(1) Atalantia - Scourge of Magic

Game Master mdt

I've got a two-day conference in a nearby city, and may not be able to respond until Wednesday.

My father fell at home last night, on his 76th birthday. We're trying to decide whether to call the EMT this morning due to complications. I may be out of it for a few days.

sorry to hear. Best wishes for speedy recovery

Well, my dad's in the hospital with an urinary tract infection and kidney infection. Meanwhile, I've got a cold. But I'm back!

Sorry to hear about the infections and hospital. Know what you're going through (my dad is in assisted living, dimensia).

Well, apparently old men with UTIs act the way he was acting (belligerent, angry, stubborn), but I'm not exactly looking forward to visiting him today. Especially with this cold. I keep getting the mental image of me walking through the front Vistors' doors coughing and wheezing, and being tackled by two of the security guards. Maybe I should take a hospital mask with me.

But thanks.

Yes, take a mask. I don't visit my dad unless I know I'm healthy (I have visions of 40 old men and women all sick as dogs because I walked in with the sniffles).

My father passed away this morning. It was quick. I'm at home, so I'll be checking for posts from time to time.

Condolences. :(

Very sorry for you loss. Take all the time you need.

Still here. And thanks.

So, to make this easier, it might be easier to post what combinations you try, in what order, for the first location. For example, the first location is the sarcophagi in the statue hall. So, you could say :

I'll try :
1 large vase of Orange sand
1 large vase of Yellow sand
1 large vase of Violet sand

If none of those work, we've locked up the locks, and we'll have to try the ones in the sand room :

Left 1 large vase of Orange, Right 1 large vase of Orange
Left 1 large vase of Yellow, Right 1 large vase of Yellow
<whatever other combos you want to try to reset the locks>
Left 2 small vases with Orange/Violet, Right 2 small vases Violet/Yellow

Obviously, I changed the colors of the sands, because I don't want to influence your posts... Note, if you wanted to start by trying double sand, you could post instead 1 small vase of Orange & 1 small vase of Yellow, for example, instead of 1 large vase of Orange sand

Is it correct that if we successfully reset the locks, and there is a sandstorm, we then know for sure the current color scheme? (Because it doesn't scramble the colors if it does sand storm?)

Do we get infinite attempts at the reset combo each reset?

The number of colors on each lock doesn't change, and the series of codes don't scramble relative to eachother, just which color is primary, secondary, etc?

IE: if the first code is a small primary and a small secondary, it will stay p/s, and if we know the reset lock code is t/p S and the sandstorm hit, and the reset colors were red/blue and yellow, we would know the first code was blue/yellow.

If there is no sandstorm, our first guess would be that it didn't shuffle colors... Fifty/fifty split... Then we would know it shuffled, and have two guesses... Five color orders if they shuffle, but if we guess wrong, we'll re-solve the reset puzzle, and know the previous pattern...

1) Correct, if you get the sandstorm, you set off a trap, but the colors do not reset.

2) No, every time you reset, you get 3 failures before it freezes again. But you can continue to do resets until you die of starvation.

3) Correct. Technically the code to each lock changes, but only between prison appearances. So for your group, the code to each lock stays the same. Only the colors will change.

4) example 1 : Yes, but you wouldn't set off the sandstorm if you knew the reset code. The sandstorm only sets off if you pick the wrong specific reset code. IE: There are 27 combinations of colors for the reset code to be. 1 of the 27 is the correct reset, 1 of 27 is a full reset, and 1 of 27 is a sand storm.

5) example 2 : Pretty much. You'll know if it reset the locks because they'll all reset, including the ones you've already opened.

Poke poke

Here! But I can't post until this afternoon/tonight.

An idea of what Flann looks like about now

Is any of this "sand graduation puzzle" making any sense to anybody? I'm more used to alphanumeric puzzles, or Hanoi puzzles, or riddles.

Anyway, the scroll or the dagger? We appear to have gotten the dagger. I'm clueless to what that means. Hopefully not "kill the monster with this". I'm with Flann, the written word is usually better.

Have we used up about 3 hours out of 11 here?

Just about.

And it's a logic puzzle.

This one was like Mastermind or Password. You use the fact that you can only make three mistakes to infer information about your guess. Most simply: the guess that triggers the mechanism is wrong. If you only guessed three, those three were wrong.

This last development, though...

Yeah there are lots of moving parts with this thing. Glad Flann is here. I'm a bit lost on it but I'm more of a visual learner. Go go Flann

I had this wild idea that if we repaired stuff we could find clues we've missed. Oh well.

Grumble, grumble. The "South room" turns out to be a winding tunnel that could have saved us 3 hours!

There's still that ominous little black square in the middle that loads first for me...

The 'south room' door also opened when the lions opened the southern door. That was originally the door used by the jailors, it's on the same lock.

*Roll FinalFantasy-style hour-three opening credits*

I have sent Volita's player a PM.

I am annoyed.

I had believed they were off the boards for the last month because their main alt hadn't posted. However, I just found that some of their alts had been posting every week for the last month.

This is not how I expect my players to act. If you don't like the game and want to quit, tell me. I'm trying hard to get Volita's character involved as much as possible, and then in the middle of her taking center stage, she stops posting.

I can only comment that I understood Volita's complaint about me hogging the center stage, so I backed off. I was thinking too much like a ship's captain, which even back in the 1600's was rather authoritarian. Pathfinder not being historical but fantasy.

But I would have been clueless on this puzzle prison, so Flann/BastianQuinn's hidden interests really helped out.

For the record, it wasn't a graduation puzzle, but I do like puzzles, and as a programmer, logic is my forte. (or should be >.>)

It's more akin to an extended logic puzzle. One of those grid games in word puzzle magazines, where you get a series of statements :

Bonny likes Sal, but not Bill. Bonny is not William's Sister.

Sal doesn't like Elly or Ginger. Sal's sister's name is 5 characters long.

Candy does not like Robert or Jim, and is not William's Sister

etc etc

Then you have to use those statements to decide who are siblings, who are dating, and who won't sit next to each other at the table during the pre-prom dinner.

In this case, you got rules on how to tell if something was right or wrong, a limited combination, and a finite time to figure out the answer. But it's basically the same thing.

GM is waiting for people to post they touch the glob (actually touch it, instead of waiting for everyone else to be turned into random molecules they are breathing as it annhilates them).

GM is waiting for people to post they touch the glob (actually touch it, instead of waiting for everyone else to be turned into random molecules they are breathing as it annhilates them).

Well now I want to leave. The Regent can send an army here. (Just kidding.)

All this work, and the Regent decided to let us get another "wish" or demand from the named entity on our own? Ugh.

Hey, it's a lot of work, but so far at least, it's not really inherently deadly. Significantly safer than attacking a demonically possessed lizardfolk...

I was just thinking how this was so perfect for Flann, like a D&D ride at universal studios, or an escape room at the mall. Much more like what he expected out of adventuring.

According to the text and Encounter Map, Volita & most of the constructs have gone first to the Chamber of Air. Flann was next. Connor was going to bring up the rear. I think we're waiting on Adran to touch the globe o' disintegration.

It's at times like this I wish the authors had put a rudimentary awareness, or feedback, into astral construct. So I wouldn't have to sacrifice a psicrystal just to "see" with the construct. As-is, they're mindless robots.

On the bright side, they do do exactly what you tell them...

whistles innocently

Ok, so, Volita's officially a month with no posts, and is now no longer part of the game. They also didn't respond to PMs, but have posted on other threads. That's an instant 'never in my games again' mark. Especially when I've been trying so hard to involve them more in the game (and threw in the manchatcher and bent over backwards to accomodate their request via PM around that).

So now there are 3 of you. I can't do another recruitment on this game, I've done so many. If anyone has suggestions for people who'd like to join, post them away here...

I could ask the regular players on my Legacy of Fire game if they have any interest.

Given we're 1.) Dreamscarred Press psionics and 2.) open-ended homebrew, we might have a smaller audience than the usual crowd here on the Pazio boards.

I'm having a ball here! Learning Connor's limitations as well as the others is also great.

This is my only Pathfinder game. I mostly play comparatively rules-light (Powered by the Apocalypse) games. Not sure if anyone I play with would be interested, but I'll send out feelers. *proceeds to check aliases for Pathfinder templates like the antisocial lurk I am*

Hey, so ummm...Hi. Flann hit me up and asked if I was interested in joining. I know MDT and I have played a few games together, and if he's okay with it, I would be happy to put in a character. I'm still reading through the campaign information from the recruitment and campaign info tabs to get a feel for what type of character I would like to play, but I would be open to suggestions.

I'm down to 4 games now as all have died due to GM or player abandonment. 2 are with GM Rednal one is a 2 player the other is 3 player. I'm good adding or not. My problem with Volita was just what you said. Begged to be in the spotlight and soon as you included them they wouldn't post to keep things moving.

Hi Vrog,
Havent' seen you in a bit. I'm fine with it. Unfortunately, this is a HORRIBLE place to add a new character, and it's going to be awhile before they make it back to the ship to add in a new character.

Unless you'd like to play a non-psionic in a psionic campaign. In which case, I could swing something to add you in mid-dungeon...

I'm fine with either way.

In that case, I'll send you a PM.

5d10 ⇒ (4, 4, 6, 6, 9) = 29

I'm torn. On the one hand, we have a new PC. On the other hand, it's been reiterated time after time that 1.) this is an ultramax prison for things best left to epic-level PCs and NPCs, and 2.) we're on the clock here. Not that we know that we have to go out the way we went in - there might be a teleport at the end that gets us to the entrance room (and that room just screams "final battle").

Connor's Chaotic Good, not Lawful Good. He's had to lean quite LG to counter everybody else. The captain of the skyship. The keeper of deals with trades and benefits. But this isn't a bar tavern where you normally introduce new PCs over a beer.

So I was already having to wonder about the occupant of cell 198 for Volita's bargain. Cell 238 was going to be the tongue-twisting moment I've been anticipating for several days, if not weeks. But just stopping and opening one of the occupied prison cells on a whim? Game-wise, it makes sense. Player-wise, no way, no how.

I just need some motivation from the GM, is all I'm saying. You can have Tenfa be the carrot or the stick, mdt, but give Connor a reason why. Even a properly worded quip from Hero the psicrystal might change Connor's mind.

Not that we haven't had PCs with soul gems of destructive monsters inside them, characters making deals with godlings, or blown up a city block or three to escape high-level enemies.

Well, you have an opening with your voice in your head, I had assumed you'd get curious since she commented on the prisoner, she didn't comment on the others... :P

She's not likely to volunteer any additional information, but if asked, she'll probably answer, she's in a good mood right now...

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Y'know, the authors of Dreamscarred Press have never resolved what happens with psicrystals and their owners. As it stands, psicrystals are functionally immortal. They regenerate from their master's psyche after 24 hours when destroyed. If you take the Psicrystal Imprinter prestige class, the psicrystal eventually becomes like an astral seed, enabling the owner to resurrect himself or herself.

But when the owner dies, the psicrystal appears to live on, according to Dreamscarred Press. The authors did not say one way or another what happens to the psicrystal. Some GMs might decide the psicrystal just turns to dust at that point, but I would rather believe the psicrystal lives on forever. Much like the Timothy Zann Conquerors novels with the individual Zhirrzh "attaining Eldership" (think Jedi ghost) after they die, because their psyche is preserved in an organ removed and mummified during childhood. Thus psicrystals would become "beloved Elders" in an aristocratic mansion, or sidekick-mentors to an adventuring party.

Of course, without a living owner, I suspect the psicrystals do lose their 24-hour regeneration capability, and could be destroyed like a lich's phylactery.