(3) Legend of the Elder Souls (Inactive)

Game Master mdt

Condolences.

So now that the danger is maybe over, I just want to say good job on that scene mdt! I at least definitely felt the tension and drama. The ups and downs were pretty awesome too, with the whole, "Ok...I think things are going well....OH CRAP IT JUST GOT WORSE."

I forgot to mention it, but after they responded poorly to Lina mentioning all the demon names, Johnny was definitely considering high tailing it out of there and leaving everybody/most everybody to their fate. :-P

I thought about having Neri just Parry Lina's trip attempt, but figured wasting resources wasn't really worthwhile. :p

The tension was definitely there, primarily because I knew (or believed) we had enough in common with these guys that the danger was really in misunderstanding one another.

Well. That and in being buried up to our necks and having our gems thrown into lava.

The danger was in them deciding it was more convenient to kill us...

I think we're waiting on Liisa? Neri wants to show off his map-book (possibly worth more for the adamantine involved) to the researcher, Johnny was wondering if the Priest could recommend any surface villages with safehouses or good criminal/apostate hiding places, and Lina is trying very ham-handedly to get a list of extra-cruel priests this guy would like to see dead.

Also, I'll bring this up in character once we've finished this scene, but if Lina can track Johnny through the dead girl's clothes... yep, so can the bad guys. Which means they might be hunting us as we speak, stymied only by the confusing tunnels down here (though the old man could potentially tell us which path the hunters who attacked him came from)... and we'll probably want protection/detection against scrying as soon as we're powerful or wealthy enough to use it.

Partly, I'm also buried at work.

Fair enough! Me too, actually, which has been nice with several of my GMs on vacation this week.

Liisa actually have a question hanging to the priest, so I think it is just our poor overworked GM we are 'waiting on' : )

(Not that it matters much to me either, had a somewhat hectic week too :P)

So: ACG errata 2 just came out, and a lot of things changed. Here's a short list of what's relevant to builds at this table, if our GM wants to move in the direction of newer feat descriptions (although I'd suggest, in that case, a point in the campaign where we're at a retraining point a when things change):

-Flamboyant Arcana still works the same, but Arcane Deed no longer works with Precise Strike.

-Slashing Grace now only works with light weapons.

-Pummeling Style is no longer broken. Effectively, Pummeling Style is Clustered Shots for any unarmed attacks, and Pummeling Charge is unarmed-only Pounce. It's still not *bad*, but it means I've got less incentive to go for Hamatalasu strike at level 6 (since keen enchantment will no longer give a crazy crit range).

-Divine Protection stopped being a thing (mostly; it's now 1/day). There's a new feat called Steadfast Personality that uses Cha instead of Wisdom for Will saves (and anyone can take it), and another one (Stoic, from a splatbook not on the PRD) which uses Cha instead of Con for Fort saves.

-Flamboyant Arcana still works the same, but Arcane Deed no longer works with Precise Strike.

-Slashing Grace now only works with light weapons.

Actually, Slashing Grace now -actually- works for light weapons, in addition to one-handed.

I'll try to find something for Neri.

I mean, Estoc seems like a pretty decent choice and all on that end. It's broadsword-sized, but slimmed down from your deity's ideal weapon.

I meant to replace Precise Strike having a bonus of 0 :p

We spotted that Kensai is pretty dumb RAW on the AC side of things, and Daring Champion RAW doesn't benefit from Precise Strike either. :P

@Slashing grace - And it doesn't work if you have anything in your off-hand (except your main weapon [aka 2handed swing] I think)!

@Divine Protection - Was sorta too good to be true anyhow, but now it is just not very useful at all instead .P (Maaaaybe with mythic recuperation?)

@Steadfast Personality - This was already a feat, they just changed what it did. (used to be +Cha on a limited amounts of Will saves)

@Hamatalasu - It is still fun with Impaling Critical ... :P

Otherwise, Weapon Versatility could be fun instead : ) (With a bit of BaB, change damage type of weapon as a free action!)

I'm thinking we almost have to resolve this 'they can track him' situation somehow before we can do anything really cool. Any ideas : )?

(Or .... Much more dangerously, we could use Johnny as a decoy somehow ...)

Throw him into some lava?

I'm thinking we put him on a high altitude balloon. That ought to make them scratch their heads :P

*Watches Johnny float infinitely upwards.*

"Sorry Johnny. You've got Celistitis. And there's no cure for Celistitis."

It is something that we need to solve. We may want to retreat behind the wall and ask how to absorb a gem faster.

On the other hand, those that would hunt us are precisely the kind of people Lina wants dead. :P

Hamatalasu Strike is still sort of neat, but it previously gave me two cool things (swordmaster's flourish for +5 reach, mythic greater magic fang for x2 crit rate), and now the improved crit range becomes much less of a big deal, such that it doesn't make as much sense as a level 6 bonus feat.

Supreme Tracker is a scrying effect, which means that nondetection (level 3, only requires an opposed caster level check) or detect scrying (level 4, lets you sometimes spy on the scryer) would stop it. Unfortunately, we need to kill some dudes to get those spells.

Lining your surroundings completely with lead would also do the trick, but is impractical.

If anyone here is able to cast 4th level cleric/wizard spells, having them cast detect scrying and stay within 40'of Johnny for 24 hours would give us a pretty good idea of whether he's being tracked.

My kensai had something like 47 AC before buffing himself. It was awesome. Add Mirror Image to that for an even smaller chance of getting hit. :-D

Also, part of me really wants to split up so we don't flake on the story teller, but I think that'd be a very bad idea. Although maybe less bad if I randomly wander about the town without leaving it and run like hell if anything goes down?

Also, a giant balloon is less useful when you realize people can fly with magic.

But a giant balloon filled with helium and caltrops, with a mage that has the spark cantrip... now that's an option. :3

Don't see splitting up as very helpful here, though we could all go see the story teller. Assuming church goons attack, the inn should be a pretty safe place.

Sorry, work, then internet failure this week, new modem on order, later this week. Using emergency hot spot to connect enough to do e-mail post apology.

No worries! Most of my GMs have been away at Gencon, and with the amount of work I've had it's probably helpful that the past week has been so quiet.

Given how crazy I go without internet for ten minutes, I think I can let this one slide. :)

The people-songs seem like quite a good idea. Ideally, she might even continue with songs about other people we haven't met yet - that could be useful!

Ooh! Or we could teach her songs.

Lina can probably do one called "Punch rocks until they break." I think those are all the words, though.

Okay, I found a solution to the "reviving enemy" situation:

[spoiler=Moonstone Cat (Epic Wondrous Item]
Price 12,000 gp; Slot none; CL 7th; Weight 1 lb.; Aura moderate enchantment

DESCRIPTION

This fist-sized statue of a curled-up cat is crafted from gleaming moonstone. When the statue is placed upon the chest of a helpless creature, it briefly animates and stretches like a real cat waking up from a fitful sleep, then curls up again. When this happens, the helpless creature is lulled into a deep sleep, and doesn't awaken until the cat is removed from its chest.

If the creature placing the cat expends three uses of mythic power while doing so, the helpless creature can't be awoken for a week, even if the cat is removed. If the user instead expends six uses of mythic power, the helpless creature can't be awoken for a month. If the user expends 10 uses, the helpless creature can't be awoken for a year. If the user expends 20 uses, the helpless creature can't be awoken for an entire century.

While in this sleep, the helpless creature's heart rate and breathing slow to a barely perceptible rate. It doesn't need to eat or drink, though it must still breathe and it ages normally while in this magical sleep. A wish, miracle, or mythic break enchantment can end this magical sleep.
[/url]

Last time I checked, gods have access to Miracles. :)

Good point.

Maybe we're looking at it the wrong way

Seems like telling the one you're madly in love with all about your god would be reasonable, even if the god breaks it we might be able to get a few answers out of her

Not it.

Hmm, so... a creature with DR can overcome any similar DR with its natural attacks. Would getting DR let a monk do the same thing with unarmed strikes? I'm honestly not sure.

I don't think that's how it works at all. Do you have a textblock that you're getting that from?

I know alignment subtypes allow you to treat your attacks and weapons as that alignment for DR, but I've never heard that a werewolf's claws count as silver for DR purposes, as an example. I only vaguely remember DR/Magic having that written in.

"Some monsters are vulnerable to magic weapons. Any weapon with at least a +1 magical enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls overcomes the damage reduction of these monsters. Such creatures' natural weapons (but not their attacks with weapons) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction."

"A few very powerful monsters are vulnerable only to epic weapons—that is, magic weapons with at least a +6 enhancement bonus. Such creatures' natural weapons are also treated as epic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction."

I think there's one somewhere for adamantine as well, though I'm not sure about silver/cold iron (and alignment DRs don't work like that). If I were to obtain permanent DR/epic, any natural attacks I head would theoretically punch through DR/epic, though I'm not sure about unarmed attacks or temporarily-acquired DR.

I wouldn't rule it that way. Otherwise, everything that gets epic DR is vulnerable ot everything with epic DR.

It fits with creatures that are naturally born that way... less so with people who just happen to shrug off a hit and become walls of power in the short term (or even those wearing floofy capes of DR) or what have you.

Boing!

I'm flying to Los Angeles tomorrow. And since my living arrangements are not 100% just yet I'm not sure when I can access reliable internet again.

Hopefully/probably soon, but don't wait up for me !
___________________

On another note, I might look into retraining my Divine Protection feat due to the latest errata : )

Boeing*

:p

Have a safe trip, and we'll see you soon.

Heh. Should have went with that instead ... :P

And thank you : )

For vacation, or are you moving here?

I'm going to study a term, so sortof inbetween those two options ^^

Ooh, which university?

CSU Long Beach

Hmm. Ah well, that's not one of the CSUs I know much about.

Also, just a note to all my active games: I'm in the process of preparing for my candidacy exam for the next few weeks, and I've decided to make a commitment to check my PbPs at most 1/day. I'll probably still be somewhat active, just, not as manic about it as usual.

Quick, everyone, throw a party while he's gone!

So... move to the next day's song, then?

Unless we think it's too dangerous to hang around that long, works for me.

Sorry, been slammed at work. :( Will try to get posts up today

No worries! You're not the only one of us who has been...

(I just try to make a regular habit of nudging games I'm in once a week in an attempt to be a proactive player, just as a general reminder to busy players or GMs of "don't worry, we're still here on these forums for whenever you have the time, energy and interest in writing your next post"—though I'll certainly stop if asked)

Take your time. Ill be here.

Still here as well, ready to keep going whenever you're free.