Congrats, Table 2! I want to welcome each of you! Please dot gameplay and then delete the dotting post and we'll get going within 24 hours!
Please make any last minute purchases and make sure you're familiar with the Player's Guide as it is cannon for your original entry into Zelkor's Ferry. Initial post will be coming in the next 24 hours or so. If you wish to RP before I get over there you may assume that you meet your companions in the Bristleback Inn. Because what other way can an adventure begin?
Hooray! I'm really excited for this game. I will get my alias made up and everything tomorrow.
Unfortunately I have Jury Duty tomorrow, but they said I can bring technology, so (hopefully) I will still be able to post. :)
I've played Pathfinder for a couple years, both in real life and online through Roll20 (and a little GMing noob games), but this is my first play-by-post campaign, and I am super stoked! The main character I regularly play with is an Unchained Rogue, so playing a Paladin/Skald will be a refreshing change of pace.
(I am assuming "Discussion" is for OOC posts, and IC posts belong on "Gameplay," correct?)
Woot!
Looking forward to the game.
GM: Do you have a particular format you would like for stats that appear under your name?
I'm really looking forward to this. Always wanted to die in one of these killer dungeons.
I am assuming "Discussion" is for OOC posts, and IC posts belong on "Gameplay," correct?
... mostly, yes, but in gameplay you can use the "ooc" tag to mark things that are out of character, and typically pre-game RP is done here rather than over there (at least in games I have been in).
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Zadira yawns, coming down from her room at the Bristleback Inn for some breakfast. Before her, she sees that most of the adventurers she's been watching are gathered here as well. This group, unlike most of the others she's seen come through, might have a slight chance of survival. She decides to go for it.
Hey, you lot. Who's up for going down in the dungeon this fine day? I'm very good with traps and the like, I have magic, and I'm a fair shot, so I'm a good flexible person to have around... but I'll never survive alone. Nor will any of you, honestly. So, what say we team up and give it a go?
We might die like so many others. We might get filthy rich. We might discover knowledge hidden for centuries. In any case, you wouldn't have traveled this far if you didn't have a reason to try. So let's do it.
You know you want to, even if I'm not the most beautiful and glittery thing you've seen all day.
Whoops... forgot to delete my dot in gameplay.
Is all good. Intro post will come soon.
Intro is up!
Grelthe is a team player. She might not do the most damage, but she can definitely take a beating, and makes her allies stronger, tougher (through Inspire Rage), and faster (through Teamwork Feat Lookout). She also has a medium assortment of healing spells (6/day lay on hands or up to 3/day channel energy, and a wand of cure light wounds).
She is risking life and limb to explore Rappan Athuk as her civic duty to eradicate evil. Also, she may or may not be on a secret mission from her King.
((Quick Note to DM: I found a few minor errors in my character (forget FCB, have 1 too many traits, forgot to add deflection bonus to AC) that I will be correcting.))
Hello all made it here
I'll finish buying bedrolls and rations and backpacks tonight.
Anyone with a high Strength want to carry some gear for me? I need to get a handy haversack.
I'm still finishing up my mundane items as well, but I can carry 300lbs and I'm only at 1/3 capacity not counting mundanes, so I think Grelthe should have space in her backpack for some of your stuff too.
Once you all get acquainted and semi together I'll go ahead and move us on to the exciting bit. What you all have to decide is whether to tackle the secondary entrance or the primary entrance to the dungeon itself. You should be well within the power range to deal with either, so don't think you're committing suicide by picking one over the other.
Tough choice. That one story in the player's companion comes to mind about opening the door and finding little greasy spots with broken armor. That was the main entrance I think. :) ... Not saying the other entrance isn't as bad, but I can't remember the negative stories as vividly, so I vote secondary entrance. :)
What is the standard for how often to post? I don't want to hog the limelight, so I have been waiting for everyone to have a turn to say/do something, is that right? or should I just go ahead with interacting with Zadira?
I have a rather unorthodox intro planned for Kayla. but I was hoping to have most of the group already sitting together at a table.
Please bear with me as this intro was a wacky idea my son suggested I I thought it sounded interesting....we shall see.
Choon, don't be in too much of a rush to start. this may be one of the few times we can interact and role-play without the threat of death or dismemberment lurking around a corner.
You may interact as you are as quickly as you like. I only ask that you post at least once a day to keep things moving. Especially in combat. If 24 hrs passes in combat without a post I may bot you. Not to be mean, but there's a lot of combat in this thing and we can't afford to loose pace.
Yes, I plan for you all to get a good feel for each other before I feed you to the depths. :)
Khouri, you can keep talking to me. We aren't in battle, so we can just talk back and forth. Others will jump in when they are ready.
If we're in battle or otherwise in a situation that requires initiative... escaping someplace where timing matters, etc, then you would wait for the GM to announce the next round before posting again.
Edit: Most of that was a repeat of what the GM said. I was typing at the same time; sorry.
Kayla--looking forward to your dramatic entrance. :)
Sorry I haven't got my alias up and going yet. I had an unusually busy day. And I want to do a second time through my character sheet as I have not played Gestalt before and I need to quadruple-check I'm not missing anything.
I have tomorrow off so I will get it done then. Until then don't feel a need to wait for me especially if you are just RPing.
GM Choon:
Quick question: Would the punching dagger be affected by feats like weapon focus and my deific obedience the same way as normal daggers?
I thin the RAW answer is no, but if it doesn't bother you I hope you will allow it. I kind of like the image of fighting in melee with punching daggers instead of regular ones. Mechanically punching daggers cannot be thrown and have a x3 crit range instead of 19-20 x 2. If I can only have one I will stick with regular dagger (because I can throw them).
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BTW working on mundane gear now. I got rid of my scroll of resist energy so I could afford a Holy Symbol Tattoo, which I had already worked into my description, but didn't really think about it before.
Okay, mundane gear is complete.
I don't think so unfortunately. I'm pretty sure there are a couple of gods that have punching daggers as their weapon specifically.
What is our effective character level? 4 or 6?
It's hard to determine with my build shenanigans. I'll be dialing it in with the first few encounters.
okedokes, I didn't need to it to calculate anything specific anyway, just curious
So speaking of Melkar's/Heavydisking's/Tundran's comment in gameplay re:feedback on character sheets before we officially start with the adventure portion...
I am pretty overwhelmed with the sheer amount of spells available for Bard & Paladin, and I have the ability to create scrolls too, so if there are any specific spells you know of and would recommend, I will make sure to buy some to start with (or copy from your spellbook if you have one but I don't think anyone does).
The teamwork feats I took are Lookout (Any ally who could act in surprise round enables adjacent allies to do so too) and Outflank (+4 on attack rolls when flanking, critical hits enable AoO from flanking ally). Lookout will be what I will start each day with, but I can easily switch once in combat. I think those are pretty strong choices for this party, but I will continue to earn more bonus teamwork feats as we level up, so if there is anything in particular you think would benefit the party, let me know. (2 of the others I was looking at are Escape Route & Stealth Synergy.)
And my Inspire Rage Song is optional, so everyone can individually choose whether or not to accept it. Melkar, I figure this will mostly affect you since the rest seem to be DEX based.
I will finish my mundane stuff tonight.
Melkar, your feats & skills look good to me. I feel like I don't give the best equipment advice, but what you have looks good (I wish I could have afforded both magic armor and a magic weapon!) however I think you should have more gold left? I'm getting a total of 2,998 gold spent?
Looks like we have four people in the party prepared to deal with traps. In this dungeon maybe that's not a bad thing.
Elion has the trapfinding class feature and can deal with magical traps (though it looks like he forgot to buy thieves' tools?) and Zadira has some things that help her notice traps because of her archetype.
I don't have trapfinding, just a good DEX and WIS.
I do not have trapfinding either
Yeah, I had originally had the character with the Seeker Archetype too on the other class so she could also disable magical traps... but not sure the trade-offs there are worth it. Still open to it if people think it is worth giving up stonecunning, etc.
What are we doing about the river (provided we encounter it)? Folding boats are super expensive. I got a spell that gives a swim speed, and a one-time-use swan boat feather token, but that could leave us stranded.
Also, does everyone have hands-free lighting (or darkvision)? I have both and a light spell, but Light can only make one thing shine at a time, so I can't cast it for the whole party, unfortunately.
I don't think so unfortunately. I'm pretty sure there are a couple of gods that have punching daggers as their weapon specifically.
Fair enough.
There are four gods on the Archives of Nethys that have punching dagger as a sacred weapon.
Well that intro went well, I'll have thank my son for the idea.
What are we doing about the river (provided we encounter it)? Folding boats are super expensive. I got a spell that gives a swim speed, and a one-time-use swan boat feather token, but that could leave us stranded.
I have a scroll of Hanspur's flotsam vessel. I could also prepare it if necessary. Despite the name it is not restricted to clerics of Hanspur. Also I am aquatic.
Also, does everyone have hands-free lighting (or darkvision)? I have both and a light spell, but Light can only make one thing shine at a time, so I can't cast it for the whole party, unfortunately.
I have darkvision.
Kayla has low-light vision, but not darkvision.
Elion has no special vision abilities but it looks like he can make light.
I do have a magical light source as well.
{ioun stone torch}
Also, does everyone have hands-free lighting (or darkvision)?
I have darkvision (no lowlight vision) and Dancing Lights as a cantrip - it only lasts a minute at a time, but it can go over 100ft.
What are we doing about the river (provided we encounter it)?I have a scroll of Hanspur's flotsam vessel.
The only solution I had in mind was air bladders, but those are very temporary. If I read Hanspur's flotsam vessel right, that should make a boat big enough for 4 people, plus Catarya can breathe underwater, so that would still leave 1 of us out (which is where the MonkeyFish spell would come in handy). The Swan Song Boat lasts for a whole day and is definitely large enough for all of us.
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There was also a lot of mention of climbing and flying, I was going to bring a climbing kit, but I saw someone already had one - however the listing doesn't say how much rope etc, there is in the kit, so IDK if it might be good to have 2 anyway?
Okay, good. Sounds like we've got at least the basic light and river covered... or well, not *covered* so much as at least considered. :)
We have trapfinders. We have spellcasters. My favored enemy is undead, and I get +1 DC on all spells when I'm underground. I can speak with / influence vermin... what else are we going to meet, or need? I have a mapmaking kit and chalk, but that won't help us with portals... I can cast spider climb, but couldn't afford slippers of it or anything, so still can't give it to the whole party. Can everyone climb or swim? I'm not good at it, but I have spells to make up for it, at least to some extent.
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I have 200 feet of silk rope if we just need extra rope, but probably everyone should bring some rope. I also have a climber's kit, but not sure if that is the one you already saw.
Can everyone climb or swim?
I have +4 to each without my armor. Catarya is the only other one (besides you) who dumped STR. Since they are both usable untrained, everyone should at least have the capacity to be not horrible (if not great). It looks like they are both class skills for everyone too.
Kayla:
Climb +7
Swim +?
Elion:
Climb +3
Swim +1
Catarya:
Climb: +3
Swim: +12
Melkar: ?
(And yes, I believe it was your climber's kit)
I did forget the thieves tools. I'll add them. As for light, I can shoot a 20 ft cone of light out of my eyes with an additional 20 feet that adjusts the light level by one. It only costs my psionic focus and lasts 10 minutes per level. I regain my psionic focus as a full round action
Oooh. Your own personal headlights. :) Shiny.
I have darkvision of course.
As it stands now, I would be at +1 Climb and -2 Swim. I could move at least one skill rank into each which would make them at least decent with the class bonus.
As far as my gear, here's what I figure:
+1 agile half-plate = 850 base + 150 mw + 1000 enhancement = 2000 gp
+1 cold iron scythe = 18 base x2 cold iron + 300 mw + 2000 enhancement = 2336
greatclub = 5
longbow = 75
40 arrows = 2
40 blunt arrows = 4
warpriest's kit = 16
Total = 4438
IIRC we were limited to 2500 for a group of items like weapons or armor. Without that restriction I would move to +1 full plate but I think that would be 2650. But it would give me +2 AC overall and less penalty. Also I would pick up a masterwork composite longbow but that would put me over on weapons.
So with my ~500 left over, what potions/adventuring gear do I need to pick up? Or are we better off if I give that to someone else to help buy an extra wand or something?
I haven't played much past 4th level yet and definitely not in such a deadly adventure so I'm a little unsure.
@Khouri P: Yes I love that I get double rage rounds since I can use yours! And getting access to outflank will be awesome too.
As far as my gear, here's what I figure...
Ah, you are right, I forgot Cold Iron doubles the cost for magic enhancement. Sorry to make you doublecheck your math.
Question for DM: one of the spells I took "Saving Finale" has a cast time of immediate, and I have to already be using bardic performance to cast it, BUT I just realized by bardic performance is raging song, and I can't cast spells while raging (but I can end a rage as a free action). SO I am not sure if I can use this spell or not? Can I take both a free action to end the rage and an immediate action to cast the spell?
Melkar:
Ah, you are right, I forgot Cold Iron doubles the cost for magic enhancement. Sorry to make you doublecheck your math.
Weapons made of cold iron cost twice as much to make as their normal counterparts. Also, adding any magical enhancements to a cold iron weapon increases its price by 2,000 gp. This increase is applied the first time the item is enhanced, not once per ability added.
It's not exactly double... it's an extra 2000 gp. So enchanting a masterwork weapon to +3 costs +20,000, not +18,000. But for +1 weapons it is double, from +2000 to +4000. So:
As far as my gear, here's what I figure:
+1 cold iron scythe = 18 base x2 cold iron + 300 mw + 2000 enhancement = 2336
Therefore a +1 cold iron scythe costs 4336 gp, because the enchantment to +1 costs +4000. The other numbers are correct. For a steel weapon it would only be +2000.
Remember though, a masterwork weapon has the same hit chance and the only difference is it does 1 point of damage less. But you could buy a bunch of oils of magic weapon to pour on it if you are worried about DR/magic.
You could also get a masterwork Silversheen scythe for 9+300+750=1059 gp instead of a masterwork cold iron one for 318.
Or you could keep the Scythe as cold iron, and with the money you save, get a masterwork alchemical silver Earth Breaker as backup to replace your greatclub, which will cost 520 gp. I would probably do that.
IIRC we were limited to 2500 for a group of items like weapons or armor. Without that restriction I would move to +1 full plate but I think that would be 2650.
If you don't need the agile property of the agile half-plate, you could just get masterwork full plate instead of +1 half-plate. MW full plate is 1650 and you could also add armor spikes for another 50. From the sound of it this would improve your AC by 1 because it improves your max DEX bonus.
Get it enchanted to +1 when you have 1000 gp to spare. Hopefully that won't be too long.
Unfortunately, saving finale and some other spells that work like it aren't useable with basic raging song. There are feats (or is it a rage power) for that kind of thing, however.
Does anyone have any magic item healing?
It looks like we don't have a lot of divine power in the group. I am a Warpriest 4, and we have a Paladin 4, and it looks like the two of us are probably the best healers in the group. Melkar is also a 1st level warpriest, but since he is evil he can't do cure spells spontaneously (he does inflict instead).
Overall that isn't that great. There aren't any full clerics or oracles in our party. Personally I can't afford to burn too many spell slots healing everyone, and Grelthe is likely in the same boat with lay on hands.
So it would seem prudent to play fairly defensively for a while and then try to stock up on magic item healing, like wands of CLW, if we can get them.
Grelthe:
Rally point is not a terrible spell, but remember that any individual creature only gets a total of a 1 round buff from it. So I'm not sure it's as good as you may have thought. I think I would usually prefer the +1 from bless which lasts 1 minute. Also rally point won't help Melkar or Kayla, since they are not good.
It's kind of selfish and you won't be able to cast it while raging song is going, but there's hero's defiance which is a great "save your bacon" spell.
Also in case you don't know about it there is this feat: Greater Mercy
Unfortunately, saving finale and some other spells that work like it aren't useable with basic raging song. There are feats (or is it a rage power) for that kind of thing, however.
Moment of Clarity (from CRB) is a rage power that lets you "turn off" the benefits and disadvantages of raging for 1 round, without actually ending your rage (so you don't take fatigue).
But it takes a swift action to activate and is only once per rage, so you kind of have to know ahead of time when you will need to use it, which makes it pretty useless for something like saving finale.
By my reading, saving finale will still work with other performances like Song of Marching and Song of Strength, but not with Inspired Rage.
I couldn't find a feat that lets you cast spells in a rage. But I might not know where to look.
Does anyone have any magic item healing? It looks like we don't have a lot of divine power in the group. (...) There aren't any full clerics or oracles in our party. ...try to stock up on magic item healing, like wands of CLW, if we can get them.
Grelthe does have a wand of CLW, actually, and +9 to use it, but since I will likely be in melee and needing both hands, I was thinking it might be of more benefit in the hands of someone like Zadira instead?
Spell notes for Grelthe...
Rally point, bless, hero's defiance
I did know Rally Point only lasted 1 round, but forgot we have 2 non-good allies. I will switch it out. I did look at Hero's Defiance, but since I have Orc Ferocity, I figured I can use the extra round to heal myself, but that is only a 1/day power, so it might still be a good idea to take a back-up.
I did not know about Greater Mercy, that is awesome! Thanks....ending your rage (so you don't take fatigue).
Skald rage is fatigue-free :)