Jess, if you're gonna dip UnRogue, go 4 levels, not 3 (UnR 4 gets you Dex-to-damage with one of your weapons).
Actually, she'd get that at 3rd-level (unless it's been errata-ed?).
Wait a sec.... Is that your backhanded way of saying you don't want an annoying, ineffective sidekick? ;)
You're right, I brain-locked on what level they get that at. UnRogue 4 is the injury thing when they sneak attack, also a very nice thing to have going on, so level 4 is still pretty sweet, just not insanely must-have as 3 is.
And I figure I'm stuck with you no matter what class levels you pick, aren't I? ;)
Just for kicks, I did a little hit/miss analysis akin to Jessi's. I had... slightly better results. I may be stealing your luck, or something.
nd I figure I'm stuck with you no matter what class levels you pick, aren't I? ;)
Looks that way. :)
Moving on to 'Back-to-the-Nest' Plans...a few observations/ideas/questions:
1. Do we move in 3 groups of 5 or 5 groups of 3? (My vote is for the latter, as each group could include a Silver Raven who knows where HQ is located.)
2. Jessi can use prestidigitation to color and vary the escapees' clothes (assuming they're all wearing similar prison/saltworker uniforms).
3. Not sure how good Mallus is at disguising his race. If it is/becomes common knowledge that a strix was among the escapees, he (and Kiri) might need disguises.
4. We gonna abandon the rowboat in the sewers or attempt to row it back to the Nest at a later time? Should we at least move it elsewhere in the sewers so the Dottari/Queensmen won't know which grate we exited the sewers from (assuming they even check the sewers, of course)?
As for the boat, I'd say try to get it back another time, and move it before we leave.
1. Smaller groups makes sense to me. Are we just letting the mercs disperse and go wherever they want or are we taking them back to HQ?
3. Can we bundle Mallus up so he might be mistaken for a slightly more common Tengu? We could always pretend he is the long lost Fushi brother ;)
4. I say we try to reclaim it somehow, either now or later. Could send a larger group back in the boat now if we want to take care of it, either way.
And welcome to the 8 STR Club! Pretty sure Davina and Kiri are in that boat, as were the two characters who drifted away from the game (Lydia and Lucius).
With the Level 2 rebuild I am now at 10 strength. I couldn't stand having that big a negative in an ability. It was driving me crazy.
1. Smaller groups makes sense to me. Are we just letting the mercs disperse and go wherever they want or are we taking them back to HQ?
3. Can we bundle Mallus up so he might be mistaken for a slightly more common Tengu? We could always pretend he is the long lost Fushi brother ;)
4. I say we try to reclaim it somehow, either now or later. Could send a larger group back in the boat now if we want to take care of it, either way.
1. I don't like the idea of bringing all the prisoners back to HQ. Davina is turning out to be a bit paranoid. Let's let them drift away and call them as needed. Maybe bring back the leader and Papa Strix. Did we possibly get another team with this rescue?
2. Why not take the sewers with Mallus if he's ok with it of course, and bring the boat back to HQ. That way he and Kiri stay off the streets for a few days.
@Jessibel, I have to be honest that I don't know how well either of those classes hash out with mulitclassing, they are still very new to me. I just know that in general, the more things you try to focus on, the less effective you will be at the lot.
I know the Unchained Rogue has made efforts toward shoring up the Rogue's weaknesses, but I know from personal experience that sneak attacks look a lot better on paper than they tend to work in practice in Pathfinder. They don't stack up on crits and there are a lot of things just waiting to laugh off precision damage. I've learned to trust a flat added bonus to your damage much more after having played a rogue up to level 5-6. There's nothing that will take the wind out of your sails faster than working your little acrobatic behind off to achieve the flank and then rolling up a horde of 1's on your SA's or getting the news from the GM that this thing has DR or hardness or is immune to your best shot. Dex to damage will certainly help, but I'd hate for you to end up with another disappointing feature.
Definitely go for what sounds most fun to you and the rest of us can suggest bits and bobs to make it work well. ^_^
1. I don't like the idea of bringing all the prisoners back to HQ. Davina is turning out to be a bit paranoid. Let's let them drift away and call them as needed. Maybe bring back the leader and Papa Strix. Did we possibly get another team with this rescue?
2. Why not take the sewers with Mallus if he's ok with it of course, and bring the boat back to HQ. That way he and Kiri stay off the streets for a few days.
I'm a little lost as to exactly what you guys are talking about, but I suddenly have a feeling like I failed an audition. Should I be reading the backlog on the gameplay thread?
The list of SA-resistant foes has been pared down considerably since 3.5, and few of the remaining ones (elementals, oozes, swarms are the key ones left, IIRC) are ones I'd bet on having extensive appearances in this AP. I think either thing works fine as a 3 level run, long as you're cognizant of what you're giving up (caster level, bardic performance improvement).
I'm a little lost as to exactly what you guys are talking about, but I suddenly have a feeling like I failed an audition. Should I be reading the backlog on the gameplay thread?1. I don't like the idea of bringing all the prisoners back to HQ. Davina is turning out to be a bit paranoid. Let's let them drift away and call them as needed. Maybe bring back the leader and Papa Strix. Did we possibly get another team with this rescue?
2. Why not take the sewers with Mallus if he's ok with it of course, and bring the boat back to HQ. That way he and Kiri stay off the streets for a few days.
Catching up on the Gameplay thread eventually wouldn't hurt, but I'll give you a head's up of where we're at currently. Looking at This Map for reference, the red star to the north is the location of the Nest (the Silver Ravens' hideout/HQ); Area O3 (west side of the city, near the river) is the saltworks where Nicolae and the other prisoners were held, and we're now in a safe house in Old Kintargo somewhere east of that. The rescue party took a large rowboat through the sewers of the Villegre district and then around the castle to the saltworks.
Another important thing to note on the map is that there's only one bridge (the Bleakbridge) connecting the part of Kintargo located on Argo Isle with the part located on the north bank of the Yolubilis River. In order to regroup at the Nest, we're going to have to take that bridge...or one or more boats.
If I have time this afternoon, I'll try to write up a brief campaign recap for you.
@Davina: Jessi's just as paranoid, but her worry is that if we just let the prisoners wander off into Old Kintargo (where any government search will likely start), one or more may be captured and interrogated.
If we do go the small groups route and get stopped by a patrol, it wouldn't hurt to have a cover story ready. I came up with a few last night.
POSSIBLE COVERS
1. Catching Dogs for Bounty
2. Hunting Pests (Doves/Mice/Ravens) for Bounty
3. Davina: Researching Next Book with Bodyguards
4. Returning from Friend’s House After Tavern-Hopping
Damn! Just came up with a good idea that I won't share because it feels like 'cheating' given something I've already posted in the Gameplay thread. Maybe not, though, since the GM has yet to post anything re: our watches and actions since arriving in the safe house. I'll spoiler the idea below, pending GM approval.
"Hey! The Kintargo sewers follow the city streets for the most part. Why don't we make a couple of trips and ferry the ex-prisoners east as far as Redroof? It'd be easier and safer for them to disperse there."
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It all started at the Aria Park Protest against new Lord-Mayor Barzillai Thrune’s recent proclamations and installation of martial law. The protest became a riot when Thrune added an 8th crippling proclamation and some folks in the crowd responded by throwing manure and garbage at the man. Thrune snapped, ordering the dottari and his own personal crusaders—the Chelish Citizens’ Group, now calling themselves the Queensmen—to disperse, arrest, or even kill the protesters. Among those strong-arming the citizens was a warrior woman named Nox who survived (regenerated, even) a dagger wound to the throat and returned to battle in the company of a hellhound.
Eight citizens banded together to fight free of the riot: the young noblewomen and ‘frenemies’, Jessibel Aulamaxa and Sabrina Sarini (NPC); Sabrina’s human-looking yet half-orc bodyguard, Domitius; the novelist and investigator, Davina Eradon; a hidden priestess of Cayden Cailean named Leora Scileana; a female strix aerokineticist called Kiri; a half-elven sorcerer-priestess of Shelyn named Lydia Tivyr (PC-turned-NPC); and a mysterious human gunslinger named Lucius Ashton (PC-turned-NPC). As they slipped through the streets away from the riot, they encountered more CCG thugs beating a nobleman. Once rescued, this fellow introduced himself as Rexus Victocora, sole survivor of a noble house burned down during the Night of Ashes.
Rexus took his saviors under his wing, financing a mission to explore an old Silver Ravens’ hideout underneath a decrepit stable in Redroof district. Beneath the Fair Fortune Livery, the heroes (minus Sabrina, who’s in hiding to avoid an arranged infernal marriage pact set up by her cruel and evil father) fought feral dogs, feral rats, and mostly-feral grimple gremlins to recover a lost chest that contained some old documents and six silver raven figurines of wondrous power (since distributed; 1 to Jessi’s family villa; 1 to Songbird Hall w/Lydia; 1 to Eradon Manor (aka ‘The Bomb Shelter,’ Davina’s home and alchemy workshop); 1 at the Nest (the Silver Raven’s HQ—see below); 1 at Kiri's home; and 1 is carried by someone in case of emergency).
Rexus introduced the group to a friend of his deceased family—the halfling Laria Longroad, owner of the Long Road Coffee House in Villegre district. Laria told them of secret passageways and chambers beneath her establishment and added that an associate had recently vanished therein; the young heroes defeated an albino alligator and a crazed dire corby, found the half-devoured corpse of Laria's friend, and negotiated with the dead corby’s tengu 'sisters' (the Fushis—Korva (leader), Jay, Threep, and Maggie). The Fushis joined the slow-growing rebellion, along with a group of street entertainers led by a blonde dwarf named Tarl. The cleaned-up rooms beneath the coffeehouse became the Nest—the new headquarters of the reborn Silver Ravens organization.
While Rexus, with a bit of help from other Ravens, tried to decode the documents recovered from the Fair Fortune Livery, other Ravens gathered some rumors and branched out a bit. With a loan from the group and another from her wealthy grandmother, Jessibel was able to join the prestigious (and subversive) Kintargo Opera House Society; the Opera House itself had already been seized by Barzillai Thrune as his own private dwelling. Domitius, verbally freed from slavery after the riot, was officially freed after lawyer involvement and a large payment to Sabrina’s father. Lydia returned to Songbird Hall and Lucius vanished, perhaps to track down the truth of a couple of disturbing rumors about events in Redroof district.
Another rumor, which Rexus confirmed, was that Kiri’s father (Mallus) had been captured and was currently working as slave labor in the Sallix Salt Works, as was another of Laria’s acquaintances, a human named Forvian Crowe. After what felt like a month of planning (because that’s about how long it took us in real life), the Silver Ravens launched a late-night raid on the business, successfully freeing all prisoners.
@Jess Recap looks good. We have a couple more rumors to deal with whenever. See Davina's notes link in the profile.
@Tinker You didn't fail the audition. I was thinking more letting the unnamed ones not you or Forvian Crowe go on their own.
The list of SA-resistant foes has been pared down considerably since 3.5, and few of the remaining ones (elementals, oozes, swarms are the key ones left, IIRC) are ones I'd bet on having extensive appearances in this AP. I think either thing works fine as a 3 level run, long as you're cognizant of what you're giving up (caster level, bardic performance improvement).
Don't forget incorporeals (unless you have ghost touch) and lvl 4+ rogue NPCs (unless you can immobilize them), I also include constructs on this list for a rogue who one-hands a light weapon just because it's so hard to penetrate hardness with d6's, low strength, no 1.5 to damage and no power attack. As I said, dex to damage will help and very nice to get that now without taking a feat, but I wouldn't expect it to offset what the bard gains in 3 levels.
Again, don't let me bum you out if you really like the rogue, I like them very much myself and even enjoy playing even the non-unchained variety in PFS. I just think it's good to be cognizant of the caveats, as you say.
I'll point out some positives as well, just so I'm not a complete nay-sayer. The majority of your pay off with the Silver Baladeer archetype has been achieved at level 2. You'll lose nothing in the BAB department, saves run pretty similar too except you'll lose some in the will. Since you already have the weapon finesse feat, the GM might be willing to let you trade that out. If you swapped it for additional traits, you could take magical knack to shore up your CL loss and something else to strengthen the build. Oh, and definitely sink some points into UMD since Nicolæ will be able to toss some scrolls your way for some increased spell-casting. ^_^
@Jessibel, thanks much for the summary, that helps. I think I probably assumed the "safehouse" was your primary HQ, which is why he expected to have something to tinker with. And then I thought maybe Tinker was being lumped in with the ones that would "drift away". I am less confused now.
I have started reading the backlog last night, I was a little worried I might conflate player knowledge with character knowledge and thought that could cause a problem since some of you are being secretive about your identities so far. I also read a bit more into the Player's Guide and found another group I expect Nicolæ might be associated with: The Vespam Artisans
If that works, I think it would probably place his residence in Old Kintargo... So he might be a lot closer to his things and his familiar than I had previously guessed.
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That's all fine, Jessibel. You can come up with any ideas you want to for cover stories or ways to get people where you want them to go.
Regarding the bridge -- during the day, there is a massive amount of traffic on it, now that things have gotten back to some kind of normalcy after the Night of Ashes, the riot, and the imposition of martial law. Officially, ferries from one part of the city to the other are illegal, because it would interfere with ships travelling down the river from other parts of the duchy. This wasn't a problem when the tolls to cross Bleakbridge were previously far more reasonable.
FYI, I'll be traveling for work through Friday. I should be able to post every day, but if you don't hear from me, my apologies in advance.
Leora is totally on board with recruiting more people.
I was sure I posted a reply before... Oh well, I'll include it with this next one.
How many days has it been since the protest? (In other words, how long were we in the Salt Mines?) Will the people who arrested us have bothered to press us for our names? Do we need to be in disguise if we go back into the streets?
Got a mid-day doctor's appointment tomorrow and will almost certainly be unable to post again until Wednesday morning.
The GM may bot Jessibel as necessary, and she'll go along with whatever exit strategy the group comes up with.
Oof, good luck Jess! My kid broke his wrist on the playground yesterday, so we've had enough of doctors for the foreseeable future.
Oof, good luck Jess! My kid broke his wrist on the playground yesterday, so we've had enough of doctors for the foreseeable future.
Poor guy.
@Jess may the Doctor's appointment go well.
Exit Strategy: I'm inclined to use the boat as much as we can. Less people on the streets crossing that one bridge. Having the boat where we can use it quickly i.e. in the Wasp's Nest is my preference. Though I'm happy to walk with a few people back to HQ, and get the boat later.
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Nicolae's home can certainly be in Old Kintargo, and he might certainly be associated with the Vespam Artisans as someone interested in the same things they are.
The day of the protest was Sunday, Abadius 24, which is equivalent to Sunday, January 24 in our calendar. The current date is Toilday, Calistril 9, which is equivalent to Tuesday, February 9. So it's been about two weeks.
Nicolae and the other followers of Forvian were arrested at the protest, taken before a magistrate judge who was also a cleric of Asmodeus, who gave them over to Kossrani as their punishment, without a definite length of time for their sentence.
Mallus was arrested a few days before that for violating the curfew. Before that, Kossrani had prisoners transferred to him from Castle Kintargo who were already in bad shape and couldn't handle the work they were forced to do, and died within a few days.
Looks like these are the groups we're leaning toward to leave the safehouse:
1) Davina, Dom, & some prisoners leave late at night in the boat.
2) Leora & Nicolae (and maybe some prisoners?) stop by Tinker's place and then head back to the Nest (maybe dropping the prisoners somewhere en route).
3) Kiri and Mallus. Sneaking off at night? Have darkvision and maybe stealth on their side.
4) Jessibel, Forvian, & other prisoners hoof it back to the Nest (prisoners possibly dropped off en route).
Yes? No? Maybe?
I made a post in the Gameplay thread in which Jessi asks Forvian if the other prisoners are trustworthy enough to join the rebellion; maybe we'll have a better idea of how to proceed when we hear his answer.
Jessi's plan sounds good to me.
Specific to Leora's part, I can take the prisoners wherever based on Forvians answer to Jessi's question.
How much does it cost to cross the bridge? Just want to make sure we have enough gold before we try and that it won't look suspicious. Would the bridge guards expect to see commoners crossing the bridge and having the money to do so?
Jess, that plan sounds good to me.
Also, hope your doctor's appointment went well.
I have family visiting through Sunday. I should be able to post daily, but it will probably be late Pacific time before I get to it. Please feel free to bot if needed.
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Ok! So I'd like to go ahead with another week of the Rebellion mechanic.
First thing to note is that after your rescue of the prisoners, word begins to get around, both in a positive and a negative sense. The Dottari and Queensmen are more wary, though they don't know anything specific. People have heard rumors about a mysterious group who swooped in and spirited the luckless prisoners of the Salt Works away.
As a result, your Rebellion's Notoriety has increased by 3 (I already rolled it) and you gain new supporters. During step 4 of your Upkeep phase you're pretty likely to go up in rank.
For now, the Loyalty check to maintain or gain supporters is still DC 11. Need someone to make the check. Treasury is fine, you're well over the minimum. Let's find out if you go up in rank before we decide on actions and teams and so forth.
If you want to recruit Forvian and his fellows (other than Nicolae) as a team, they can be recruited without a check, though that still counts as a 'recruit team' action.
Glad to hear you're still in one piece, GM. I'll do a Rebellion check later unless someone beats me to it.
PS - Is word beginning to spread about "The Black Blade of Belkzen"? :) (i.e. can I pick up Renown at 3)
I’m going over the Rebellion sheet. Looking at the description for the Officers in the Player's Guide, I added a +1 in the “Other” column to our Loyalty score to reflect the Sentinel’s bonus. But, I’m not using Kiri’s +3 from her Con mod, because if you read the description, it only applies to rolls in the Event Phase (which this isn’t).
That tells me our total bonus is +4, correct?
Also, side note to Kiri: you and I might want to consider swapping roles. Compared to what I’d give as Sentinel, you have a 1-point advantage on Loyalty and Secrecy checks, but you grant nothing for Security, compared to the +4 I’d have. Just something that occurred to me as I was doing this; let me know what you think.
That's enough to keep the attrition to a minimum, right?
I vote we recruit Forvian and the gang.
I vote we recruit Forvian and the gang.
Agreed. I'll poke around the book after my meeting and see what I think of some other actions, too.
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That is indeed enough to keep from losing the larger amount of supporters. You lose only 2 supporters, for a net gain so far of 1, putting you at 15 supporters and Rebellion Rank 2! While you're still limited to 2 teams, not counting special teams like the Fushi sisters, you may now take three actions (including the strategist's special action) each week. Additionally, you each get 1 skill rank, representing the skills that you're learning from each other, and from the Fushis, the teams you've recruited, and Rexus and Laria. These skill ranks can be used exactly like the ones you get from leveling up.
GM, if Kiri and I swap positions (assuming she agrees with my assessment from the other day, Kiri, any thoughts?), is that two actions total?
Not dead set on any course of action for this phase. Do we have an idea for our next target, that we could have our teams gather information about?
Remind me what that was?
Also, side note to Kiri: you and I might want to consider swapping roles. Compared to what I’d give as Sentinel, you have a 1-point advantage on Loyalty and Secrecy checks, but you grant nothing for Security, compared to the +4 I’d have. Just something that occurred to me as I was doing this; let me know what you think.
Org charts! Org charts for all my men!
Ah, that. Fine with me.
Jessi's planning some bar-hopping/rumor-gathering between missions. She was going to point out that we have two potential missions in Redroof: 1) The tiefling murders; 2) The Red Jills acting up.
But if someone else has something to investigate, go for it.
Ah yes, shall we start investigating the murders?
Yep, Leora votes for investigating the murders too.
Well in looking over the sheets, I think we could do both. We could do Gather Information checks for both the Tiefling murders and the Red Jills, using the Fushi sisters and the Street performers reporting to Jessibel.
For a third action, we could either Recruit Supporters, or try to Recruit a Peddlers team, hooray, diversification! :)
Thoughts?
I like the idea of gathering information. We've had two weeks of all is calm. Something will happen soon I'm sure.
We got Forvian can we recruit another team the same week?
In which case, I think that makes Recruit Supporters our best course of action. Anyone disagree?
In which case, I think that makes Recruit Supporters our best course of action. Anyone disagree?
I think Recruit Supporters should be one of our actions pretty much every week.
Probably should have asked this before I posted, but...
...are we all safely back from the rescue mission and the safe house?
(With the talk of weekly organization actions I'm assuming the answer's Yes.)