Hmmm, I'm glad you linked to that video in addition to the article. After the article, I was like, "I'm not really sure what I am...socializer sounds the least inaccurate." But after watching the video, I definitely think I'm a killer because I LOVE to dominate my opponents. The difference being that generally I want to dominate the world/NPCs rather than other players. Unlike the common view of a killer, I have no interest in PvP or making things hard for other players. In fact, part of the fun is when you get to form a team with complementary roles to jointly dominate everything.
Sorry, once your body rejects a gem, the gem can no longer gain entry. A different gem can try, but the current gem is barred. So Lina and Kong can carry it around in their palm with no harm to them now.
In disappointing-discovery news: it turns out that Martial Focus doesn't qualify non-fighters for Advanced Weapon Training (the feat or ability). Looks like fighters just got a LOT better.
...and wow, that means the higher our will saves get, the harder it is to absorb unwilling gems. We'll need to find creative ways to reduce each others' will saves, I guess.
The will save also depends on the power level of the gem... Of course, the save to stay sane also depends on the level of the gem... it's almost like it was a double edged sword and dangerous... :)
TBH that's a pretty awesome plot troll happening right there.
Lina, as someone who tries to min-max real life, is going to search for ways to temporarily lower will saves. Which will surely only end well.
But this game certainly has a unique approach to leveling.
The interesting bits are: Until someone failed, we didn't know we -could- absorb them.
Neri hasn't tried to pick up an additional gem, so any observations he has are purely objective rather than subjective. He just doesn't know what it's like, so while I figure things out, there's no in-character engine for him understanding (especially with a low number of interactions to begin with.)
Kittiface: Did the wolves have any brands on them that we saw?
Not that you saw, but then again, with all that fur and teeth and blood, you didn't exactly have a good chance to notice.
Alrighty. :)
So, here's what we do know: The diety-level magic that our patrons have does warp beasts, transforming herbivores into carnivores and vice versa. (In our case, it's more of an accidental thing related to the shield spell around our home)
But what that tells us is that those may have once been ordinary wolves, or awakened wolves, or dire wolves, or whatever. That doesn't necessarily mean that Selvaria would be all 'oh, so cute and fluffy!' given that she's more into lizards, but it -is- possible that Celestine's magic could warp wildlife into killer monsters.
Brands do have baseline magical effects (such as Neri's heavy conjuration brands). We don't know what Brands do, except send souls to a particular afterlife... and in at least one case, allow a priest to turn an entire town into thralls.
With that in mind, there's a lot of stuff we don't know/understand about the brands. We can likely do a lot more with them than is inherently obvious. But also, we know from Mahb that a branded person can compel their 'demon'. I'm not sure on the extent of that, either.
If we do run into Anissa again, it might be smart to try to brand her... if we can survive the scuffle. If we can brand her, then bring her down, we can reasonably take her away from Celestine.
We know that the wolves worship Celestine, and were granted a portion of her power. That's not nothing, and I don't think it has anything to do with being branded.
Neri, if you want to try and brand the gem (or ask someone else to do it; Lina'd be willing)—that's hilariously in-character, and might hilariously backfire.
Lina and Kong are the only two who could... as they've already failed to absorb it.
Branding is the reverse of trying to take a gem in, it's trying to force your will onto an object. Neri accidentally did it when an entire village was dying and it was his fault, so he tried to overwrite a Celestine brand with his Arcane Mark and got Ptaleon's brand instead, which resulted in immediate abation of symptoms. Just bear in mind that it also hurt really, really badly. He actually wound up pushing himself into unconsciousness (and due to a mistake on my part... probably would have saved many more people had I not botched mythic surges).
It's something he'd have already taught anyone that wasn't there to see it. Because it saves innocent lives.
Hmm, I'm not sure if branding the gem is something Lina would actually think of. Kong might? (he is smarter...) Neri could definitely suggest we try it, though.
All I'm thinking is all these altered animals & magical beasts mean that we should take a long hard look at 'project dragon' once we get home Neri :P
Well, I mean...
We could always give Ptaleon to Seth. :P
Another random thought: the gems tries to invade us and inhabit our psyche. But shouldn't be be able to initiate the connection but force ourselves into control - basically trying to do what they tend to try and do to us? Hmm.
Well, I mean...
We could always give Ptaleon to Seth. :P
That is one way I suppose. But Seth is hardly big enough for us all to sit on and laugh like maniacs as he rains fire and destruction upon Cel's church ... :P
Ohh that reminds me:
@mdt/elemental damage - given that some gems are more connected to certain elements, but their spell lists aren't that accommodating, would it be possible for us to prepare tailored versions of elemental damage spells just like that ice arcanist and her frozen fireballs?
Specifically I'm thinking of future Flame Strikes and current Flame Blades in Liisas case (not that I'm sure what energy to substitute ...).
I'll be out at RP night. I also vote for waiting until we check out Liisa's treehouse before going onwards, and definitely before eating the gem. Once we've checked that out, we can decide. If there's a giant squirrel in the tree, we may well have a way back into heaven. :P
Having two gems in you can destroy your soul if you screw up. So far, nobody has. Your very soul tries to fight it off.
But yes, elemental spells can be done in various elements for those attached to elements (like Neri).. Iceball, acidball, etc.
As the owner of the trader gem, does this mean I can cast fireball and have it show up as a big ball o' C-notes? It would be like a large scale version of hitting people with my wallet! Or, I guess in this world it would actually be a giant ball of gold.
...actually, new plan! If I cast fireball, it's going to be a golden globe that does fire damage by splashing people with molten gold. Yusss, now I just need me some $ bling. And then I can hang out around Elinaria's wagon looking like a pimp.
:-P
I've decided to go with the Void domain as my chosen domain. I think the next domain will be healing, though suggestions will be welcome on domains and subdomains.
Alternately, Johnny... maybe it's better to just make it rain. Fireball that does piercing damage by exploding coins in all directions. :P
Or just crush them under a giant sack of coins : D
Ooh! And Lina's fireball does bludgeoning damage, because it's just her punching everyone in a 20' radius!
Side note: Dancing Lights is another ability of Guards and Wards ;)
I think the place will be pretty secure as long as Sel is 'awake' enough to defend it.
Exploding extradimensional contraband of dark/evil gods that attempt to enter Liisa's shrine is not another ability of Guards and Wards.
But we kinda should have figured that if 'extra-/non-dimensional' solved the problem, then the magic didn't do its job. :)
Nope... but it *is* an ability of "powerful magic barrier"
I'm thinking that might be it.
Another little worry that just crossed my mind was that Liisas little happy place was actually a pocket plane of some sort which could have ended really badly (rifts in space/time and all that :P)
Also, OOC since I will probably go to sleep in ~1h and it seems mean to keep this info from you while Liisa is actually standing there, it seems as if it is possible to move between this tree and Liisas home tree. So we might not be that far from home right now.
Which might justify a small detour to the cavern of gems and see if Sseth gets to play god as well (and how that will play out, given that he is actually a competent caster to start with!).
Hm. How does a bag of holding/portable hole interact with a Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion? Does it function as a portable hole, a bag of holding, or something else entirely?
My understanding is only the portable hole/bag of holding combo results in holes in reality.
However, neither works with other dimensional bits. So you can't use them while they are in them. A bag of holding in a private pocket dimension or magnificent mansion just doesn't work. Same with a portable hole.
Basically the combo is a holdover from 2nd edition (or 1st) and kept around for grins.
Spheres of Annihilation can also react violently with those mentioned, but they may not be relevant at the moment :P
Could you make a bag of holding inside a Sanctum/Mansion that explicitly did work inside, but not outside?
Also, OOC since I will probably go to sleep in ~1h and it seems mean to keep this info from you while Liisa is actually standing there, it seems as if it is possible to move between this tree and Liisas home tree. So we might not be that far from home right now.
!!
Shortcut/escape route? Yes please. Johnny digs it.
Well... That is extremely helpful.
On the topic of solo games (not that I'm stalking anyone... Just that there aren't many games recruiting, so I'm filling boredom with reading recruitments): I don't think I'd be good at dming or playing in a solo game. It also seems like an extreme waste.
I, as a player, am much more 'peanut butter' than 'bread'... in that I do well holding the pieces together and linking players and places and conversations... But I'm at my worst when it comes to driving things forward. Given how active I am, I try to leave the real action to other players... Which probably slows things, but I would probably hog more than half the action, otherwise.
I'm also incredibly indecisive. :)
As for wasteful... I'd much rather run a game for 4+, because that means that one person's effort can reach much further. My goal is to have as many players (not necessarily different players) as I have games, though I've been waffling on opening another.
Just a heads up. I am posting this in all my games, so you may see it more than once.
I am leaving for a cruise at 2am on March 5th. I'll be on the road all night and arriving at the ship midday. I won't have internet access til sometime the night of the 5th... For the next 2 weeks, I will have spotty internet (wifi at sea isn't the best), and I'll probably only be checking in at night once a day. Please if my character needs to take action between my own posts, GM feel free to bot me as necessary.
Ship returns to port on March 19th, and I will resume normal posting on the 20th.
Thanks, and sorry for any inconvenience my semi-absence may cause.
Yes, Neri is definitely not stalking me. :-P
But yeah, I also tend to be indecisive. Especially in sandbox-y type things, which is probably what a 1-on-1 game would look like. I could maybe DM one, but I'd be running off of something pre-made as I'm reluctant to put in all the effort of creating a world and a story, and trying to figure out how to balance things. I really have no idea how to judge if something is too easy vs too hard.
One of my other DMs said that the basic idea that they run with is to basically look at what the creature will do in 5 rounds. That's realistically all that you need unless the dice go poorly.
Depending on how well your players control creatures is how much you need to worry about things.
It also helps if your players have a reliable way of interacting with things.
It's not perfect, but if the creature will TPK a party in 5 turns, you should probably give them very clear warnings to flee... or not use that.
If said creature might kill one player if not properly handled in five turns, you're probably on target.
If said creature can't kill anyone in 5 turns of being ignored, it's probably a bad choice.
If the creature is going to kill someone in a round (like a Dread Corby against a level 1 party, or a Bulette against a level 5-6 party), well... you're a monster. :)
Just remember, that CR is not always a good way to look at things, as well. There are a lot of adjustable dials to look at with Saving throws and effects that can artificially inflate or deflate the CR of an encounter.
For example, Hezrou (the things that just absolutely eated my Ranger and her allies) are CR11. On paper they look like a hard fight... buuuut, Hezrou are actually ridiculously strong for a CR11. And worse, they have access to Summon and Blasphemy. The former can make things extremely difficult, and the latter will simply kill characters that are not of appropriate level. Really high saves coupled with paralysis even on save is just 'no' for a level 8-9 party. Add in a successful summon and there's coups and grapples and grabs aplenty. :)
Heh. And I'm pretty sure my old ranger could've killed a hezrou in one round at level 9. But he was Archery-focused, with evil outsiders as a favored enemy. But yeah, Blasphemy is nasty.
Although actually, give us three or four more levels and Lina could probably go toe-to-toe with a Hezrou.
:P our party was level 6, and there were two. There was a... subtle miscommunication. 'These might be too strong for you' combined with 'you need into that building'. Two became three, three blasphemies basically staggered lead to ripping and tearing. Two survived with the help of GM fiat, and the final made it out because Hezrou are lazy and don't fit down small alleys.
Heroes of the Streets added some new Domains and Subdomains, which is particularly interesting for this campaign. Maybe some fit better than initial domains! :) (Like... we kind of have a gem called the Teacher and another called the Builder, and you suggested Rogue was a spy hideout... :))
Artifice: Industry
Chaos: Riot
Community: Education
Death: Plague
Evil: Plague
Knowledge: Education, Espionage
Law: Legislation
Protection: Fortifications
Rune: Legislation
Strength: Competition
Trickery: Espionage
War: Duels
The 5 round rule sounds interesting and like a good benchmark.
Also, I'm pretty sure Lina's ranger character and mine only survived some of the early level battles because the DM did not use any tactics and rarely used any special abilities. I forget what level we were, but he once threw, like, 20 harpies at us. Luckily, our cleric had prepared silence (although I'm not convinced he would have had them do anything more than just attempt to melee attack us. :/ )
Random question: In PBPs, what are people's feelings on one-shot type adventures vs longer campaigns? I almost feel like the tendency should be for a longer campaign because people put the effort in to make characters. But on the other hand, I think a shorter game is more likely to finish and afterwards you can start something else, thus giving more total people the opportunity to play.
That's true. Very few of those enemies acted with Int/Wis above 8. At later levels, though, you were constantly invisible and I was a tactical nuke with a 1000 feet of range.
I prefer longer, but that has a lot less to do with the way PbP works. I've been playing from level 1 or 2 for most of my adventuring career (as a player). It just feels right to grow my character from start to... whenever it finishes. Shorter adventures simply don't offer as much growth, and any sort of growth I would like to see in the character would have to be inorganically fast... which would ruin my personal enjoyment.
That being said, something you can finish in two years also seems like a not-bad idea, when all is said and done. :)
Hmm. My current campaign has so far gone from level 7-12 in around two years. My next one will probably go 5-20 in 1-2 years; but that will be a game with intentionally low out-of-combat RP (my Journey to the West game, if I ever get around to it).
Heh, my tabletop games are mostly killfests. The opportunity to roleplay is rather limited by the fact that most of the players aren't good at roleplaying in face to face... Myself included. I think I do a fairly good job, but I'm probably (definitely) over the top. You should hear my gnome voice. :3
Soon, one of my games on here will be a year old, and soon those characters will reach level 7. Things have slowed a lot as life is happening with at least two of the players.
That's also the game I just 'lost' my ranger in. She'll be back in a bit, though. #dedd.
@Solo games, CR, game modes - All very interesting stuff. I'll chime in later I think : )
But for now - I like to chat a bit about
1) Have a nice cruise - it sounds really nice : )
2) And what I really wanted to bring up a bit is how to potentially gemify Sseth and if you want that.
I mean so far it has been the way to gain Mythic Ranks and so - and standing beside while others play with more toys can be annoying. On the other hand, does Sseth want to carry around a human god for a mostly human struggle (so far!)?
Have you perhaps already talked with mdt about this?
Or should we try to brainstorm alternative routes to power and so, if you feel like going that way?
Basically what I'm going for is trying to figure out your stance on Sseth on the topics of gems and mythic : )
Or if its even possible for Seth to get a gem (hence asking Kinsalia). We were told that the souls of the people here weren't quite sturdy enough for the most part... But there are avatars on the other side, so clearly there are -some- souls that are, or there is an artificial way to alter that... Hopefully not requiring mythic leadership :p
Indeed that is also a concern : )
____________________________________
Now - the other stuff!
@Solo games - Honestly it feels a bit strange to me. I mean it is probably a good way to explore solitary stories, but half the fun is bouncing off other people.
On the bright side for pbp you are only waiting for 1 person but on the flip side if that person happens to be sick or busy everything stalls down. I mean now that mdt have been a bit under the weather we have chatted and bickered a bit IC to keep ourselves engaged. But if say I and mdt had been in a solo game, I wouldn't be able to do that.
@One-shot vs Continuous - Hmm. This is an interesting one. When I started out I really preferred continuous stories and so. But as I played more and more and encountered the attrition in pbp games as well as the moderate, at best, pace the allure of playing something with a defined end started to gain some appeal.
I found one thread that had a really nice idea on the topic. The concept being that everyone is allowed to GM and play (following some guidelines) but each 'adventure' is just a single encounter. Sorta mini-mini pfs. I'm running a psychic just to try em out and it is really nice to just have somewhere to tinker and play a bit without having to think. But a fair warning, the main thread have been running sorta slow lately.
But another really interesting idea I have come across is taking a more episodic approach. A steady cast of characters engaging in a series of shorter arcs instead of one giant quest. Granted, not every campaign is fitted for this, but it makes it easier to keep track of everything when you only have to think 6 months back tops instead of several years .P
The campaigns I'm playing in that mode are sorta 'Nexian cops', 'cult/police/conscript task force' as well as a shadowrun campaign which all fit to that mould quite well. Granted they all have some overarching metaplots (more or less : ) ) but usually you can focus on the task at hand.
But I must admit, it is very hard to beat sinking your teeth into some delicious long-term quest and actually seeing it trough!
re: Sologames: I'm just not good enough as a solo player or a DM to keep everything going for one person, I don't think. I could be entirely wrong, but it just doesn't seem like an ideal medium for me. I do like the occasional one-on-one, but I really need to see how my actions play out amongst the other players... And play off of their actions.
One of my favorite characters in a long time was in a completely homebrewed steampunk game. We had private rps in that community, overarching events (I DM'd some things) and a setting DM. Much of it wound up as community powered. The reason I bring it up, is that the character played well as a sneak, and often ran off ahead to make the pathway easier for everyone else. It... Was problematic, because the main DM favored stealthy characters, and my character was often able to do 3/4 of a quest on her own while the others played catch up. I enjoyed it greatly, but in retrospect, probably not as fun for them. But I still like characters that slip away to do their thing. I just don't want to be able to do everything... Alone.
I greatly prefer having a very active group of players than even thinking of a solo game. The only thing that kills me is super slow players. Well, that and horrendous DMs that aren't even trying. :p
Re: Continuous v Episodic: I actually really like both. As an altoholic, I like being able to switch from character to character. The real benefit to episodic being that you can have off screen player growth that makes sense, especially of the kind that wouldn't make sense in an always-running campaign. That being said... I really dislike pathfinder society, due to how it handles its loot. It just feels ridiculously soulless, and I couldn't connect with my character at all over the thirty-six-or-so 'episodes'... Especially since they basically didn't feel tied together at all.
My ideal 'episodic' would be something like x-men, where specific teams are plucked out and sent to deal with something. My longest lasting RP was a military setting like that. The PCs were basically the 'Navy Seals'.
What I really don't like is the idea of level 5-8 campaigns. Things that just wind up as minor chunks in a character's life, as opposed to the main story thereof. Creating someone with five levels of experience is a lot of story in my head. Then p!aying them for ten sessions and them being 'done' just doesn't sit well.
I would definitely like to be in a game with multiple DMs again, with specific players being in charge of specific things... But it requires a lot of work to maintain cohesion... Or something that let's you bring someone's power down for a short time (or maybe that character's legendary sword is only legendary on specific missions where you're dealing with specific stuff, w/e.)
Honestly, continuous has worked best so far for me, though a continuous-episodic hybrid could be excellent. Something I'd specifically like to DM at some point is two games in the same scenario, with the same players, with different characters on the same team. So while the action slumps because you're waiting on this player to open the door, the other game is still pressing through combat on the other side of the city.
I'm currently thinking very strongly of doing that on my Hell's Rebels campaign. Splitting the party for part two may well make it run more smoothly.
My favorite/ideal games to run IRL are 6-hour, 50-man historical fiction LARPS. Unfortunately, there's no community for that out in Santa Barbara.
Also, Ssetheen: We don't know 100% the alignments or classes of most of the gems, but we do have some idea... (see: Lina's profile, "rap sheets"—these are actual physical notes she, Johnny and Neri have been taking on paper somewhere back at home base).
Sseth's constitution is high enough that there is no obvious "bad class" choice, though anything front-liner, we'll want to be sticking you in the heaviest armor we can (and weapon-users in general may not be ideal).
Musician (good-aligned bard?), Healer (? oracle, though we're not sure which gem this is?) Heaven's Voice (chaotic cleric?), Tinkerer (? alchemist?), and Caller (? summoner?) might be the most interesting to Ssetheen's general interest in healing, exploration, and magic. We can also make you magic items.