Joana's page

It's less of a plan and more of a hopeful thought. Basically, with the distances involved, we can't afford to let Qhude go in while we hide nearby, so we've got to do something. The idea is that about the time they start to realize Qhude and N'bellocq aren't Bandu, they get distracted by a larger group approaching from a different direction. But considering that it's not all that well thought out in the first place, we haven't the right to get upset with the DM for not making our intricate machinations work out the way we hoped. The rest of us just don't want to be stuck half a mile away when Qhude and N'bellocq get swarmed.

Just realized this discussion thread had fallen into the archives, so I missed giving advance notice that I will be traveling for a week starting tomorrow. Should still be able to check in most days; I'll be back to normal next Wednesday.

Nah. I don't like playing men. I know from personal experience that the number of men who can believably play female characters is a lot lower than the number of men who think they can believably play female characters. I'm not interested in being unintentionally humorous or offensive. This AP feels like a more dramatic plot than a wild and zany one, and I don't feel qualified to delve into the psyche of a man's soul.

I'll just bow out if it comes to that. I'm in other games with everyone here, so I won't "miss" anyone.

And you're doing a good job of it. :P

Honestly, not joking at all, the thought of possibly having to share a wagon with Melon is a huge barrier to my coming up with any female character to go on this trip. She's actively off-putting and creepy as heck, and it makes me less able to warm up to Ameiko that this is her "best friend."

I mean, speaking as an actual woman, I'm skeeved. Restraining order territory, not "let's share a wagon with no personal space for months on end."

Perception:1d20 + 10 Typical, only need to roll a friggin 5 and still can't do that.

I'll do you one better, Talomyr; I have a wizard in another game who needed to roll a 3 to make a Knowledge check (only one in the party with that Knowledge trained) and got a natural 1.

Yes, I'm still here, packing. Trying to figure out what to do in the game thread. Will post before bed.

Corinna won't even take a free meal from Ameiko; she's not about to take treasure.

Presume you mean with Urza/Shokambe, but yeah, that would work. Urza just has to be able to get spells back, when he casts them. :)

Okay, I'm going to go with the following watch schedule. If there are any objections, you can change it on your second night. :)

Mahjik/Ishirou
Makoa/Jask
Urza/Shokambe
Douena/Pezock
Lorenz/Sasha

Just noticed this: Doesn't matter tonight since we didn't run into any trouble during the day, but as an arcane spellcaster, Urza needs 8 hours of rest to learn spells so shouldn't take the middle watch.

Not so much. They took watch together and talked (and Douena used to eavesdrop because they were on watch when she was learning her spells), but there weren't any "significant moments." Lorenz had a crush on her from the beginning, and they just kind of drifted together. The main participants can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't see any turning points.

I'm in another game where my PC is having a romance with another PC. They had just met, the group was invited to a party, he asked her to dance, and they ended up in bed together; been together ever since. There was just a spark.

I think they're lame. I've had plenty of PCs in relationships without keeping track of points, and I find it kind of creepy that the way to another person's heart is to ply them with gifts. By the Jade Regent RAW, Lorenz and Sasha wouldn't have been able to get together because he didn't buy her stuff, and I'm pretty sure that Ameiko didn't have to give Alder presents and level up several times to get his attention. Then again, I'm obviously better at flirting than I am at rolling dice. :P

Honestly, I got sidetracked with the whole Valdemar family drama. I started out the game with only a very vague conception of what her family was like, but then Navior started playing them all as NPCs, and before I knew it, I painted Corinna into a corner where she looks like a self-centered jerk for throwing away her career and abandoning her mother.

Then, like I said, my whole original conception of an academic wizard finding success and excitement in the field got shot all to heck by the cruelty of the dice. There might well be some intriguing reference hidden behind those Knowledge (history) spoilers that would have motivated her to go solve a historical mystery and bolster her publishing record and academic record, as LoreKeeper says, but since she didn't make the roll, we'll never know. There's nothing in the text of the letter itself that indicates there's anything in Brinewall of interest to more than the Kaijitsus.

The AP seems to rely rather heavily on the Everybody Loves Ameiko angle, but by the time I realized that, I'd already characterized her as being jealous of Ameiko for years so there's not a lot of motivation to "helping Ameiko solve a family secret." And when I chose the Childhood Crush trait, I didn't appreciate that the Jade Regent relationship rules would preclude her actually having a relationship with Sandru. Sure, if Sandru asked her to go adventuring, she'd go ... but he can't, because the way the relationship rules are coded in with XPs, they can't be "friends" yet.

So, in my defense, that's at least three adventure hooks in fluff (fledgling adventurer, academic fieldwork, and romantic angle) that have been squashed by the mechanics. So I either have to come up with a fourth one or dump the character.

Just out of interest towards Corinna: would her character see merit in this mystery? I figure there should be the stuff of arcane academic value in this. Dissertation, fame, honorary degrees in Korvosa and Magnimar.

There doesn't seem to be any indication of arcane knowledge in the letter. Just more Kaijitsu family drama. From the information Corinna has access to, none of this holds any academic interest. You may know there's more to it, but the PCs don't.

A chance to travel with Sandru...

What? you mean the man she hasn't seen for ten years and doesn't know at all? On the basis that he smiled at her once, she's supposed to chuck her career and abandon her family to follow him around and throw herself at him in the hopes that he might one day show an interest in her? Not very empowering of women.... ;)

So where's Magnimar Memorial Gardens?

I was wondering, too. Is that the cemetery where Markiv was buried? Not there, so can't roll a Knowledge (local), but Heward was at the funeral so he ought to recognize the name, if so.

If only he could have got that result against the armoured man! Sophy, it's all your fault. ;)

As usual, Sophy's instincts lead her to be in precisely the wrong place at the wrong time. Just goes to prove her spirits really are trying to kill her -- or at least the rest of you.

Considering the trouble he's had with attack rolls, I think it's too early for Power Attack; no point in making him even less likely to hit. Warrior Priest I've considered. Extra Channel is always useful, but he's not really the nurturing type. Toughness is the most boring feat ever, but it did once make my wizard the sole survivor of a TPK by less than 3 hp. Persuasive? When a 31 Intimidate doesn't have any effect, there's no point throwing good money after bad.

Advance notice: I'm going to be traveling for a week, starting on Wednesday. Should still be able to check in from the road most days, but next Sunday I'll be at the Grand Canyon, and my understanding is that there's no internet access there at all. Will be back to normal the following Wednesday.

Advance notice: I'm going to be traveling for a week, starting on Wednesday. Should still be able to check in from the road most days, but next Sunday I'll be at the Grand Canyon, and my understanding is that there's no internet access there at all. Will be back to normal the following Wednesday.

Advance notice: I'm going to be traveling for a week, starting on Wednesday. Should still be able to check in from the road most days, but next Sunday I'll be at the Grand Canyon, and my understanding is that there's no internet access there at all. Will be back to normal the following Wednesday.

Advance notice: I'm going to be traveling for a week, starting on Wednesday. Should still be able to check in from the road most days, but next Sunday I'll be at the Grand Canyon, and my understanding is that there's no internet access there at all. Will be back to normal the following Wednesday.

Advance notice: I'm going to be traveling for a week, starting on Wednesday. Should still be able to check in from the road most days, but next Sunday I'll be at the Grand Canyon, and my understanding is that there's no internet access there at all. Will be back to normal the following Wednesday.

Advance notice: I'm going to be traveling for a week, starting on Wednesday. Should still be able to check in from the road most days, but next Sunday I'll be at the Grand Canyon, and my understanding is that there's no internet access there at all. Will be back to normal the following Wednesday.

Not to mention that the pace is faster at the table, so you have more chances to roll and get past a bad streak and move on. In PbP, it just sits and festers.

If we were around a table, I'm already past the switching-dice point. By this time, I'd be in the next room watching TV and telling someone else to run my character and let me know how it all turns out. :P

Not sure how long my participation is going to last. Being sickened, Mireza's melee attack is +0 to do 1d4-2 damage. I think her familiar is actually a more fearsome opponent right now. :P

Advance notice: I'm going to be traveling for a week, starting on Wednesday. Should still be able to check in from the road most days, but next Sunday I'll be at the Grand Canyon, and my understanding is that there's no internet access there at all. Will be back to normal the following Wednesday.

Tevyn moves closer to assist Sandru with the closer inspection of the chest. This was the first time he'd gotten a good look at it.

Perception check: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

And apparently he still hasn't gotten a good look at it. ;)

Put the 3 potions on Mireza's sheet. Iozef gave the scroll of see invisibility back to Grigor, and Grigor hasn't offered it to anyone else, so I assume he's still holding it?

Supporting Cast page is updated, as well.

Updated the calendar on the website. Color-coded events by case, so far: blue for 001, orange for 002 ("Murder-by-Mage") & purple for 003 ("The Vexing Vargouilles"). (Ignore the half-orc graffito.) Heward, Laya, Calatin and Awgin should have collected the princely sum of 5 gp for their first week of work, so add that to your hoards.

Campaign journal is up.

The Field Marshall takes note of the hour, "Time is pressing, don't let me detain you. Oh, and priest Caulder, I would appreciate a written report on All the World's Meat after tomorrow - if you can find the time."

You realize there's no Campaign Journals section on the website like there is for Jade Regent, right? ;)

Hey, I was going back through the thread, trying to figure out what the date is in-game, and I totally forgot about this

"This is a time of great need for Korvosa, swiftness is of the essence - correspondingly, each of you is granted a symbol of dexterity. You can call upon it while the need for haste is still great." Four cards spin out of the deck and circle Zellara once, twice, then move forward to settle infront of each of the four heroes.

"Esmerelda, you receive the Locksmith. You may call upon it three times. The Locksmith represents a new destiny. Once victim, now paladin, the future knows there is even more slumbering within you. Your blood, it will call to you."

"Caulder, behold the Crows! You may call upon them only twice. The Crows know what you have lost, for they are the ones that have taken their fill of you."

"Tendrizu, you are blessed with the Cricket. A symbol of luck that offers you the certainty of quick passage. You may call upon the Cricket three times."

"Finally, Pagrip, you again receive the Juggler - for fate loves you, even when you are tossed about by its fickle bonds. Know that fate grants you alone the ability to call upon the Jugglers four times."

Calling upon your symbols:

You can call upon your symbols several times, as presented in the text above. Calling upon a symbol is a free action. You can use them as follows:

Reroll a single dexterity check, initiative check, dexterity-based skill check, reflex save or dexterity-based attack roll. The new result is final, though you can spend additional uses to reroll again.

Gain +1 dodge bonus to AC for the duration of one encounter. You can spend up to three callings in one encounter on this benefit.

Gain a +10 bonus to your base speed for the duration of one encounter.

Don't know if anyone else had forgotten it as well. It was back in August, so.... :P

He pauses thoughtfully. "Does anyone know anything about fireworks? What happens when fireworks get old?"

I don't even know what kind of roll that would be. Craft (alchemy)?

Navior, Melon might still insist on returning to find the last ship on the goblin map; you could still spring Poog and Pussl on the group then. Perhaps they've holed up in the wreck as a nice bachelor pad, a little goblin Odd Couple. Pussl is Felix. :)

Well, both Caulder's 2nd-level domain spells are lame. I hadn't even looked to see what they were. :P

Anyone have any suggestions for a feat? I haven't a clue what to do with him; none of the choices reach out and grab me.

EDIT: Everyone still has 10 platinum from the bribing money, correct, in addition to what the field marshal just gave us?

Mythril DM wrote:

Kern, I have you at 5 hp. Did I miss calculate since you are showing only 1 hp?

Looks like maybe we've both miscalculated. I was at 24 as of this post. I then lost 9, gained 8 from Sophy, lost 3, then lost 16. 24-9+8-3-16=4. I'm not sure where I thought the extra 3 damage came from.

Maybe you accidentally included the 3 the mage rolled for ray of enfeeblement?

Blue Rajah has one too many skill points. He can only have one favoured class, which is cleric since he took the bonus point last level, and so doesn't get a bonus point with paladin levels. Thus, he only gets 4 skill points this level, not 5.

Rajah has the Eclectic feat, which grants an additional favored class.

I would have loved to have a chance to fight Poog, channeling negative energy like that with everyone around him and practically killing us all. >:(

Yeah, I was just doing that with the -2 from TWF, too. It never occurred to me to change it when she only got one attack. :P

Knowing that Calatin's not got Knowledge: Planes, that was written from memory without opening a book or looking up a website... and was all that I could remember about varguilles. Trying to simulate what a well-educated wizard might remember from lectures on a topic that wasn't a particular area of interest :)

Except he isn't "well-educated" in the Planes because he doesn't have a rank in it. Without it being trained, an 18-Int wizard can't know anything more about a subject than a 10-Int commoner. Doesn't make a lot of sense from a simulationist point of view, but that's the way the skill system works. If you want to make Knowledge checks untrained, you have to take a level of bard. Of course, Auriel traded that ability away for her archetype, as did Phillip, if I'm not mistaken. So next level, Calatin might consider broadening rather than deepening his knowledge. :)

Not that it matters with a 1, but I've been doing that wrong this whole time, like it was Power Attack or fighting defensively or something. I'll have to remember she gets her +2 back on AoOs.

Possibly dumb question I've never considered before: When Nuveril takes an AoO, does she still take the -2 for TWF even though she's only swinging one weapon?

If we can take out the last Bandu before he gets a chance to run, Qhude might have a better effect on people celebrating and unprepared for a fight than on those who were on guard and ready to defend the camp. Especially if he adds two more heads under his arms to roll into the midst of them... ;)

Healing is probably a good idea, anyway, though. As long as he doesn't clean off all the dried gore, he'll still look fearsome even without fresh blood flowing.

You mean you haven't already? This is D&D: I thought all our characters were contractually obligated to have bad British accents. ;)

Noticed when I went to the campaign site to write the journal that Aago's still on the list of PCs; ought to switch him out with Tevyn, shouldn't we, if we're quite decided we're going to keep him?

New campaign journal is up.

So the patrol are also at or near the top of the hill, and the camp is at a distance. Got it.

Yeah, I know Tebati hasn't seen anything yet, just trying to get a feel for the dimensions of the battlefield. So the rock where Kieran and N'bellocq were is basically the top of the hill (55 feet from the rest of us), and Kieran charged thirty feet down the other side to the Bandu patrol. And the encampment itself (for those who can actually see it) is at the base of the hill on the other side, some 25 feet below the patrolmen. Is all that correct?

And here it is.

Awaiting Ansha's action.

Considering she's 55 feet from having line of sight, I'm guessing double move. :) I'm assuming she's already cast mage armor during the first fight.

I'm a little confused about the topography. Is up the hill the only way to go? Can we go around the side of the hill? Are the Bandu and the encampment on higher or lower ground than N'bellocq?

PFSRD

There's also the official Paizo PRD, which contains only material from the core books.

She gets me.

Hey, you spend a drunken night with a half-orc, you pick up on a few things. ;)

So, yeah, no one's bonding with The Boss. Especially since his promotion wasn't a reward for him doing something great that we could all agree demonstrates he should be in charge. It wasn't, "Good job, Heward, you deserve this"; it was done in anger and obviously a demotion for the rest of us more than a promotion for Heward: "You people are all so incompetent, I'm going pick the least incompetent and make you answer to him!"

To be fair, we are kind of in the middle of a crisis at the moment. If it makes you feel better, I only rolled an accumulated 8 to shoot you; she would totally have missed. :)

Ah, there's the Heward charm working its old magic. At least he didn't ask if you were a prostitute, Phillip! :D

MSI's interparty dynamic ;)

They've gone back to their old un-upgraded ISP for now but will still have to move to the faster version eventually, although hopefully after they've figured out why it shut out half their customers.

So Tebati had a half-hour of longstrider left before N'bellocq tracked the final 2 miles. Used up now?