You just had to go and make me look up the cover rules. :D
Looks like either position would result in ordinary cover but not improved cover.
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Thanks, GM! I appreciate you looking that up!
I think you might be right about Maka figuring it as 5’ squares as I initially did the same thing when I was calculating my running route; I was just adding the arrows (had to blow up the map to move ‘em around better) to show my path when I saw the map legend had it as 10’ squares and had to adjust my calculations…
Did you miss the fact that these were 10' squares, Maka?
Yeah I 100% missed the squares were 10'.
Ah, well, I guess Fin, Maka, Sakitu, and Selena all arrive at the same time then.
A creature's space is their fighting space. Consider how many humans are 5' wide. Same applies here. I'd expect any beasts pulling a thing to take up much less space, also, difficult terrain isn't just for creatures, the tower has to roll over it too, and that'd be very difficult, if not impossible (depends on wheel size). Just saying, don't discount the tentacles so easily.
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I wasn't thinking of the tentacles. I have no idea if that will work or not.
I was thinking of acid pit. Since acid pit specifically states that it's a 10x10 opening, I am guessing that a creature with a size of 15 feet wouldn't fall in it. It's all an abstraction. One could easily make the case that even if it was a 30 foot creature, if it has legs then one of the legs could fall in and then that would decrease its str and dex and all sorts of things. But Pathfinder doesn't go that far obviously.
I am curious to see if the tentacles work. If not, then I'll consider an ice wall.
Is this the round where everyone catches up or is it next round that Chest Thumper and Kalchine are set to arrive?
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Hmm...it took the ‘early’ arrivers 5 rounds to get there…we either cast spells, attacked, or double moved in round 6, and, after the drakes and hydras acted, Fin just did a full round attack for round 7…
If my previous calculations were correct, it took 6.5 rounds for those whose base speed was 30’ to get there, so I think Kalchine would arrive this round within view of the drakes/hydra/siege tower with a single action left…looking at the initiative, you’d go after the drakes and before the hydras, maybe?
This is just my best guess, though, and sometimes I can’t see the forest for the trees…you’ll want to wait for the GM to clarify…
We're just starting round 7, yes.
That is correct!
Didn't realize we hit the next round. Sorry.
It's fine, I didn't make it super clear.
Sometimes I feel like these enemies should have more HP, but then I remember that no, it's just that you guys do a lot of damage. :D
One problem (well, not really problem necessarily) with the heavily themed AP's like this is how many things have the same vulnerabilities...
Of course, that does make it more dangerous in a way when you run into an enemy that lacks the vulnerabilities.
Yeah this is definitely the campaign to do fire damage. So many critters have weakness to it. Especially when you double crit.
I'd like to point out, the most appropriate way to increase difficulty is to increase the number of enemies, particularly by adding lower level minions.
This is because higher level enemies get better saves and similar, reducing the chance to hit with abilities, but yet too many on par enemies will have action economy advantages without corresponding disadvantages, while lower level minions will have action economy but it won't be so bad because their offense and defense is much lower. Adding minions also fits the world better since in most cases, the lower level characters far outnumber higher level creatures.
It also changes the nature of the challenge because it is no longer a race of dmg output, but rather tactics and strategies increase in importance in handling larger numbers where simply increasing the dmg of each attack doesn't really help.
Edit, it also increases the value of DC dependent abilities as minions will fail far more often. Command is a good example of something to use on a lower level creature.
Yeah, but then I'd have to adjudicate and run more creatures. :D
In seriousness, do any of you see this as a problem? Or are you fine with the difficulty as-is?
I played through about half of the first book of this AP and had 2 near TPK's. It sounds like I'm not the only one who had that experience.
Unless we go through a few combats without really expending any resources then I'm good with erring on the side of less difficult.
I don't mind a challenge, but I'm not necessarily looking for one.
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I’m fine as is, GM, as difficulty can tend to sway back and forth in this AP…
And you’re not alone, Kalchine. We had two PC deaths, three near TPK’s, in addition to three or four more tough fights in book 1…that book was brutal. We had three or four players leave as well (one was the online venture-lieutenant who firmly believed this AP was actively trying to kill everyone…
In book 2, we had another PC death and a few more challenging fights. In book 3, Fin had a close brush with death, along with a couple other PCs if I recall correctly…and the Artrosa dungeon produced several tough fights…
How do you know what book we are in? I mean, the gm obviously knows, but I haven't seen anything marking the move from one book to the next.
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It’s no secret on the books; they each have a distinctive beginning and end.In book one, we defeated the master of that tower and closed a portal. The last three books have been tied to the hut. We found the hut in book two and it ended when we used the keys. Book three began in the new location the hut took us to, Iobaria, where we searched for the keys to the in Artrosa, and it ended when we used the keys. Book four, the one we’re in now, begins when the hut transforms and in we’re in a new location, in this case, a new planet…
And I have no doubt this book will end with us using the keys and the hut taking us to a new location…with the fifth book starting there…
Yeah the witch dungeon was a slog of tough encounters, so I don't have any issues.
Slapping the Advanced template and/or giving things max hp instead of average is a good fast and dirty way to bump things up. You don't have to do a bunch of calculations and you don't have much worry about it tipping the scales too far.
Mythic monster abilities are also a good quick way to jazz up an encounter. Specifically: Block Attacks, Dual Initiative, Second Save, and Surge.
How do you know what book we are in? I mean, the gm obviously knows, but I haven't seen anything marking the move from one book to the next.
https://paizo.com/reignOfWinter
Basically each time we use the hut to go to a new place it's a new book.
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In seriousness, do any of you see this as a problem? Or are you fine with the difficulty as-is?
I have no problem with the way things are going, but I would certainly understand if you wanted to sometimes add an advanced template or something, especially on a boss fight or a climactic encounter. Whatever best serves the drama of the story.
Hahaha our non-fliers are really getting their cardio in.
Sigh. How do we know one of them is a caster? And how do we know which one is the caster?
He's equipped exactly like the caster that attacked you from dragonkin-back on the way into the fortress is how.
How odd.
Okay then.
Look, anything that even vaguely looks like a mage, you assume it's a mage. And we geek mages. Fin, keep shotgunning that guy.
Having been in the military, uniformity of appearance is a big thing.
Also, never understood the whole military scholar thing. Bards and other classes can cast in armor, there's even feats for it for those whole don't get it automatically. Only makes sense that a soldier would be a soldier first, and their speciality second.
Also, no idea what the map looks like. Still haven't seen it.
So, the game I run has pokemon influences. Tell me what you think of my reference,
To unite the world under our great nation
To return all peoples to their rightful station
To embrace the truths of wealth and power
To stand above those who cower
Lori, Vory
Team Titanium washes the world in white
Surrender now or we'll have a fight!
Yea, that's right!
So what's that for?
:D Fun!
It's for the introduction of the bad guys in my magimon game.
Thought I'd see if it was any good before springing it on my players.
Yea, but regular pokemon doesn't explore dungeons and mysterious temples that seem to predate humanity's appearance on the planet, nor the planet humanity suddenly found itself shifted being a torus, nor the prevalence of magic starting to infuse itself on a few lucky humans, or other such fun stuff. :)
All of which is in my magimon game. At this point, the pokemon aspects are noticed primarily in the use of summoned creatures.
Is the castle designed appropriately for a world of flyers, or is it a stupid real world castle design with open courtyard and such that makes one wonder why the enemy doesn't just attack the interior with rocks/bombs/flechettes dropped from on high followed up with soldiers landing at interior doors to immediately go inside and take the fort from within?
The majority of the castle is inside the mountain. We are in a "landing bay" of sorts that is partially covered by an overhang. There were numerous anti-air siege weapons and soldiers when we approached, we just aren't seeing them because the rest of the battle isn't being represented on the map.
There are numerous aerial battles, melees along the walls, etc happening at the same time. We are serving as a response force for when things break through the lines. Presumably some of the aerial enemies are dropping rocks, bombs, magic etc.
I don't mind passing out heals, but Selena doesn't really pay attention to that most of the time. So you should include something about asking her for it, or at least getting her attention and being blunt in your hints.
Also, she's roaming around rather than waiting.
You're right, I did miss it. Sorry.
Of course, I was looking primarily at the roleplay for the course of events and not really reading the ooc text on my first pass. I generally come back to ooc later after deciding what to do.
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I'm not totally clear on what the path would be if we just ran for it, the map is a little confusing.
I was thinking of just pulling out the grappling hook and climbing to the parapet, but rope of climbing would be more efficient for the same task. I think the wand of levitate could also accomplish our immediate goal pretty cheaply, albeit one person at a time. But we can't leave Maka to fight alone in there for long.
If I remember right, Chest Thumper has a Climb speed, and so should be able to ferry Kalchine up at least.
Too bad this isn't the sort of alien planet where we can just John Carter jump our way up there!
Nope, Triaxus is actually pretty close to Golarion gravity-wise. :D
The path would be down through one of the blockhouses, through the underground layer to where it says 'up to B7', then from there up to B11. Either that or take one of the staircases marked 'up to B6a/b/c/d'.
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Fin will activate the rope of climbing, no worries, and it can automatically knot itself for easier climbing…
Yeah, we need to get up there quickly to help Maka, as this looks like it might be their heavyweight force. Don’t think Chest Thumper could be persuaded to carry Fin up there so I think it’ll take him two rounds to get up there (one round to activate the rope and another round to climb at accelerated speed):
1/2 base speed (accelerated=20’/move action for Fin) at DC10 (DC5 for knotted rope against a wall with +5 for accelerated climbing speed)
GM, if I messed up the calculations, let me know…
That looks fine.