Absalom Abberations - A Pathfinder Society Tale

Game Master Brian Minhinnick

*pokes everyone*

I finally get an RP post in and I killed the thread! WAAAAHHHHH!

I'm quite busy the next couple days, so don't expect anything from me.

I'm around; waiting on the orcs and our gnome. I'm actually very eager to post, but I'm holding back until Grom, Nyug and Hrim chime in with their new mutations.

finally back from out of the country. Will level Hrim and figure out what I'm doing soon.

Hrim is leveled. Nothing fancy. Finally got Precise Shot. Learned Protection from Evil and Create Water.

I dropped Improved Natural Armor for Swim and picked up Gills. Not to turn him into a virtual fish, more to represent his progressing etherealness. He now operates in water like air. Gills represent that he has stopped breathing air per se. With Swim, he's treating underwater like normal. Unfortunately, he doesn't really know this has happened to him and will find out only if he ever hits the water, so he doesn't realize the issue that his equipment is still affected by the water.

He will eventually get Flight by the same reasoning.

I need more time for an inspired RP post. Besides using Stone Shape to customize his weirdo basement accommodations, he'll probably just use the Downtime rules for more hit points.

cheers

Besides using Stone Shape to customize his weirdo basement accommodations, he'll probably just use the Downtime rules for more hit points.

Lol, I love that the basement is going to end up looking like some Darklands cave. What rules are those? I'm not familiar, but just from your description I'm skeptical that I'll be allowing them.

I think he means:

Sometimes the dice aren't in your favor when you gain a level and the hit points you roll are especially low. Unlike retraining other character abilities, retraining hit points doesn't involve replacing an existing ability with a new one, it just increases your maximum hit points.

Retraining hit points takes 3 days and requires you to spend time at a martial academy, monk monastery, or with some kind of master of combat who is at least one level higher than you. At the end of the training period, increase your hit points by 1. You can retrain hit points only if your maximum hit point total is less than the maximum possible hit point total for your character.

Example: If you are a fighter 5 with Constitution 14 and you haven't allocated any of your favored class bonus to hit points, your maximum possible hit point total is 60: (d10 HD + 2 from Constitution) × 5 levels. If your maximum hit point total is already 60, you can't retrain hit points because you are already at the limit. If you took the Toughness feat, you would gain 5 hit points and your maximum possible hit point total would also increase by 5, which means your ability to retrain hit points would be the same as without the feat.

...which sounds good but not incredible. At 3rd level, 90 GP (and a day of training) gets you +1 HP. Is that better than buying charges of a Wand of Infernal Healing? Let's say Hrim-1 spends 10 days + 900 GP to gain 10 HP. Let's say Hrim-2 spends 900 GP (and no days) to buy 1 & 1/5 wands of Infernal Healing (60 charges). Which one is better off?

* Hrim-1 does better against one single brutal encounter (that would otherwise take him from full to zero HP).
* Hrim-2 comes out ahead when he has many small/medium encounters in a day with a chance to heal between them...at least until he's healed 600 HP, which will likely take a while.

Changing topics:
I took a look for the post(s) that describe accommodation options and see that the four of y'all pay 11 GP/month for accommodations + servants in the manor. Is there room for Nyug to move in? I'm fine with having him already have his own apartment (handwaved to 10/mo) or chipping in with y'all.

Anything else I should know about our noncombat time?

I started looking at downtime rules to see what he'd like to do after his 3 days of retraining. He'll probably make some potions or other alchemical iteam -- and will happily take orders for either.

Speaking of which I need to figure out what all he's buying too.

The building is described on the campaign info tab. There are five bedrooms, and Hrimnagel lives in the basement. So Nyug, Gromm, Argor, Cladissa and Ms. LeGrand are in the bedrooms.

You giving Argor 11 gp/month should cover it. Or just give him a six month chunk as I believe the others did. He'd buying the house out from under you all, and none of you have noticed yet. So he's essentially going to be your landlord after a couple more scenarios :P

The 11 GP isn't actually for rent though, it's just for food and domestic services.

Yes. That retraining option. Jelani, are you allowing it?

The payoff rate is better due to his self-healing.

Yes. That retraining option. Jelani, are you allowing it?

The payoff rate is better due to his self-healing.

I suppose that's fine. Doesn't seem too overpowered, and it's sucking up character wealth.

The math was as follows:

Servants: 24 g/month
Food: 20 g/month
Total: 44 g/month

Divided by 4 was 11 g/month
Divided by 5 will become 8.88 repeating g/month...or for simplicity 9g/month.

Although, we had already covered 5 months in advance. Haven't looked to see exactly how much of that has passed, however.

Switching my alias to show the change (otherwise all the old pics would change). I think it's a bit more dramatic this way.

Hrim paid 55 gp... so 6 months?

Well, by the time this downtime ends, we will have went through 8 weeks of downtime. So 2 months have passed. If Nyugusk moved in after module 2, he would have owed 4 months on service/food. Or, 36 gp total. However, conveniently there are also 4 people he would have owed money back to in order to balance the accounts all around, so if he have each of us 9 gp, all accounts would be even for the remaining time, and after three more months, we would each owe 9 gp/month moving on from that point.

That sound right to everybody, or did I overlook anything?

sounds good to me. (I didn't actually redo your math, but it seems to be on a level where small errors won't matter.)

All, consider yourself 9 GP richer and Nyug 36 GP poorer (but better fed).

sounds good to me. (I didn't actually redo your math, but it seems to be on a level where small errors won't matter.)

All, consider yourself 9 GP richer and Nyug 36 GP poorer (but better fed).

+1

Copied from earlier:

Day 7: Look into locating and pricing an appropriate property/land suitable to serve as (or if a plot of land, suitable to build) my school and provider of minor magical odds and ends. The main building would be two stories, with a basement, consisting of a variety of libraries, offices, and other odds and ends (I have a full list at home, but am traveling this week). The second building on the grounds would serve as the dormitories for students. Would prefer to be located in a nice part of town. Take 10 Diplomacy to Gather Information = 20, On Knowledge (Local) = 20.

As an aside, for anyone not familiar, this is a description of the ancient medical theory of the four humors, attributed to Hippocrates and practiced through Greek and Roman times -- and up until the 1800s in Europe.

Copied from earlier:

Day 7: Look into locating and pricing an appropriate property/land suitable to serve as (or if a plot of land, suitable to build) my school and provider of minor magical odds and ends. The main building would be two stories, with a basement, consisting of a variety of libraries, offices, and other odds and ends (I have a full list at home, but am traveling this week). The second building on the grounds would serve as the dormitories for students. Would prefer to be located in a nice part of town. Take 10 Diplomacy to Gather Information = 20, On Knowledge (Local) = 20.

Absalom is big enough to have anything you'd want, but expensive enough that prices (for real estate) are 10% higher than listed in the downtime rules. Just calculate out what the price would be, and it'll be there.

Ok, and as far as potentially financing said purchase, any flat out rules you could provide for the best financial arrangements I could make to apply to this and future purchases?

Uhh, let me pull something from my rear. You could get a loan with a 30% down payment and a 15% interest rate on a six month repayment schedule. Other than that, you gotta have cash in hand.

So a payment every 6 months? Or paid in full after 6 months?

Six equal payments over six months. Payment in full.

Ok. I'll do some figuring and get back to ya.

So, the property I'm looking at costs 6,226 (after the 10% bump).

So, down payment would be 1,878 gold and 8 silver.

Amount financed is 4,358 gold and 2 silver.

After adding 15% interest is 5,011 gold, 9 silver, 3 copper.

Making my 6 monthly payments 835 gold, 3 silver, 3 copper.

That sound okay?

The building itself would generate 267 gold a month (total of +79 to income check, Take 10 for result of 89, divided by 10 is 8.9 gold per day).

So, Argor would have to add 568 gold per month to pay it off in full in 6 months...

Everything look like it adds up right?

Sounds fine to me.

Ok. When I eventually make the purchase, I'll let you know the full details and I'll keep tabs on the payments in my profile.

One thing I'd like to ask you Jelani is for some ideas about either retraining or eliminating my drawback. I took Doubt because it fit great with the character, but it can be pretty debilitating. I think back to my failed swim check and can't help but think how deadly that could have been.

Even if it means dropping one of my other traits, I'd like at some point get rid of it. Especially as Cladissa grows and becomes more confident. Or at least lessen the effects -- maybe progressively drop the penalties.

Think about it and let me know.

Nyug's purchases & crafting are done. He'll craft 4x potions of CLW and enlarge person, some alchemical fire and acid, and then spend any remaining time earning a bit of extra cash (which I don't have the time to calculate now, and I'll let slide if I don't get to it.)

His total gear is listed here, which I link to from his profile as well.

At this point I'm all set and ready to go.

Oh, one question actually, would a potion of Evolution Surge work on us?

Nyug, can you craft potions for others? Would you offer?

Absolutely! At cost, for any spell in my list.

Cool. Grocery list :
(3) Cure Light Wounds,
(1) Deathwatch,
(1) Expeditious Retreat,
(1) Comprehend Languages

(6) x1st x3rd x50 gp /2 = 450 gp, right?

Assuming you want them as caster level 3. The ones I made for myself I did at caster level 1, which costs a third of that.

EDIT: If there are other formula on the 1st level list you'd suggest Nyugusk learn let me know that too. I'll assume there's someone in the lodge he could pay to learn them.

EDIT 2: Just remembered (and double checked) one can't make potions of spells with a range of personal so expeditious retreat and comprehend languages are out.

One thing I'd like to ask you Jelani is for some ideas about either retraining or eliminating my drawback. I took Doubt because it fit great with the character, but it can be pretty debilitating. I think back to my failed swim check and can't help but think how deadly that could have been.

Even if it means dropping one of my other traits, I'd like at some point get rid of it. Especially as Cladissa grows and becomes more confident. Or at least lessen the effects -- maybe progressively drop the penalties.

Think about it and let me know.

You can get rid of it, but you'd have to get rid of a trait as well.

Oh, one question actually, would a potion of Evolution Surge work on us?

No.

Will be working on the update shortly. Feel free to keep RPing around Jabberwocky Ln., just put it in spoilers. It will have happened before Black Waters.

Working on leveling up now.

Hit Points: +10 (6 [1d10] + 2 [Con] + 1 [Favored Class])
BAB: +1
Saves: +1 Will
Feats: Improved Grapple
Skills: 3 (4 - 1 [Int])

Good idea :P

If you couldn't tell, Grommuk's about to turn into a grappling nightmare.

Going to look over some magic items now and see if there's anything I'd really like. Longterm goal is to pick up some Monk's Robes, ditch the Slam evolution (probably around level 8 or so) and start putting Brawler through its paces. That is also when Grommuk's going to start getting big. Speaking of which, Hrim may want to work on making the basement accommodations big enough for a titan. There's a very real possibility of Grommuk being permanently Gargantuan at high levels.

Went ahead and bumped up the chain shirt to +1. More precisely, sold his chain shirt (50 gp) then bought a new one (1250 gp).

Yep, all done.

Does that mean you're done?

If you're permanently larger than large you are going to almost always be squeezing, and not able to fit into most of the places the Scenarios take place in. AKA you'll be writing yourself out of most of the action.

Looking at your grapple, I'm getting 3 BAB + 5 str + 1 trait + 4 grab + 2 improved grapple = +15. Where's the extra 1 coming from?

Armbands of the brawler.

Looks like I cheated myself out of a point too, I completely forgot about my Trait bonus.

BAB: +3
STR: +5
Maneuver Training: +1
Improved Grapple: +2
Bred for War (Trait): +1
Grab Evolution: +4
Armbands of the Brawler: +1

Grom, you mention

Hit Points: +10 (6 [1d10] + 2 [Con] + 1 [Favored Class])

which doesn't add up. Is there a typo on that line somewhere?

Yikes! Thursday snuck up on me.

Real quick rundown on my purchases: Pearl of power and two scrolls of mage armor. I might pick up some potions from Nyug if he's got the time.

Final grocery list :
(1000 gp) +1 Small Masterwork Lamellar Leather Armor from Small Masterwork Lamellar Leather Armor
(150 gp) Cure Light Wounds at 3rd level, (2)

That's just my patented "math when on the verge of passing out" I've become famous for. I've only got a 12 Con, on top of that, woowoo!

8 Hit points on leveling up, not 10.

Of similar note, 20 * 1.3 is 26, not 20.6 (haha).

Hey what do y'all think of Deathwatch? I got it as a bonus spell and honestly was ignoring it until Hrim considered getting a potion of it.

We know we're heading to a necropolis and so likely to encounter undead if we encounter any trouble at all. Does that make deathwatch worth preparing as one of my four extracts? My inclination is to do as follows:

* Expeditious Retreat
* Comprehend Languages (could be handy with old books in the necropolis)
* Enlarge Person
* [unused]

...knowing that I now have potions made of Enlarge Person and CLW (and that Argor carries a wand of Infernal Healing as well).

I could certainly prep Deathwatch if folks think it'll be handy, and am open to other suggestions in general. Whaddaya say?

EDIT:
Jelani, beastmorph now lets me take one Alter Self quality (e.g. scent or swim speed). Do you want me tell you which I choose when I brew it, or when I take it? I'd say for now the default will be strength + swim speed.

That's a good point, fighting undead. While we're shopping for clothes, I could pick up a scroll of chill touch and make the brew for Cole to learn it. I won't be able to memorize it until the next day, but it seems like we have the time.

What do you think? Doable? Will I have the time?

You decide each time you brew it I suppose. Since it only takes a half hour to brew and isn't limited to once a day, it shouldn't be too hard to switch if you need to.

Cladissa, I'm sure you do. We'll be preparing new spells/extracts in the AM.