Ascension - Thieves Guild - Reboot (Inactive)

Game Master bbangerter

Ah, these peaceful and quiet weekends.

Just the time for a little bike trip through the country-side. Or it would have been, if Denmark wasn't suffering under drizzling rain.

We have nice and summer-y weather here....

How dreadful it is. The bloody insects flying around wherever they please, the people screaming like idiots and dressed even more scandalous than ever...

I yearn for winter, or at the very least, the death of the insects.

Huzzah. insect murder.
*glances at characters powers.*
Wait a minute...

So having just seen them now I have to say I am pleased by the advanced character guide changes that Paizo just put out.

They nerfed the crap out of divine protection, something none of our group appears to have been building toward but I'm frankly not surprised.
The feat was ridiculous and deserved to get Sparta kicked into a hole.

Oh, also did you ever make a decision regarding the Dazing spell MM and multiple hits in a round?
I know there were ruling in 3.5 about spells not being able to stack multiple saves on an enemy. My looking around personally has shown no ruling for or against from an official source though.

Wow... Didn't even know about that feat... But 5th level Cleric/Druid/Oracles could just get super saves?
Sounds dumb...

It was alright on casters that didn't mainline charisma but it turned oracles into 9th level spell progression spell immune gods.
It is well and truly dead now.

That and Dreamed secrets along with some other Oracle shenanigans basically let them fill in on the role of out of combat Arcane spell caster as well.
That is still active but it is much harder to mitigate Dreamed secrets and its will save or wisdom damage piece now.

If Alexia died I had such an idea in mind as we are rather low on spell caster in this group. Might as well get the best bang for the buck.
Though I had no intention of taking the feat myself as it is cheese to the highest degree.

Then you better save it, otherwise I am not going to hear the end of it with Arkhan at some point...
He has this dream to out-cheese a friend of ours who have played so much Pathfinder that he is able to do... Stupid things, shall we put it at that?

And Arkhan doesn't shy away from a challenge.. Though he should.

*shrug*

In my own gaming circle I end up being "That guy" far too often.
So yes, nuclear character options will be saved until we get backed into a corner by other supped up PC's.

Though looking at the modifications that just got done to the Arcanist I think Alexia is going to need to swap to wizard. That or have some significant retooling.
the Errata changes a bunch of core things with the Arcanist class to rely on Charisma more and make it so you can't just cherry pick around the bits of the class which require it (Like I was doing).

@GM ascension
On that topic what is your ruling about Dazing spell and multi-target spells like Magic missile? Considering picking it up potentially the actual feat, more likely in rod form.

I am going to allow multiple dazing MM's vs the same target to require multiple saves.

Welp that means Brooches of shielding are going to be something I'll be gunning for quickly.

It is near child's play to get a debuff spell to stick if you can force four mid range will saves against the same target in the same round. Its why the witch's misfortune hex is used so often. That re-roll/ take lowest stuff is highly valuable unless your opponent happens to bathe in four leaf clovers.

There are of course other spells that could be the vector for the Dazing MM but it seems like magic missile is in perfect position to be the first pick.

At least until Dazing fireball or Dazing wall of fire come into the picture but that will be a bit.

Sure it is only a 1 round daze but with optimized synth summoners and maxed out PC's on the table that's a death sentence.

Sure it is only a 1 round daze but with optimized synth summoners and maxed out PC's on the table that's a death sentence.

This!

A good reason to try to avoid pvp.

Yeah, if we run into an issue where the class people is determining how successful you can be in a game, then I'll prolly consider switching classes and optimising through the roof. I dislike it, but it sounds like these Synth Summoners are forcing everyone to optimise to their level, or otherwise risk straight up losing. If I was in their shoes, I'd be going out of my way to force PvP fights whenever they can.

Hmh. How effective is it to seek out the most painless option in every situation that includes fighting? A tactical retreat.

A.K.A:
Can we optimize running away?

Yeah, if we run into an issue where the class people is determining how successful you can be in a game, then I'll prolly consider switching classes and optimising through the roof. I dislike it, but it sounds like these Synth Summoners are forcing everyone to optimise to their level, or otherwise risk straight up losing. If I was in their shoes, I'd be going out of my way to force PvP fights whenever they can.

We owned them the first time we met, but they probably rebuilt to defend our tactics ie. From the game thread, a few of them appear to be some form of elf to nullify my sleep now and they added a synthesis summoner like Tony.

I'm here for the RP anyway. The pvp bogged down posting. I'm looking forward to getting into some good RPing. I wouldn't mind seeing Alexia's pet dropping a empowered shocking grasp on the caster followed up with a sniping shot from Land to see if we could assassinate her though! ;)

Back to posting...

Yeah, I'm here for the RP / fun with the character over anything else, which is why I'm playing an infiltration character. Prolly not super optimised like a Synth Summoner, but I'm having a heck of a lot more fun playing with her than I would if I was playing some sort of mega optimised Synth Summoner =]

@Drovic
I was actually talking about GM ascensions boss monsters more than the other players with the dazing MM thing. Daze is irritatingly difficult to defend against unless it specifically states it is mind affecting. Stuff like the Nobility domain channel cleric are astoundingly painful for that reason.

Hmh. How effective is it to seek out the most painless option in every situation that includes fighting? A tactical retreat.

A.K.A:
Can we optimize running away?

Short answer, yes and no.

There are plenty of magic items/spells or feats that help a player escape a situation or abilities that can be put in place to make escape easier. Trouble is that ultimately we need to assume that those we are challenging are of equal skill as we are.
So effectively any trick we use to escape needs to be impossible to detect or see in action before it goes off or it needs to be accepted as a one time thing.

The second option is as we are thieves we could always accept that our foes might catch us and plan contingencies to such things.

The tower jail exists as a physical place and can be entered, regardless of the sort of curses they plant on one of our physical bodies we can escape any and all hooks they might have in us with Reincarnation.
Not the best option for keeping a happy gender/race identity but a good option to resort to in order to avoid the whole "Killed you once and now I got a vial of you blood" trick.

If they really turn up the heat then we start getting creative. I know of about four or five dirty tricks that I could pull on the lot of them that would reduce them to sitting ducks for you all to stab.
*glances to scroll collection*
I'm sitting on one of them right now.

Hrmm.. that didn't seem like much of a short answer. *shrug*
We can definitely work on the escaping angle as being our groups focus.

Once we get some cash flow I can start working on stuff to help with that as well.

EDIT: *Snort*
I just realized that with the way this is going the Mage tower players/ City government NPCs are the GDI to our NOD.

Dazing MM is in a weird place.

Against multiple targets it certainly would required a save from each target (just like a dazing fireball would). Likewise, a dazing chill touch would require a save each time chill touch struck was triggered on an opponent round after round. Which then comes to, how would I have ruled for a dazing chill touch cast by a magus with iterative attacks in a round - well each separate application of damage is a new save. Which then led me to feel dazing MM on a single target should work the same (personally I'd think a caster better off targeting multiples at the chance of neutralizing more than one target for a round...). Throw in the brooch or a shield spell to block dazing MM and I was okay with it.

As for the PvP aspect, currently I'm pushing groups away from it - there will be some again in the future, but none of the groups actually like it much - not as much fun as the RP side of things - and as a GM it actually is kind of painful because I have to try and make sure every detail of every rule gets followed as strictly as possible. :)

First off, sorry for my lack of writing anything here. Vacation just stopped and I am trying to get back into a rhythm where I can act in everything I have stuck my greasy fingers into.

Secondly, I think that however you shove and push it, we are going to be a bit f%+*ed in a PvP scenario. Unless we jump out from the shadows and get the drop on everybody, I can't see how we can win a straight up PvP-Showdown.
This is not because we are weak, this is simply because the others might have more arcane power to sling around and, let's be honest, slinging arcane powers and bending the universe to your will is most certainly a way to win over those who can't do that.

Now, on the subject of running away, I think we are pretty solid, as is. If they get too close I shove them away and we keep running. Or we just run away like the sly thieves we are and fade into black.

Personally, I am not a big fan of PvP. It get's messy, people get emotional *Cough*Myself*Cough* and only 2-3 people go out form it feeling satisfied about it...
I do however like the RP of it all.. So there you have my two cents about it.

Sorry again for not saying anything... I think I have found the rhythm now.

I think our primary benefit in a PvP situation should be the terrain itself. Casters can do a lot of damage, but that damage is severely limited if his targets are spread apart. If I could get the time to position myself on a rooftop, I could personally inflict more than a few twings of pain on both heavily armored and those darn mages as well.

To escape...tennacles, cloud, dim door. We are good.

I have the divination school power. While it might not be worth it for everyone we could consider each devoting a slot to the feat "Lookout"
which would mean that even when ambushed we participate in a surprise round at our normal initiative. Then drop fog and bolt or whatever.

Oh, I was actually semi-considering taking that feat.
However, in my usual group we hardly have a culture of taking any form of team-work based feats, so I decided not to mention it.

Edit: In other news, what do you fellows think of the new Occult Adventure classes? I'll be looking forward to playing a con-man as a mesmerist.

With rare exceptions teamwork feats are kind of garbage in comparison to normal ones with a few notable exceptions. and only with a class that can use them well (Hunter and Inquisitor)
Outflank and Escape route are the two winners in my book

Though Elemental Commixture has always made me want to convince someone else to play a one half of a Duo of Evocation(Admixture) wizards with me. Some of those combos (and the DC stacking) can get rather brutal.

As to Occult I'll admit I didn't pay much attention to the playtest. And I'm not part of the club for Paizo subscriptions so I have yet to see or hear much
I know that there had been a tidal wave of feedback for the Kinetic/elemental class but I've not heard much of the other classes yet.

I threw up a post yesterday to give an opportunity to RP if the other group drags things out, but I am fine to watch if that is better.

Checking in. I hope everyone has a great day...except the mages. I hope they die horrible in-game deaths. ;)

Yessir! Let them suffer terrribly.

Checking in.

Obligatory check in. ;)

Would like to point out that I still exist in this plane of existence, tho my actions speak against it.

Should be getting everyone into the action here tomorrow I expect.

Should be getting everyone into the action here tomorrow I expect.

Sounds good.

I feel like wearing glasses might be a thing easily waved away but fair enough.

I am also struck with the suicidal urge to Murder-Gank Diguri now.
Oh and while it would negate that list and mean I learn nothing I can't help but feel our mistress would have something like the infiltrators mail

I feel like wearing glasses might be a thing easily waved away but fair enough.

I am also struck with the suicidal urge to Murder-Gank Diguri now.
Oh and while it would negate that list and mean I learn nothing I can't help but feel our mistress would have something like the infiltrators mail

That is an interesting gem of an item I was not aware of. She might have to go purchase said item.

It is very nice for a sneaky type. I'm hoping our party can emulate it on a cheaper method by having Drovic cast communal Mask Dweomer on our big ticket magic items that we need to have in the open. Lead lined sheaths and other mundane detection defenses for everything else. Each casting being 7 items means it ends up as an investment to use the defense but is viable if we need it.

The biggest purchase Diguri could ever made have would be a magic item that casts "Mind Blank" once per day.
Then she is just flat out immune to the school of divination and registers as a normal old whatever the hell she wants to be. Max out stealth and Disguise and laugh at any attempts to actually catch you.

A 1/day use item of such would value out to about 40,000gp and be actually worth all the ransoms of gold a thief could ever find. No longer needing to worry about wizards finding you with some stupid magic trick that you can't avoid is a dream every thief in this city has had at some point.

A couple of questions:
1) Who are the Usturn?
2) Who is Rakinkal?
3) Should I still try to make my meeting from the intro before we leave Coran?

Sorry if I should know some of these answers...

The usturn (been spelling that wrong, damnit.) Is a guild similar to yours that rules the night in Issut Hold. Thats to the south of Coran if I recall correct.
Rakinal is one of the leaders.

The usturn (been spelling that wrong, damnit.) Is a guild similar to yours that rules the night in Issut Hold. Thats to the south of Coran if I recall correct.

Rakinal is one of the leaders.

Thanks!

Not just a leader, but the head honcho of the Usturn.

For #3, yes. You should plan to still make it to that.

I swear, whenever I feel safe and confident that I can go at least a couple of days without checking the thread, because the females members of the thread has been so busy, suddenly everything springs into motion again and high-adventure resumes for us laddies.
I'll give Marcello a slap on the back of his head, and we will come up with our replies as soon as possible.

For now, I have some yard work to do.

we are sneaky like that.
Make sure to dance quickly, lest the rain swell your wooden shoes.

I am waiting to see if the other two want to chime in before moving to the garden.

So with the Mage group distracted with Rakinkal that would be an excellent time for Alexia to go wrap the hanging plot thread that she came into town for at the mage's tower.

Also potentially break/enter in order to destroy the bodys they still likely have somewhere. Drovic is kind of boned if any of the mages decide they want to scry on him right now. Might be good to kill that off as well.

Though swooping in to loot Rakinkal out from under the mage group also sounds delicious.

Checking in

Going to sleep soon, have work in about 12 hours. I'll respond with a larger post if I can before work and will attempt to pull smaller ones at work when I can spare the time.

Welp, looks like Paizo ate my post. And im now at work so ill have to wait until I'm home to rewrite it. Ill see if i can do a cliff notes version on my lunch break

Yep. Crashed about 1 hr ago.

Daily check in.

Amusingly it is now I realize that with the limitations I have set out for myself I seem to only possess two potential lines of Dialogue at the moment.
Lie or threats. Lies in this instance will likely be easy to detect.

Guys are just hanging out. Nothing really to post.

We're leaning back, sipping drinks and waiting to shoot up some shit.

I'm still here, just listening in on Alexia.