to have to do; at least, that's what I get from some of the discussions about it on the boards :-).
Haha, I love those arguments, like every encounter and group is going to be completely cut and dry. I agree that in general, there are more useful things that a cleric can be doing in combat than healing (because monsters can usually out-damage the healing capacity) but there's always an exception, and there are times when an emergency burst of healing is important.
Your whole argument here is based off the assumption that "like combat" is only modifying the word "threat" and not also "distractions". The problem is that the English language could allow both interpretations, and SKR has provided multiple examples of when you should be able to take 10, such as jumping over a pit, whether filled with lava or a bottomless chasm, sneaking past guards, etc.
There's plenty of distractions other than the task at hand that I could think of that would play into reasons not to take 10, such as trying to climb a cliff in the middle of a thunderstorm (because the thunderstorm has nothing to do with climbing the cliff).
Now you mentioned something in your lava example that I could agree with. If you're trying to cross a pit of lava on a 6" beam, normally I'd say go ahead and take 10. But if you're really close enough to the lava that the heat is dangerous, requiring a fortitude save or something, then I completely agree that the heat constitutes a distraction and you can't take 10.
But if the only "distracting" thing about your task is that it looks scary or dangerous, you can still take 10.
Ok, read the quote again. SKR made it quite clear.
Is the action I'm performing a distraction?
Sean K Reynolds (Developer) wrote:
"Let your players Take 10 unless they're in combat or they're distracted by something other than the task at hand. It's just there to make the game proceed faster so you don't have big damn heroes failing to accomplish inconsequential things."
If there's something OTHER than that big boiling pit of lava that you're trying to jump over that's distracting you, then you can't take 10. But if the distraction is the subject of your skill check, you can take 10.
I could see a DM ruling that way, but that seems a little Schrodinger's cat to me. It will be combat if they're spotted but if you're determining awareness then you're already in combat.
Except that SKR has EXPLICITLY listed this as an instance where you want to take 10. If a success on the skill check means that there's still no threat and still no combat, then you can take 10. Sneaking past the guard has been stated over and over again as one of the prime examples of when you ARE able to take ten.
But if they ARE looking for you, then rolling a d20 for Perception might result in a worse result. Moreover, there are no consequences for failing a Perception check, so you can really take your time with it, since taking 20 assumes you are doing multiple attempts and some of them fail.
Is the action I'm performing a distraction?
Sean K Reynolds (Developer): "Let your players Take 10 unless they're in combat or they're distracted by something other than the task at hand. It's just there to make the game proceed faster so you don't have big damn heroes failing to accomplish inconsequential things."
Can I Take-10 on opposed rolls, like Stealth?
Sean K Reynolds (Developer): "It's really no different than being a lazy player with a +9 Stealth rogue who thinks he can take 10 on a Stealth check past a guard because he thinks the guard is just some +2 Spot loser... except he doesn't know the guard is actually an important NPC with a +10 Spot. You take 10 when you believe an average roll will succeed; if it turns out that belief is wrong, you'll suffer the consequences."
Count Buggula wrote:
Caineach wrote:
You see, I think this is more a matter of people knowing the DCs to do stuff, than whether or not they can take 10. If you don't tell the players that the DC is the same for being 100 ft in the air, I bet a lot of them are likely to roll the dice when they would have taken 10 otherwise. People with skill (steel workers) would know the DC because they have done the task before, and so they would know that they can take 10. Others wouldn't know the DC. Likewise, You don't know the dragon's perception skill, so most players are less likely to take 10. Someone with high ranks may take 10 anyway, because they trust in their skill.
Yes. This comes down to player choice, not an actual ability to take 10 or not. Whether that beam is 6" off the ground or 100' over a river, you can still take 10, because as long as you don't fail your roll, there is no danger.
In fact, if it's 100' over a river that's a more likely scenario when you WOULD want to take 10 because the penalty for failure is severe, so it becomes a safety measure:
Core Rulebook wrote:
In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure—you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10)
Now one example we have as to what constitutes a distraction or threat is combat:
Core Rulebook wrote:
Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible to take 10.
Is a narrow beam like combat? Is a raging river off down the valley like combat?
Now let's say you're being chased by armed guards and you need to cross a 6" beam laying on the ground. You can't take 10 because you're being chased, which is like combat. If that 6" beam is way up a cliff, you also can't take 10 - not because it's up a cliff, but because you're being chased.
I can't emphasize this enough: the "penalty for failure" wording is NOT in the take 10 mechanics. That's specifically in the take 20, but if something is only a risk if you fail the roll, it does not keep you from taking 10.
So Bilbo can and should take 10 sneaking in the cave with smaug because as long as he doesn't fail his stealth check, he is in no danger. Being in the same room with a sleeping dragon is not like combat.
Thanks. I don't think the APL+1 is too far off - I mean that's not supposed to be an epic overpowering encounter, and it did require us to expend a significant amount of daily resources such as my only smite evil for the day, Katya's spell, Adam's bard performance, Jacyn's challenge, etc. From what I understand of the meta game purpose of daily encounters, that seems spot on. Also, Bea got lucky doing almost max damage on her attack. That doesn't happen all the time.
Also, pretty sure the troll should have taken damage from attacking the elemental:
d20pfsrd wrote:
Creatures that hit a burning creature with natural weapons or unarmed attacks take fire damage as though hit by the burning creature and must make a Reflex save to avoid catching on fire (see Burn universal monster ability for complete details.)
An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and most characters can only make one per round...If you have the Combat Reflexes feat, you can add your Dexterity modifier to the number of attacks of opportunity you can make in a round. This feat does not let you make more than one attack for a given opportunity, but if the same opponent provokes two attacks of opportunity from you, you could make two separate attacks of opportunity (since each one represents a different opportunity).
A character who can make more than one attack per round must use the full-attack action (see Full-Round Actions) in order to get more than one attack.
I recognize that this isn't the most clear rules issue in the world, as I was doing it wrong in my home game as well, and a quick search shows that manyothersareconfusedtoo.
I also recognize that as the GM, it's ultimately your call, but that would have some pretty drastic consequences on the lives of both the elemental and Beatrix.
I keep trying to convince a friend of mine to submit a healer for consideration, since she's been lurking in the game for quite awhile anyways, but she's not taking the bait.
I shamelessly admit that I've been copping out with the nap due to an insanely stressful month dealing with RL issues. The nap just happened to work in game and was at a most fortuitous time. I managed to get myself kicked from another game during the same time period.
Luckily I survived with my family, body, marriage, and job all still relatively unscathed, and took the last week off for vacation. After a relaxing break, I'm doing much better and have been able to catch up with all my PbP games (except the one where I got the boot).
We do have lots of options presented here, but I'm still staying interested in the proceedings enough, even though I haven't really done much lately. I'm ok if we take a bit more time as we finish preparations and casing the town, then we'll need to sit down IC and decide what route (or routes) to choose.
My personal and completely unbiased vote would be for the secret tunnel, of course. ;)
The woman in our gaming group have graciously allowed a few of us men into their circle and I think it's been successful. Of course, the only men playing are husbands of other gamers, so I'm not sure if we could even be considered true gamers. Probably just coming along to support our spouses.
They have even let me GM for several years now, but I'm sure that's just some equal opportunity quota they're trying to fill. I see no other reason why they'd put up with me in such a role.
I had someone from work who had a background in D&D 2nd Edition ask how 3rd edition worked and what the major differences were. I provided the following to him, but it was entirely based on memory since I no longer have any 2e books so I figured I'd share it here to check my accuracy. Please let me know if I was wrong on any of these points or if changes should be made.
As for basic changes between 2nd edition and the d20/3.x paradigm, let me see if I can hash out the main points:
THAC0 - It's gone, but fortunately the mechanics actually work exactly the same as they did in 2e, only reversed. And I think it makes much more sense that way. Unmodified AC starts at 10 as before, but any bonuses apply positively instead of negative. So a suit of armor might give a bonus of +5, raising the total AC to 15. Then for an opponent to hit that AC, he simply rolls a d20, adds whatever attack modifiers apply, and if it's 15 or higher it hits. Almost all game mechanics try to use this basic function of setting a DC and rolling the d20+modifiers to beat it.
Races and Classes - Pretty much the same races and classes exist from 2e, but gone are racial restrictions on classes. Want to play a halfling Paladin? Go for it. Classes all level up at the same rate now and cap at 20 unless playing with epic rules. All races can also multi-class simply by choosing a new class at level up. Some classes have alignment restrictions however so not all class combinations are possible.
Attributes - Attribute bonues are simplified. A 10 is average with no bonus, and every 2 in either direction gives a +/- 1 to related checks. Ex. a STR 18 is a +4 bonus, INT 15 is a +2 bonus.
Saving Throws - all resistances have been rolled into 3 saves: Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. These are modified by CON, DEX, and WIS, respectively, and increase at different speeds depending on class.
Skills and Feats - Most game actions, in or out of combat, have been moved to either Feats or Skills. If it's something you either can do or you can't, it's likely a Feat, such as Brew Potion or Heavy Armor Proficiency. 3.x gave feats out every 3rd level, in Pathfinder you get one every other. If it's something you can get better at over time, it's likely a skill, for example moving stealthily, spotting hidden enemies, or having a vast knowledge about a certain subject. Skills are upgraded using points allocated at each level, and some classes get more skill points or are better at certain skills than others.
Game map - Many feats and combat abilites are tied heavily to specific locations on a square 1x1 grid, so playing with a map and miniatures is much more important. As a wargamer, this is probably a bonus for you.
Initiative - Weapons speeds are gone. While I miss the flavor that added, it makes keeping track of combat order much easier. At the start of combat everyone rolls initiative, and then every player gets a single turn in order until the end of the round. At the next round they go through the same order again.
Here's the relevant info from Carrion Crown. It IS an offical Paizo rule on fatigue from lack of sleep, it's just not in the core rules. I think it's a fair rule and have used it.
Well, I'm terribly sorry. I did read though the first and last few pages but didn't see anything saying he wasn't taking new requests. Well, it was a nice thought. Good luck on getting through the rest of the list!
You've got some amazing talent. If possible, I'd like to add a request as well:
Kara:
Full Bio General Appearance
Kara is a slender, graceful halfling in early adulthood. She has smallish, clean shaven feet, and could easily pass as a gnome. Her dark eye makeup draws even more attention to her large blue eyes, and she flashes her long eyelashes just right to lock your gaze.
Race: Halfling
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Hair: Black hair cropped to her shoulders save for a long braid that extends down her back (does not have to be shown if doesn't fit well with the picture).
Eyes: Blue
Height: 2'10"
Class: Bard (Dervish Dancer/Lotus Geisha)
Pre-adventuring background:
I have no memory of my parents. I’m sure I have some, somewhere, but families don’t last long among slaves. Sold from master to master, I landed finally in the care of a kindly human who treated me as a person and not a thing. For a time I became infatuated with him, intoxicated by his goodness, but he had a dark secret, and one morning was found murdered in his study. After that I learned quickly not to get too close to anyone, as the pain from the inevitable separation became unbearable.
My earliest memories are of the reckoning, as we slaves called it – the day our life is chosen for us. Some of my fellows were sent to be cooks or household servants, while some of the stronger men were picked for labor or to be sailors on a slave galley. Halflings were especially popular picks for sailors because their sleeping quarters could be half the size of humans’, leaving more room for merchandise. I often wonder how my life might have been had I been sent to sail the seas, but that was not to be. Someone early in my life said I was pretty, so I became an entertainer.
They taught me to dance and sing, but my teachers were cruel and demanding. They bound my feet to hide my Halfling heritage – it seems gnomes are more exotic and often fetch a higher price in certain markets. As soon as I discovered the usefulness of my new skills in pleasing men and avoiding their wrath, I doubled my efforts and mastered the art of seduction. I was passed around to dance in nearly every seedy tavern in the dark corners of Katapesh, occasionally catching the eye of some wealthy merchant who took me in as his personal entertainer until he tired of me and I was sold yet again.
In those dark days I came to know the true nature of man – the seeds of greed, selfishness, lust, anger, deceit, and corruption lie in the hearts of everyone, no matter how pretty, kind, or honest they appear. Politicians, peasants, and clerics all frequented the pubs to watch me dance, and their leering and lustful eyes sickened me. Ever will I play this twisted game; ever will I hide my hate for them.
When my last master fell on hard times, I was sold yet again, but this time to the city government, where I was put in a holding cell to await a trip to the slave market and another new master. Then one morning I was woken early and sent to a courtyard with many other slaves. An official looking human called for silence and announced that we were being sent to fight with a band of mercenaries and guards in an assault to retake the village of Kelmarane. If we were successful, he promised, we would be free.
Of course nobody ever frees slaves, so I fully expect this to be a suicide mission, but even death would be better than this hell I’ve been living, so I wrapped a small dagger and darts to my thigh, gathered my few belongings, and set off for my doom.
Brief Adventuring History
Worked for the caravan providing mostly moral and behind the scenes support, occasionally fighting in melee and learning that her grace and dexterity gave her an advantage in a fight.
After being freed she found herself aimless and without direction took on mercenary duties for a year before meeting up with the group she had fought with previously for more adventures. Took the death of the previous leader of the party particularly difficultly as while he wasn't a particularly good person, he was one of the only people in the world who had treated her fairly. After several days of the party languishing in uncertainty she slipped off into the night for soul searching. At daybreak she rent the lower hem off her dress and strode back to camp, kicking the rest of them into action and assumed the role of leader, spearheading the group into action time and again.
She wears little armor - a shirt of chain integrated into her dress, and fights with a pair of Kukris as she spins and twirls through battle.
She doesn't consider herself to be a spellcaster at all - almost all her spells are enchantments or could be explained by other mundane means.
Sorry for monopolizing the thread for awhile, guys. I tried to keep it moving quickly so you didn't have to wait too long. Hopefully the information he found will prove worthwhile though.
And while taking out the entire tower singlehandedly would be AWESOME (and fitting with his backstory), knowing my luck I'd roll a couple natural 1s and end up getting myself killed. And I REALLY don't feel like having to come up with another evil character so soon after the last death.
I was pretty much just leaving it up to anything you wanted to throw at me. I thought it would have been hilarious if I had just happened to run into the servant girl, for example.
If you don't have anything interesting you want to throw at me though, it'll be a relatively uneventful stroll before retiring back at the inn.
Most of the crafting rules as far as I can tell are in place to prevent abuse - as long as we're not trying to abuse or game the system, I see no reason why we couldn't implement some changes such as Markadian recommended.
Another option you might want to consider is a business line laptop. In my experience the degree of quality between the consumer and business models of say, Dell for instance, is enormous. I would never buy a Dell laptop that's meant for consumers, but have used one of their Latitude laptops as my daily workstation at work for almost 3 years now and it's been pretty rock solid.
Anyone can buy their "Enterprise" laptops, you just get them at a different part of the web site.
I would never buy anything from Apple, but that's an entirely different discussion.
I'm actually running Linux Mint right now with Cinnamon. I hated Unity and it drove me to OpenSuse for awhile before coming back to Debain-land. Cinnamon gives me a user experience more like gnome 2 and binary compatibility with Ubuntu and all its repositories and software.
Yeah, I'd say Toshiba isn't a bad choice. I've actually had decent experience with Sony too. I did have an HP (Compaq) laptop that lasted for years and years, but that was some time ago now.
You talking about a laptop or a desktop? It makes a difference. Of course, I never buy desktops anymore - been building them for over a decade. Too bad you can't build your own laptop that way.
As far as western animation goes, it's pretty darned good. They did some neat stuff with differentiating the different elements with real-world kung-fu styles. Also, the ending is pretty rocking, and does a good job of wrapping up the whole thing.
And yes, it's on Netflix.
Also, Joanna - I think part of the reason he hasn't flirted with Tatya is overflow from an avoidance of being that guy who flirts with every girl he meets online just because OMG there's a girl online! So...that might have spilled over to my character a bit.
Haha, oh, Avatar. Yep, that's kind of the vibe I get from Tatya. I think if Aedorn were...approached...he wouldn't complain about it, but he knows better than to mess with her.
That sounds amazing! Unfortunatly even if I jumped in my car and drove straight there right now, I'd arrive around 5am tomorrow. If only I owned my own personal jet...
So...if you're down a player, you wouldn't by any chance be looking for a replacement? I only say because I happen to have a character all ready and prepared for a Hollow's Last Hope game that she's never gotten into...
Count Buggula
