Adventure Path Reign of Winter

Game Master Almonihah

* Yes, you have a +15 to the checks.
* Yes, you can, but they need to be trained in the skill, and remember you also need a simultaneous Spellcraft check.
* Yes, as long as you're not getting shot at.
* No, they don't count as traps for Trapfinder.

* Yes, you can, but they need to be trained in the skill, and remember you also need a simultaneous Spellcraft check.

We do? Eek.

I think we should be OK, Q; if I’m figuring right, you have +24 on DD, +15 for the blueprints/talk with Victor, and +2 with an auto-aid from Fin for +41…not sure what the DC will be but I’d think that gives you a pretty good shot at it. And I’m assuming someone else can do the Spellcraft check? But not sure what our highest mod for that is…

ETA: We might be a bit weak on Spellcraft; Selena’s a +10 and Saki’s +6 (she could aid though for +2)…not sure what the Spellcraft DC will be either…

And here I thought at least one of them had Spellcraft better trained. XD How's Knowledge (Arcana)? I should note that the +15 applies to this check, too.

And here I thought at least one of them had Spellcraft better trained. XD How's Knowledge (Arcana)? I should note that the +15 applies to this check, too.

Yeah, went back and checked as I thought maybe Tez had been our Spellcraft guy but he was at +7 when he left us…

As for Knowledge (Arcana), we’re a tad better as Selena is at +12…and Saki could likely boost that by 2 with an aid (she’s at +5)…

Its been months and I'm not sure if they are coming back, would anyone mind if I rebuilt Selena? The current build spends a lot of resources on melee and a dedicated support witch build would suit our needs better.

I'm really concerned about this Spellcraft check still. I don't know how I missed the information that we needed to do Spellcraft along with a Disable Device. If Selena is making the Spellcraft check with a +25 bonus, then if the DC is 30 we're in good shape, but if it's much higher than that, we might have some issues. I've been assuming that the Disable check is significantly higher than that, given the details we've been given about the complexity of the blueprints and Victor's descriptions.

We might actually have to go back and find Victor and just bring him with us, which sucks. I was kinda looking forward to doing my heroic combat with the Machine.

Would we actually need *4* Spellcraft checks, one for each station of the Machine? Or would one be sufficient, since we only need to understand the theory of the mechanism once?

As far as rebuilding Selena goes. I have no particular objection, but I'm not sure how the GM will feel about us perpetually botting an extra PC with a very special set of skills. And I'm also not sure how Selena's player will react when they return someday, as they no doubt will. They have left us for long stretches a couple times already and then returned expecting to just step back in like nothing happened. I completely agree that Selena's build is less than ideal in a lot of ways for a caster. "Fixing" her would significantly change the power balance of the party in our favor.

Yeah, I agree with Q; I believe Selena will be back at some point and she wouldn’t be happy if we made any significant changes…

While I can see why we’d need 4 separate Disable Device checks, I would think just an initial Spellcraft/Knowledge (Arcana) check would suffice as I’d assume the magic for each anchor would be the same…but I kinda suck when it comes to magic so I’m likely to be wrong here…

With regards to Selena, I was thinking the same thing as Q and Fin. It might make the best sense to drop her off somewhere and then when the RL player comes back, we coincidentally find Selena. Maybe while Q is disabling the rifty machine, there's a glitch and Selena gets portaled away to who-knows-where.

I would definitely rather put Selena in an *inactive* state rather than modify her. You're a six-member party, you have another arcane caster, so losing her will not really cause you any issues.

Perhaps she can just stay in the Hut ad infinitum…that’s pretty much what Tez did after he left us…

Bulvi has a spellcraft of +6 and a Knowledge Arcana of +4 so he can aid the check most likely.

I would definitely rather put Selena in an *inactive* state rather than modify her. You're a six-member party, you have another arcane caster, so losing her will not really cause you any issues.

That's fair. Could we put her loot back in the party bank? That would let us stock up on some needed consumables. Specifically the Suzerain Scepter and the 24,440 gp from the last loot drop that they never spent as far as I can tell.

I'd be fine with putting those two things back into the party stash.

The difficult checks are basically meant to make sure you have to at least explore enough of the camp to realize you need to resurrect Viktor and to actually do it. I'm not going to make you fail just because you haven't got the right skills.

So, Maka, as keeper of the loot sheet (which I greatly appreciate you doing), approximately how much do we have to spend?

My main priority now is ghost salt; we’ve ran into several incorporeal creatures this book and I need to up my number of ghost salt arrows. While it won’t cost much, be good to know if I have enough to upgrade my defenses or my bow…

Let me clean up the sheet and calculate the prices. @DM what were the stats for the magic helmet and is the goat lantern worth anything after we broke it?

Other than the armor, Kalchine can use all the stuff the druid had.

It's almost like they were the same class...

The sheet is mostly cleaned up and the prices added. Modern firearms sell for 10x outside of areas where they are common. That really added up because we've picked up quite a pile of guns.

We're looking at an estimated 320,000 gp worth of loot to sell. Split 6 ways is 53k and split 7 ways is 45k. I'd prefer to split it 7 ways and add the extra share to the party loot so we can really stock up on consumables and diamond dust.

The goat lantern was not worth anything. Are you referring to the sniper helmet?

Funnily enough the Bear Hunter was a barbarian. The bears following her was due to NPC magic, not class abilities.

I believe we got it off the snipers so most likely. That thing looks great for Quasit!

That thing looks great for Quasit!

Yep, now she use needs a ranged weapon that fits her…short bow, perhaps?

We're looking at an estimated 320,000 gp worth of loot to sell. Split 6 ways is 53k and split 7 ways is 45k. I'd prefer to split it 7 ways and add the extra share to the party loot so we can really stock up on consumables and diamond dust.

That sounds good to me…the only issue with diamond dust though is that Selena is going inactive and she’s the one that had the Raise Dead spell. Unless she comes back to us, that spell is dead to us…

Need some help deciding purchases…I could go heavily defensive here and add 5+ to my AC…

…or I could go all out on my bow and add Holy to it; that’d override any DR?/Good creatures we face as well as add 2d6 against evil creatures. Since most of the creatures we fight now are evil, that would vastly increase my damage, especially on full attacks…and I’d still have a little to spend on increasing either my AC a couple or my saves a couple…

Why I’m leaning towards the latter, what do y’all think?

I'd say just make your weapon a +5 over the holy as that would still allow it to bypass damage reduction. The additional +2 to hit really matters for you since you have so many attacks.

Saves are more important than AC at this level so I'd prioritize that. You don't want to fail a save against anything Rasputin throws at us. Though a headband of wis gives you both along with more Ki.

Thanks for your input, Maka, it’s always welcome!

I'd say just make your weapon a +5 over the holy as that would still allow it to bypass damage reduction. The additional +2 to hit really matters for you since you have so many attacks.

That’s what I would prefer to do…but when I mentioned doing that with my -1 PFS character years ago, the GM said that DR was different for magical ranged weapons compared to magical melee weapons. Was told that while +3 melee weapons act as cold iron/silver, +4 adds adamantine, and +5 adds alignment, +3/+4/+5 ranged weapons do not…but their ammunition does. Hence, to overcome that DR, Fin still has to purchase cold iron, silver, and adamantine arrows. My bow does transfer its imbued nature to arrows fired from it; thus any arrow I fire is Magic and, if I get Holy added to my bow, it aligns my bow as Good and thus my arrows would be Good as well. I like your interpretation better but the RAW seems to confirm what that GM said:

Ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an enhancement bonus of +1 or higher is treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Similarly, ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an alignment gains the alignment of that projectile weapon (in addition to any alignment it may already have).

Saves are more important than AC at this level so I'd prioritize that. You don't want to fail a save against anything Rasputin throws at us. Though a headband of wis gives you both along with more Ki.

Good point…might have to rethink some purchases with that in mind…definitely getting a headband of wisdom +2…don’t think I’ll have the juice to get +4 a this time…

Maka Na'Shota wrote:

That thing looks great for Quasit!

Yep, now she use needs a ranged weapon that fits her…short bow, perhaps?

That thing does look good for Quasit.

I've been using a plain ol' Light Crossbow up til now, but rogues can use shortbow too, and that'd let me get multiple attacks per round. A +1 Shortbow would probably be enough.

Before we make too many plans about all the lovely magical items we're going to buy and sell, I think once we send the raven off to find the Space Merchant, it usually takes him a day or two to 'fill our order' and meet us, correct? Since we're just touching base at the Hut to collect Miroslav and regroup, I don't think we'll have time to wait for him. Rasputin is obviously not going to let us take a few days off -- if we surrender the initiative, he's going to cook up more nasty surprises for us.

I'm hoping that even if Selena is gonna be 'parked' at the Hut, playing cards with Tez and the Coffin Man, she can still teleport us back to the camp. But this time, we can't teleport back out if things go pear-shaped. This time, we don't stop until Rasputin is dead.

We should discuss in character what the plan is, but I think what I propose is:
(A) Teleport back to the ruined chapel, as before.
(B) Move to take out the NW tower, by the graveyard. Disable machine part 1.
(C) Move south, cutting through the fence between the inner and outer courtyards with Bulvi's adamantine weapon to take SW tower. Disable machine part 2.
(D) Move east among the blockhouses, then take out SE tower. Disable machine part 3.
(E) Move north, cutting through the fence again to reenter inner courtyard. If we haven't yet sprung Headless Horseman, we jump him on our way past.
(F) NE tower, disable machine part 4. -->???-->Profit!

I am game for hounding Rasputin.

So one thing that occurs to me is we just have a Cloak of Resistance +2 in the loot. Bulvi's currently got a cloak of the yeti on which while still handy probably isn't as good as that.

Darksight goggles are a nice way to compensate for his feeble human eyes. 20,000

Boots of striding and springing (5,500) are something I meant to pick up a while back. They're a definite option but Winged Boots (16,000) might be more appropriate for the kind of level we are reaching.

I have never spotted these before... oh my yes. 15,000 https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/e-g/gloves-of-dueling

And it's 14,000 to magic up his sword another level.

You’re more than likely right, Q; but let’s put our order into space-dude and see…if he doesn’t appear before we have to leave, we’ll go…

My primary fear is that we run into more incorporeal dudes…we’ve faced a lot of ‘em last time in and they did a number on Fin (Rasputin sicced ’em on me)…and I used up most of my ghost salt arrows against ‘em…also wouldn’t hurt if I (and we) could increase my saves, particularly Will, a couple of points as Rasputin has at least a couple of spells that are of the ‘Save or Die’ kind…

Your plan sounds great to me…but I’m kinda hoping we level up again before facing Rasputin…

One question though; how do we teleport now that Selena is inactive? Kal can’t take some of us via plant but not all…

I'd be fine with still letting Selena teleport you in and out.

Zilvazaraat does typically take a couple of days to get back to you after you send him a message. He has to travel the planes, getting the best deals on what you've ordered, and wrap up whatever business he was in the middle of.

Hey guys, checking in. I’m rather lucky getting a chance to log in today, but in the next week or three (depending on the orientation stuff) I’ll be starting a new security post. If all goes well, I’ll be able to start posting regularly at that point.

In any case, I’m sorry about being missing lately. Good luck everyone.

Oh, I’m fine with Selena loaning any gear or whatever as needed, and making new consumables if needed, and as she has a few downtime projects to work on, leaving her out of the way to work on those things, especially the spell she is researching may come in handy later and leave her out of the way till I can post again.

Great to hear you've got a new post lined up, hopefully it goes well.

Congrats on the new job! I just got a surprise layoff week before last so I feel your pain when it comes to looking.

As far as Kalchine claiming the boar spear, I'll need a GM judgement call.

Technically, I'm not proficient since Druids aren't actually proficient with all weapons in the Spears group but only a specific list of weapons which include some spears.

Hey guys, checking in. I’m rather lucky getting a chance to log in today, but in the next week or three (depending on the orientation stuff) I’ll be starting a new security post. If all goes well, I’ll be able to start posting regularly at that point.

In any case, I’m sorry about being missing lately. Good luck everyone.

Good luck to you, too!

As far as Kalchine claiming the boar spear, I'll need a GM judgement call.

Technically, I'm not proficient since Druids aren't actually proficient with all weapons in the Spears group but only a specific list of weapons which include some spears.

I don't see why boar spears would be any different for a druid than other spears, go ahead and have proficiency with it.

Excellent! My master plan is almost complete! Mwahahahaha!

I think I'm going to keep Rimeblade, too, if only for symbolic purposes.

And, it actually turns out that Kalchine doesn't have a headband of wisdom, either so I'll add one of those to the order, if I can.

I'm not sure what level he can get, though. The +4 is 16k, which shouldn't be a problem, but the +6 is 36k, which, with the Boar Spear at 18k would put him at 54k, which I think is 1k over his share?

But I may be reading the spreadsheet all wrong.

You keep items at the sell price, so the spear only costs you 9k.

Maka slowly moved to hide behind Quasit.

So there is something (besides Selena) that Maka is afraid of… ;)

Well, alrighty then. Sign me up for one of the best headbands.

OK, I think I actually will pick up those Sniper Goggles (10k) if everyone is ok with that.

For the merchant shopping list, I'd like:
--upgrade Cloack of Resistance from +2 to +5. (23k)
--Goggles of Minute Seeing (+5 to Disable Device)(2.5k)
--Shortbow +1 (2.3k) with some arrows

The rest (7k-ish?) goes for now into the caravel fund.

I realize that's 2 pieces of eyewear. I'm envisioning her wearing the Sniper Goggles either pushed up on her forehead or draped around her neck, steampunk style, and the other goggles stashed away in her pack next to her tools for when she needs to pick a lock.

Had a little left over from previous purchases, so here’s Fin’s shopping list:

Add Holy to Magic Longbow: 32000
Upgrade to +3 Elven Rune Cloak: 5000
Headband of Inspired Wisdom +2: 4000
Bag of Holding: 2500
Ring of Protection +1: 2000
Cracked Dusty Rose Prism: 500
Ghost Salt x2: 400
Durable Arrows (5 Adamantine/3 Cold Iron): 314
Anytool: 250

OK, I think I actually will pick up those Sniper Goggles (10k) if everyone is ok with that.

Fine by me, Q, it’s tailor made for you. You might want to consider making those arrows durable (1 gp/arrow) as they don’t break easily and you can retrieve ‘em most of the time for reuse; and I don’t think Saki’s using the Efficient Quiver so you might be able to use it…

Maka's shopping list:
Upgrade Headband of Wis to +4: 12000
Upgrade Belt of Physical Might Con/Dex to +4: 30000
Keep amulet of natural armor +2: 4000
Sell amulet of natural armor +1: +1000
Total: 45000

Party shopping list:
Wand of Restoration(100gp diamond), 25 charges: 13000
5x Scroll of Restoration(1000gp diamond): 8500
1x Scroll of Raise Dead: 6125
4x Scroll of Remove Blindness/Deafness: 1200
9x Saline Purge: 8100
3x Potion, Remove Paralysis: 900
2x Wand, Cure Light Wounds: 1500
Total: 39325

This will let us deal with a lot of the nasty stuff we'll be dealing with at this level of play, diamond dust all built in. Please share suggestions about more/less stuff or any additional items you think we should add.

I realize that's 2 pieces of eyewear. I'm envisioning her wearing the Sniper Goggles either pushed up on her forehead or draped around her neck, steampunk style, and the other goggles stashed away in her pack next to her tools for when she needs to pick a lock.

Sounds like a good use to me.

Are we ready to move on and head to the camp? No worries if not, just checking…

I'm good to move on

Yeah, I think so. If we aren't waiting for the Space Merchant Doordash, then about the only other thing we could do is have an in character discussion of our specific plans for our latest incursion to the camp. I think we all basically are in agreement, but if anyone wants to hash that out for character reasons, I'm open to it.

I guess I need to make a shopping list. How much do we get per person? I'm open to suggestions.

I guess I need to make a shopping list. How much do we get per person?

I think Maka said it’s 45K gp…

I’m open to suggestions.

Fin would definitely suggest +5 Lingerie ;)

Seriously though, I can’t speak much on things to supplement your casting ability, but improving saving throws are always good, especially at these high levels. You’ve already maxed your Cloak of Resistance, but you might want to look into amber ioun stones as their save bonuses stack…

Yeah, I think so. If we aren't waiting for the Space Merchant Doordash, then about the only other thing we could do is have an in character discussion of our specific plans for our latest incursion to the camp. I think we all basically are in agreement, but if anyone wants to hash that out for character reasons, I'm open to it.

Roger that, I’ll make a post having Fin return to the Hut when I get off work…

I guess I need to make a shopping list. How much do we get per person? I'm open to suggestions.

Metamagic rods are always useful. Some sort of wand with a good offensive spell to fall back on?

Selective and Quicken are good metamagic rods
Rod of the Wayang increases Shadow Spell DC
Crook of Cildhureen lets you increase Shadow Spell realness
Getting your headband of Cha to +6
A Belt of Con would help with survivability
Four-Leaf clover is always handy
You could get a portable hole for all the things you can do with a portable hole