Reincarnate however is not really raising the dead, the body state dies not matter at all (having nought but a skeleton would be fine), and the time limit is explicitly a flat one week regardless of CL.
Ah my mistake then. So I suppose past 1 week we shall need Raise Dead then. That's unfortunate.
Welcome back to the party.
@Lareg: As for posting pattern I think I've noticed yours as well. It seems like morning, noon, evening slow down a bit on weekends. My job has a lot free downtime and is very reactive. The only difficulty for me is that Pre-3pm CST I don't typically have ready access to a computer so I will often to ask someone to move my token for me on maps.
I have been posting a lot, but I suspect that's just the novelty of playing in a new game for me as opposed to the rest of you who have been at this for a few years. So I would wager I will end up slowing down a bit once the shine wears off for me, but I shall try to maintain 2/per day and let it be known if I can't do 1/day an need to be bott'd.
I guess the only real question I have is it kosher if I take some creative liberties on the flavor of some of my spells? For example I have summon swarm prepared today and would likely be using bats, but I would prefer to fluff them as crows. Stuff like that so if fits a nicer theme. Stone shield which usually creates a stone wall between you and an opponent for one round being reskinned as a stone wing, ect. Just the extraneous details.
Other than that I have been enjoying myself and your DMing style. I appreciate you putting up with my attack routine. I hope my formatting makes it easier to parse out when I'm throwing out 4 attacks, 4+ sources of damage, and multiple saves. If you have any suggestions on how you would prefer things formatted post wise or displayed character sheet wise let me know.
Providing alternative flavor for spells is totally fine. We can use the same stats, but describe what is going on in the different flavor.
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The young Elf (at least young by Elven standards), ties his raft off by the trading post's docks...as Elves are frowned on this close to Razmir’s borders, he pulls his hood up over his head before disembarking...
He heads up to the post, bow slung over his shoulder, and enters. He sees a bear of a man behind the bar, definitely in his middle years, and a couple of thuggish dudes bargaining with him. Also behind the bar, but over to the side, he notices a girl...but on second glance more likely a young lady...with a shiner over her right eye and a bruised cheek below it...
"How much for the girl?" one of the thugs asks the proprietor.
"My wife's not for sale, deadbeats. Your meal totals two silvers...you can sit at yonder table and my wife will bring your fare."
He turns to the Elf, "What do you want, mister?"
The Elf bows. "Mayhap, I heard you had arrows of cold iron here...be that so? If so, I'd like a bundle..."
The trader grins a smile with many missing teeth. "You're in luck, mister...I have one bundle of 20 left...and it'll cost you four gold..."
The Elf arched an eyebrow at the inflated price, murmuring, "Supply and demand, indeed," while rummaging in his pouch for the coin. ”I’ll give you three.”
The trader scowls, but nods. ”Done.”
In the meantime, the trader's wife, with a loaf of bread along with two mugs of ale on a tray, began to move from behind the bar to the thugs' table. Her foot got caught on an uneven board in the floor causing her to stumble and spill some of the drink.
The trader's eyes grew angry as he grabbed the tray from her and set it down. He snatched the girl, who was quivering in fear, and started to backhand her across her face...
His hand was stopped in mid-stroke by the Elf who caught the man's wrist with his right hand, held it, twisting it slightly to where the man’s palm was facing up, putting 3 gold along with an extra silver into the man's hand. "That should take care of the arrows...and a little extra to cover the spilled ale...don't you think?" Before the trader could answer, Fin continued without looking back, "And you two gentlemen behind me had best keep your seats...if you rise further, I'll be forced to put an arrow in each of your throats before you take two steps..."
There was an audible silence and then the sound of the two men resuming their seats echoed through the room, while the trader just nodded, took the coins, and retrieved the arrows for the Elf. The young lady gathered herself and delivered the platter to the table but kept her eyes curiously on the Elf as he took his arrows, bowed, and headed to the loo...
When the Elf got back to his raft, he added the arrows to his quiver, untied his craft from the dock, and set out on the river. After several minutes, the Elf, in a matter-of-fact voice, said, "You can come out now stowaway...the trading post is out of view..."
The trader's 'wife' peeks her head outside the lean-to on the raft. Dispirited, she said, "Are you going to take me back?" The Elf cocks his head back at her as he steers the raft, asking, ”Do you wish to go back?” She shakes her head, slowly. He says, "Then nope...but perhaps you have some family I can take you to?"
The girl shakes her head even more vehemently. "Ain't got no family...my mom died when I was 13. Daddy was a drunkard...he ‘treated’ me like mom after she died...he sold me to the trader while on a drunken binge a year ago for a couple bottles of mead. Heard he died a short while later." Obviously scared of being abandoned, she whispers, "I'd make you a good wife..."
The Elf smiles kindly at the girl. "Hmm...already a proposal and we've just met...and I bet you would make a good wife too. But you might grow to not even like me...and we can't have you marrying someone you don't like. How about you work for me? You can clean the fish I catch, help me process what I hunt, and some minor chores. I can only pay you a silver a week, but you'll get free room and board, such as it is. You can sleep in the lean-to when we're on the river and I can set up a tent when we camp inland. You don’t have to worry, I'll sleep outside. Do we have a deal?"
The girl thinks for but a moment, lets out a shy smile, and nods her head. "We do."
"Excellent, I could use some help around here. But first, what is your name? And how old are you?"
She answers, "Kezhia...I'm 19 years old...and you?"
The Elf grins a bit as he pulls back the hood from his head, revealing to her, for the first time, his Elven features. "You may call me Fin...and I am a little over 100 years of age..."
Her eyes go wide as she exclaims, "You're a fairy!"
Fin almost chokes as he laughs. "No, no, no...I'm afraid my ego won't stand for that...I prefer Elf, if you please..."
She nods. ”An Elf, then.” She smiles shyly again, saying, "My Mom said Kezhia means 'cassia tree'..."
The Elf nods. "Pretty name, pretty tree, pretty girl...it fits you..."
The girl frowns. "What does Fin mean?"
Fin grunts. "It literally means 'hair'..."
"Your Mom named you 'Hair'?"
"Not exactly...I just go by Fin. My given name is Findurêl; roughly translated into common, it means Ebony-haired Prince...or Dark-haired Prince if you prefer...and before you ask, no, I'm not a real Prince. My mother could claim a very distant lineage to a former royal line; as such she was allowed to add the -êl honorific to her progeny. Doesn't mean much, just a name."
Kezhia nods her head and her eyes grow big. "Thank you for rescuing me, Fin. Could you have really shot both of those men through the throat before they took two steps?"
Fin gives her a big wink. "Well, the important thing was, they believed I could...but to be honest, no, I could not...but that can be your and my little secret..."
She smiled again as the raft continued on west towards the sunset...
Fin rises early from his makeshift bed out on the floor of his anchored raft. He steps off onto the bank, goes a bit deeper into the woods, relieves himself, and returns. Unlike his normal routine, with his new guest onboard, he will go through his stretches with his skivvies on.
He hears a yawn and turns to see Kezhia rise from the tent; she sits silently and watches him go through his progressions. As he finishes he smiles at her and then turns around to remove his skivvies before bathing in the river.
Kezhia's eyes get big. "Fin...are you going to take me as your wife now?"
Fin chokes a bit as he shakes his head. "No m'lady, too soon, too soon. It takes us Elves sometimes two or three years to consider a proposal...sometimes as much as a year before we hold hands...you'll probably find a beau long before I can give you an answer, and likely a better prospect than I...
“I'm sorry girl, but I'm just going to wash off in the river; unfortunately for you, that requires me to be nude. Being on a raft such as this, we can't escape seeing each other in various states of undress...but know this: I will not harm you and I will not touch you in an inappropriate manner. Among Elves nudity is just another state of being..."
She just nods her head and continues to watch him undress, cocking her head to the side curiously. Thinking it odd, Fin responds. "Something wrong?" She shakes her head. "You don't look much different nekkid than a normal man...'cept you don't have as much hair."
"Ah, you thought we fairies might be sporting an extra testicle somewhere, eh?"
He laughs and jumps into the river and swims a bit, turning back to the raft, he says, "You should wash off too...you can do so on the other side of the raft and I will defer my eyes...I'll cook some eggs up for us afterwards..."
"Uncle Fin, are the eggs ready yet? I'm starving!"
Fin chuckles, "In a minute girl, in a minute..."
The Elf was over by his triangular cook pot he'd set up on the raft; Kezhia was sunbathing after their morning bath, as was her norm. After so many references to his age, she had taken to calling him Uncle Fin...and he didn't mind so much as he had grown fond of the girl. She was a hard worker, a big help with his hunting and fishing endeavors; they had done well with trading. In addition to the money he was paying Kezhia, he had set aside some for a dowry so that she might marry reasonably well some day, but he kept that hidden from her. She still seemed to have her mind set on Fin though, Only Erastil knows why, he thought. He knew she deserved a steady husband and a stable home, not some life with an Elven drifter...
Kezhia rose up from the deck and marched up to Fin, hands on her hips. "Girl? Uncle Fin, when we met was I not a young lady then? And am I not even moreso now?"
As she was still undressed, Fin focused keeping his eyes on hers. "Yes Kezhia, you are a young woman...I apologize, girl is just a figure of speech...it's time to eat, you need to get dressed."
Kezhia smirked at him. "I think you like me like this...I can tell some times when we bathe.” Then she got a bit more serious look on her face, saying, ”Why won't you take me as your wife?"
Fin deflected, trying to make light of the situation, grinning and tossing a bit of undercooked egg at her. "Have you ever thought it may be because you call me 'Uncle Fin'? Marrying one’s uncle is against the law in some places...and I wouldn’t want to make you a criminal..."
”You know you’re not really my uncle!”
”True...but it’s still been just a year since your proposal...we’re barely into the hand-holding phase of Elvish courting...”
Before she could respond, a ship suddenly came around the bend. Fin's Elven eyes picked it up quickly as he eyed the banner. "River pirates! Kezhia, you know the drill...get in the lean-to!" She does so quickly, handing Fin his bow and quiver from within.
Fin ponders, Small ship, crew of maybe six, there's a chance...
The first shot was tricky, but gave him the range and the wind; it missed its target but stuck solidly in the crow's nest itself. He quickly nocks the second arrow and, making adjustments from his first shot, releases it; the arrow catches the lookout in the chest and he falls from the nest screaming loudly. There's a scramble on the ship as it gets a little closer and Fin's third arrow takes out the pirate giving orders on the deck. With his next arrow, he skewers a hot coal from the cook pan, and fires it towards the ship; it strikes one of the sails, lighting it on fire. Damn! Should’ve done that to begin with. The remaining pirates scramble and turn the boat back around the bend...
Once he's sure it's clear and not coming back, he says, "OK, gir...err...young lady, you can come out and get your breakfast...they're gone...for now...they were looking for easy meat...and decided we were not it..."
Fin breathes a sigh of relief. Thinking back on not just the pirate encounter, but his 'confrontation' with Kezhia earlier, he ponders, That was a close call...twice...
Early morning, a couple hours after sunrise, Fin knelt examining the tracks of the stag he was tracking...but his heart was not into it as he had other things on his mind...
The raft was still tied ashore; he and Kezhia had already had their morning bath and she was sunbathing as was her norm. Fin’s eyes, along with his mind, were wandering in places they should not have been, and he announced he was going to hunt and bring some meat in their diet other than fish...but he really just wanted to think...
Fin was growing fonder of Kezhia and the last year had went even better than the first. Even though he enjoyed her company and their trading endeavors were going well, he had tried to do what he felt was best for her...but every time he had mentioned taking her to a place where she could setup and settle down, she rebuffed him, saying things like, ”How can I convince you how good a wife I’d be if we’re apart?”
Fin unconsciously smiled while reminiscing that thought. Maybe it could work. But he had loved Miriêl for almost twenty years...and he was still not sure he was over that. After another couple of minutes, he pounded his fist into his palm with conviction, saying aloud, ”Miriêl be damned! I can at least talk to Kezhia about this...”
And then fate intervened...
"UNCLE FIN!"
Kezhia's scream pierced the early morning air, sending a chill up Fin's spine and bringing his thoughts to an abrupt end. He instantly sped off towards where he'd anchored the raft ashore, ignoring all other. There was no cover around the landing so Fin would have to come in hot...
He saw a barge next to their raft, a purple and yellow banner with a mask prominent within the purple, and Fin's heart sank. A Razmiran patrol barge...what were they doing this far from their borders?
Two Razmiri crossbowmen crossed onto their raft. The insolent leers on their face told Kezhia what her fate was likely to be; and Fin had heard too many rumors about the Razmiri fanatics to know as well...
The Razmiri sneered. "What have we here? A young princess awaiting to be rescued by real men...and what would our reward be?"
Kezhia panics...but sees Fin running towards the raft and calms herself a little. "I'm here with my uncle...here he comes now..."
The Razmiri look up to see him. One held his crossbow just a few feet from Kezhia's chest while the other brought his to bear on Fin. "That's close enough, Uncle..."
Fin holds his hands up into the air walking very slowly towards the raft.
"Peace to you...why have you boarded us? We broke no laws..."
The nearest enforcer sneers. "This lady was sunbathing, obviously to lure in unsuspecting men for fornication. Prostitution is an offense to Razmir, praise his name..."
Fin inches closer...knowing he cannot reason with these fanatics, he tries to buy time. "But we are not within the borders of Razmiran and are not aware of its laws...we will turn away from here and bother you no more..."
"We spread the will of Razmir, praise his name, to all...it is too late, you shall both pay the price for your ignorance..."
Fin knows he must act now. Pointing to the south, he says, "Will you at least allow us to keep our other raft?"
The second they glanced toward the non-existent second boat, Fin made his move. Quickly drawing his bow while simultaneously retrieving an arrow, in a flash he nocked and fired at the thug next to Kezia, already drawing another arrow as his first shot ripped through the Razmiri's throat. The second enforcer reacted a bit quicker turning to Fin, releasing the bolt just before Fin's second arrow tore through the man's chest. Fin found himself suddenly on his knees as the impact of the bolt staggered him, striking deeply between his neck and shoulder, just below the collarbone. He looked up to see the captain of the Razmiri barge think better of it and cast off...
Kezhia yelled, "You did it, Uncle Fin! You dropped them both! Oh no, you're shot!" and she began moving towards him.
He looked up weakly at her and smiled, murmuring, "I'm fine, girl," relieved she came out unscathed. He had been careless to leave here there alone, it would not happen again...
As he kept his eyes on her, her eyes went wide and she came running faster to him, "FIN! The barge!"
Fin quickly moved his eyes to the barge, time seeming to pass in slow-motion...the captain raising a crossbow for a parting shot at the Elf...Fin bringing up his bow and firing...Fin knowing his shot would miss as the bolt in his shoulder had numbed his right arm and threw off his form...hoping the bolt's aim was off but, alas, knowing it was not...
Just before the bolt landed, Kezhia tackled Fin, knocking him down as the bolt struck with a sickening thud, Kezhia letting out a muted, "Ooomph," as she fell into his arms where he lay...
Fin saw the bolt completely piercing her left breast...and most likely her heart...and he felt his own heart sink in despair...
He held her in his arms, running his fingers through her hair; as his eyes watered, her eyes started to glaze over...
With labored breathing, Kezhia murmured, "I would've made you a good wife..."
The tears pouring down his face now, falling onto hers, Fin answered, "Yes, my love, you would have...I was a fool for never making you so..."
She coughed up blood, sputtering "My love? You do love me!"
And then it him like a ton of bricks...he smiled sadly down at her, the last smile he would make for quite some while, and whispered, "I always have," as he brought his head down to gently place his lips upon hers...their first, and last, kiss...
Kezhia smiled for the last time as well...and died...
Fin held Kezhia in his arms the rest of the morning and through the afternoon, nigh upon sunset...till no more tears would flow. He just stared blankly into her face, running his fingers through her hair; he looked up to the sky and asked Erastil why, but got no answer...but he thought he knew just the same...
I hid my feelings...I didn’t protect her...I failed her...just like I failed my Father in the tomb...just like I failed Mother during her depression...I’m always too late...
Finally, Fin slowly rose and silently carried her to the lean-to, placing her there gently and closing her eyes. He tenderly removed the bolt from her breast, broke it over his knee and tossed it in the river. He started a fire in the cooking pan and heated his dagger over it. With a loud grunt, he then roughly pulled the bolt from below his collarbone and cast it aside, causing the clotted blood there to bleed freely once more. He instantly applied the hot dagger to cauterize the wound, yelling loudly into the night. After several minutes, he detached some of the better wood from the raft, gathered his tools, and worked through the night on one last gift for Kezhia.
Once finished, he picked up Kezhia and carried her along with what he had made, with a shovel to boot, walking deep into the woods. Just before dawn, he found what he was looking for. He dug her grave beneath a cassia tree and lay her there. After covering her up, he attached the wooden marker he had made to the base of the tree, just above her grave...
It read, Here lies Kezhia: She was a good wife
The Razmiran barge, The Masked God, was making another foray south of their borders, into the River Kingdoms territories. They searched for an anonymous outlaw that had been ambushing Razmiri vessels over the past couple of months, picking off guards and captains from afar as they patrolled the rivers; he went by the moniker Uncle, and the Razmiran authorities set a high bounty on his head...
They came upon the abandoned raft in the middle of the river after sunset, anchored, with a lean-to and a lit fire pot. The barge pulled up aside; the captain sent his two enforcers to investigate as he watched from the stern. A sense of foreboding came over the captain as he realized he had seen this raft before...
”I knew I’d find you, sooner or later,” came a voice from behind the captain, making the man jump in fear and quickly turn around...
He saw a cloaked figure in the dim light, dripping on the deck, 10 paces from him with a bow slung over his back...the figure removed his hood slowly, revealing long black hair, wet and dripping, and a pair of pointed ears. The captain’s face twisted in terror as he recognized the Elf. ”You!”
The Elf said softly, but loud enough for the captain to hear, ”Her name was Kezhia...”
The captain went for his crossbow...he felt the arrow rip through his chest, piercing his heart, before he ever laid a hand on it...he was dead before he hit the deck...
The outlaw known as ‘Uncle’ was never heard from again...
@Selena, Arcanists have delayed casting like spontaneous casters so they don't get 3rd level spells until Arcanist lv 6.
We tweaked some things behind the scenes to make the multiclass thing easier to deal with so Selena is just going with one spell list / slot progression. May end up a bit more powerful, but I'm ok with that. I'll just toss some more trolls at ya :-)
Oh? Hey then can I have full Shaman spell progression despite my Monk multi-class?
I would love to have an extra 2nd level and 3rd level spell right now as well as 4th level spells at next level.
I'm sure you can compensate with another troll or something. ;)
I only have so much oil for squeaky wheels you know... In all honesty if all you plan is a single level dip in monk I'm fine with giving you full shaman spell progression. Just don't forget.. BIG trolls.
I'm mostly just yanking your chain, but I was severely torn on if the extra style feat and evasion from a 2nd level of monk was worth the loss of spell progression. I was planning on either taking only 1 level of monk or 2 as that level was something he gained early in life and didn't pursue further. I think the deciding factor was going to be how often he trains/spars with Maka.
If your generous offer remains on the table I would like to revisit it later if possible. For now I'm comfortable how my character plays.....and the size of the trolls. :)
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I'm mostly just yanking your chain, but I was severely torn on if the extra style feat and evasion from a 2nd level of monk was worth the loss of spell progression. I was planning on either taking only 1 level of monk or 2 as that level was something he gained early in life and didn't pursue further. I think the deciding factor was going to be how often he trains/spars with Maka.
Speaking of monks, I’ll most likely be dipping into monk next time we level up; Zen Archer has some really good mods/feats for longbow dudes and I might go in for 3 or 4 levels before all is said and done. Has the added bonus of upping my save mods as well. Fin will probably approach Tez and Maka when that time comes for some ‘monkly’ wisdom/advice...
Just let me know. Even if you take more than one level in Monk we can work something out. I have a soft spot for monks and lots of 3rd party stuff so if you all have specific character ideas I can see what I can find.
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@Fin, Have you looked into Overwatch Style & Overwatch Tactician?
The first is nice to get two attacks for ambushes with readied actions, but the second lets you do it as a standard action. Allowing you to Move via stealth and ready two strikes should anything spot you is really nice. Pairs really well with your role of being our scout. Also really useful anti-caster tool for interrupting their spells.
As for monk training? Tez would likely be willing to train you on the spiritual side of things, but the actual monk training he wouldn't really want to share as it reminds him of family and he doesn't like to acknowledge too much he even has it publicly.
@Lareg, I will come back to it at level 7, I am guessing once we cream all the bozo's in the forest and grab the hut we will likely level. IIRC it's the end of the book. As for taking another level of Monk; from both the meta mechanical aspect of not wanting to miss out on early shaman spell progression I also have a narrative reason he shy's away from monk training tied to personal reasons. So I wouldn't really be considering it till 11th or 13th level after some character growth anyways, your gracious deal aside.
It would open up more spells so I can be less stingy with them and provide some more utility, but I'm well aware of the potential of sparking an arms race of you needing to modify encounters. The DM always ends up winning those and it also means he has to do more work. I would still like to consider it, though.
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@Fin, Have you looked into Overwatch Style & Overwatch Tactician?
The first is nice to get two attacks for ambushes with readied actions, but the second lets you do it as a standard action. Allowing you to Move via stealth and ready two strikes should anything spot you is really nice. Pairs really well with your role of being our scout. Also really useful anti-caster tool for interrupting their spells.
I have not...and thanks for the links. Not sure how I’ve missed those; have a couple PFS ranger/monk builds, one nearing seeker level, and I guess I didn’t delve deep enough into the feats. I was going to pick up Manyshot with my next level up but now you’ve given me something to think about...I ‘preciate it, Tez...
As for monk training? Tez would likely be willing to train you on the spiritual side of things, but the actual monk training he wouldn't really want to share as it reminds him of family and he doesn't like to acknowledge too much he even has it publicly.
That makes sense...and, if she doesn’t mind, I could work out with Maka when she has the time. I thought RP-wise it’d make more sense that way than just all of a sudden say ‘Poof, I’m a monk!’ without any training...
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Maka will definitely be down for some monk training.
Everyone could take a level of monk!
However, It would require a training montage as well as playing 'I'll make a man out of you.' from Disney's Mulan soundtrack.
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Maka will definitely be down for some monk training.
Much appreciated! Being an archer, I imagine Fin has more than a few bruises coming his way...
Everyone could take a level of monk!
However, It would require a training montage as well as playing 'I'll make a man out of you.' from Disney's Mulan soundtrack.
:)
I had never considered monk until my first PFS ranger played in a scenario with a Zen Archer PC...saw that the two classes together could make a pretty wicked archer. And was also an opportunity to boost my poor Will save.
Missing out on spell progression is kinda rough, and I didn't expect he'd let me do it, but as they say, nothing ventured nothing gained. So I suggested how I'd allow it in my games.
That said, being a pure caster for all my classes makes it easy, but bringing in non-caster classes, I'd personally look to the Spheres of Power concept of progressing CL like BAB, with different classes progressing at different rates and tying slot progression to CL. I'd then set monk as a medium progression for CL since it does a lot of magic type stuff even if it isn't done through spellcasting.
Just my two cents.
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I love that song Tez. :)
Is the vortex around the hut or just blocking the path? If the latter, I could probably blink around it. Wouldn't bring everyone, but might attract attention and make things easier for the others.
If the former, I'll summon an unseen servant and have it carry a branch through the vortex and back.
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Also, has Maka tried burning her way through the brush? As magic fire it should have a better impact than mundane fire.
Selena will ask about this if the vortex just blocks the path.
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If I was reading the DM right when I examined the Brush/Trees it seemed like a Wall of Thorns effect. If you have the blink spell prepared that would be dicey you'd be rolling 50% to not take 10 damage with mage armor on every 5ft. Dimensional Slide might get you past the vortex if it's enough length. The real problem is you would be by yourself......and you just got that body.
Maybe Maka's fire will do something? I don't recall that ever being answered really.
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That vortex isn't just blocking our path.
The Hut is an artifact that slides around between different dimensions and planes. Having a big vortex of reality-sucking right next to it might make any planar jaunts we try ... problematic. Imagine pulling in the anchor of your boat next to a big whirlpool. *SHLURP*
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Yeah, I’m guessing the way to the hut is disabling those contraptions and, based on our encounter with the earth piper, killing the pipers appears to be the way to do that. I suspect there may be a couple more pipers we haven’t seen...
Or, considering the parallels to another story with a small shelter and a vortex of wind, perhaps we should click our heels together three times... ;)
Right I'm currently in the process of moving so go nuts on botting. Compounding that paizo wont let me log in on my phone so I can't even do quick posts when out and about currently.
I'm seeing actions in the gameplay thread that do not include some of the ideas here. For the record, Tezuzu did ask about the fire. I may have missed Maka actually doing it.
* In either case, the forest grows back nearly as quickly as it is burnt away.
* The branch would suffer the same fate as the bird if carried toward the sphere by an unseen servant.
Any other activities involving characters (e.g. blink) would need to be attempted in thread.
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I think Wall of Thorns can be moved thru via strength checks...but you take damage doing so. This creature may be some kind of Sylvan or plant creature that can move thru it more easily. I'm thinking Maka's fire will have some effect on the sniper with heat damage and/or smoke blurring his vision since it's got to be around the edge or the bolts would never had made it through all the thorns...
The AP specifies a 'wall of thorns' like effect, but then goes back and forth in terms of it being impenetrable or not. I'm just going to go with wall of thorns with the exception of the area by the strange sphere. Details concerning fire, magical or otherwise is pretty clear (does squat). The specifics on the hidden enemy will become clear shortly :-)
Just checking line of sight :-)
Nope :-)
Maybe the sounds of Tezuzu and Maka drowning?
This is why I went with the engulf and get near Find method. Gambling that it will take more than a round worth of arrows. Likely will lose, but the opportunity to engulf a few in the mean time was to much to resist.
I can see how the lines and such might have you worried.
And that is why I don't gamble with money...
I imagine if the we face a Wind Dawn Piper and they have Wind-Wall we're going to be in for a rougher time.
Until then Fin is getting MVP by being our machine gun. Good Job Fin.
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Maka flushing the creature out of the thorns was pretty key too...it could’ve remained unseen in there and kept peppering me with those sneak attack bolts...I would’ve probably taken a couple of more hits if she hadn’t done her fire thing...
The dawn pipers seem to be a perfect storm for Fin...fey is a favored enemy, he shoots mostly cold iron arrows, and the piper’s contraption appears to keep them in one location, so they’re an easier target...at the same time, their location is hard for melee types to get to...their weakness here is ranged characters...
Yeah, if there’s a wind piper, my arrows will have a harder time...guess I better hope for a fire piper...
Hopefully though, we can get through this part relatively unscathed; I presume we’ll have to fight a biggie to get control of the hut and I doubt it’s a piper...
Both Fin or Maka getting dominated is a terrifying prospect. Remind me to craft something for both of your will saves when we reach next level. :)
On heavy armor,
When it got mentioned, I looked at the prd. I find that rule to be ridiculous based on my real world experience of wearing full plate and testimony of others who know about historical armors which backs up my experience with full plate.
Real world full plate does not reduce your speed. It reduces your endurance because it is hotter than an oven to wear, and overheating is very exhausting, but that aspect is not represented in d20.
But my point is that it doesn't make any sense to reduce speed based on full plate when I know from personal experience that full plate doesn't hinder speed.
As for knowing the rules, well I don't do much with martials because it isn't any fun when I am so familiar with the reality that the game abstracts it to the point of blandness and rejects anything about martial combat that actually makes it interesting (there is good reason for this, but that doesn't change how boring I find it).
So, my comment is that the rules, core book or not, contradict real world experience.
That loss of endurance is mostly represented in the reduction of speed. It impacting your mobility is represented in an armor check penalty. It's a LOT easier to climb in armor than to swim in it, but it's the same ACP none the less. Because the game isn't attempting to be a granular representation of reality. They are meant to be approximations to enable play.
I've been stabbed and suffered numerous other grievous injuries that didn't knock me out and put me seconds from death's door. I can assure you I was physically impacted despite note being "unstable" and it took more than a few nights rest to heal completely. Pointing to one rule, in a vacuum of what that rule represents or ties in with the rest of the system, then pointing to real life is not a good argument.
You say it's because it contradicts your real world experience and you don't have much knowledge of martials. Yet you were also unaware of what role constructs play in the game and complained when you didn't find anti-construct spells. Again, I recommend learning the rules instead of just complaining that they are wrong when they don't work like you think they should.
I just thought it was odd contention to be brought up. Maybe it's just being old hat at these games, but armor reducing your speed has been a staple at least since D&D 3.0 so going on 20 years now. It's probably one of the first things you run into when deciding to put on medium or heavy armor, unless you're a dwarf.
There are a lot of approximations that don't line up perfectly with reality; as maka said. It's the nature of the game. As for mechanics it's part of the counterweight to light armor.
If Bulvi wants a faster speed we can look into getting him Boots of Striding & Springing. Once we have the gold for it going mithral would drop it down to counting as medium armor and the option of advanced armor training for fighters past level 7 removes movement penalties for wearing medium armor. So 2750gp to craft boots bringing him up to 30ft and late game he can move 40ft with the right class options and the gold to make it mithral.
Used to be that swim checks took double the armor check penalty. But paizo believes in simplification and the swim exception would be too complicated for mere mortals.
But that said, paizo has consistently amd constantly from the beginning been running away from the core trait that d20 has different from nearly all other systems out there.
D20 was designed to be a great representation of reality. D20 did it very well, and explained that very poorly. Took some hits in the early days, such as people complaining when the encounters in early modules were too varied in difficulty level. Paizo strayed even further from representing the real world (I don't think the paizo staff understood this any more than most players.)
This ability to very well represent reality is the trait that makes d20 my system of choice. In light of that, pointing to cases where the rules are not merely simplifying the real world, but doing something quite contradictory to the real world is perfectly valid.
As far as being stabbed and other such things, well, taking dmg doesn't equal taking an axe to the face. Describing it that way doesn't make the rules less accurate, it is fluff embellishment. Also, if you check d20 rules on natural healing, you might find it takes a few days to heal from such things.
Also, I didn't say I don't have much knowledge of martials, only that I missed something I don't generally use.
Also, you mention constructs as though constructs in general have a special role. They don't. They are just a monster. I never really was in a spot to research spells specifically for them before. I wasn't complaining, just commenting. Text doesn't reveal emotional context very well.
Given that, as mentioned before, the core nature of d20 (which still shows through in the skeleton of pf1, being a variation of d20) is to do a great job of representing reality, making a rough estimate of what the rules should do based on reality is a perfectly valid method. This isn't a complex version of chess, there is no gameplay balance to maintain, no reason to break away from being casual simulationism.
As Tez brought up, it's been there for a while. I likely forgot about it having never used heavy armor, ever. Not sure why he it'd be a counterweight to lighter armor. ACP is enough, and applying ACP to touch AC would be closer (still not good but closer since wearing armor means naturally parrying with your armor and the bulk makes it harder to avoid mere touches.)
Not sure why he it'd be a counterweight to lighter armor. ACP is enough...
Never said it was a good counterweight; just that it's part of the counterweight built into the rules.
But, if you're looking for the reasoning...Heavy armor has x3 the armor bonus as most light armors. Light armor's advantages include high Dex caps, little to no ACP and faster movement. Excluding the ASF which as a martial is meaningless. At early levels for a character who doesn't care much about skills this works somewhat well.
Dex caps and ACP are nearly meaningless quickly upon mid levels for a variety of reasons they can be reduced down to 0 on full plate quite easily with a DEX cap so high your melee STR based character is unlikely to ever meet it.
Light armor doesn't gain anything from the common ways to reduce ACP and raising the DEX cap has diminishing returns as there's only so high you can get your stats.
So both the first two counterweights don't do much to make heavy armor not just better in every way past mid levels. The speed reduction is the only thing that mostly doesn't go away with a gold tax and even that can be circumvented by a fighter class feature in addition to a gold tax.
I’m not really strongly arguing that is a good balance solution, just providing the reasoning, in a hopefully taken as, friendly way.
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I have no experience wearing plate armor because, you know, 21st century person. But it seems reasonable that a person wouldn't move as fast with 30-50 pounds of metal strapped to them, much of it on the arms and legs. Hell, put me in a winter coat and I'm less sprightly.
I also have no experience being stabbed, thank goodness. Nor have I ever cast a spell on a construct. I feel pretty heroic when I change a tire in real life.
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I have no experience wearing plate armor because, you know, 21st century person. But it seems reasonable that a person wouldn't move as fast with 30-50 pounds of metal strapped to them, much of it on the arms and legs.
Yeah, same here; 'bout the closest thing I can relate is backpacking. Every 2 or 3 years, we've hiked down into the Grand Canyon and camped for a few days. Don't know about armor, but lugging around a 30 to 40 lb backpack limits both speed and endurance...
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Heh. I gravitate toward RPGs to tell a story. When the story involves multiple people guidelines are helpful. If we were simply just telling a story we could pass around a virtual stick.
For many being a character comes alive with the kinds of structures DnD and the various RPGs after it built around group story telling. Others enjoy these structures in much the way I enjoy legos - finding out what can I build with the things.
In all, I think people come to games (and RPGs) for all kinds of reasons. Perhaps a good guideline for us might be to keep detailed rule discussion in, well "Discussion." A quick rule clarification or heads up for the non rule inclined GM (me) in the play thread is fine.
I appreciate that you all brought this bit about armor here as I honestly find it pretty jarring to have in the game play thread (thus why I simply moved on).
Also, I'll be on the road tomorrow but should have internet access to post afternoon / evening. Back to normal tomorrow night and Sunday.
50 pounds of tightly bound "clothing" is about the only way easier to carry 50 pounds than in a good backpack and as armor the center of gravity is basically a match with yours, but as a backpack the center of gravity is lumped on your back, easier to trek with than carrying in your arms but still a larger problem in trying to do acrobatics, jumping, or other non-standard motion compared to wearing armor.
By far, armor is the easiest way to carry a given amount of weight.
And really, when worn it feels so much less than picking it up as a bag that it almost seems like the weight magically goes missing. And it's very easy to move in. I had no trouble running and fighting in it (except for the helmet padding that kept moving to cover my eye, leaving me with very poor visibility and only one eye). I hardly noticed the weight. Of course, at the time I was in the army and lugging around 70+ pounds of gear on marches, plus ballistic plates sometimes.
Still, endurance was the problem, not physical incapacity.
Fin, did you ever weigh the packs? Or just estimate? Also, what strength score do you have? Likely, those packs put you into medium encumbrance, which would indeed reduce your speed and endurance.
Details vs drama.
Drama is what makes a story interesting.
For some, details are unimportant. For some, things that don't make sense, or self-contradictory or have other weirdness can make those things seem cool or even awe inspiring.
But for other people, details are important because when things get contradictory or inconsistent, it can break immersion and distract from the drama.
Basically, for some people details can be anything interesting, for others, details must make sense and be consistent in order to not distract from the drama that makes the story.
I am the latter. Wrong details actually breaks a story for me, even though the same broken details can make the story better for others.
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This is important for mechanics because to me rukes are language, a shorthand for discussing and describing what is going on as well as a reference so I don't need to do a google search to maintain consistency, and therefore, to me the foundational details come from the narrative milieu. Other folks are the other way around, drawing their foundational details from the rules themselves instead of the narrative, and thus have a very different set of values by which to judge the rules.
I just noticed, Fin can't see me! :)
Selena, the ninja witch! Oh, but also immortal! Even better, Selena the immortal kunoichi witch!
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