DM Berwick's Serpent's Skull Adventure

Game Master Lost Gamer

I think that we're waiting for DM Berwick to give us the results of the second round of checks. But if that's not so, DM Berwick, please let us know. At this point, I think that it'd be more than fair to auto-roll any PC checks that we need to finish the second round (if any remain).

cast raise thread

It is Alive. ALIVE!

So the question I have is this: The current location is the ship wreckage on the beach. What is the timeline? We just recovered Bran (and healed), retraced our steps to the beach. I could assume that the storm (with much surf/riptides ahappening) is still ongoing and the sun has set. We've got cannibals behind us and unsure that there are further zombies onboard. Your healer (me) is down to one healing spell left and I am unsure that the main camp has been alerted to the danger.
On one hand: there are lots of redflags/risk factors here for likelihood of PC termination and/or survival of the camp.
On the other hand: Possible treasure useful to us may be found onboard.
On the gripping hand:We are "adventurers," This is what we do.

As far as I can tell -judging by Neil's lead here- we actually returned to the camp to recuperate and then went to the Tattooed Lady the next day. Which, all in all, does not sound like such a bad idea really.

I was under the impression that you guys stopped back at the ship before returning to camp, but honestly, you can have it either way you want it. I am not particular to either path.

If you want to stop at the ship before returning, then Bran is present. If you go back to camp, he does not head back out with you in the morning.

Also, I am glad to see everyone back after the holidays. Thank you for returning.

I will not be able to post in depth tonight. I am exhausted. I have worked back-to-back 14 hour days dealing with the snow at work. Boulder got pounded hard, and all my company gave me to work with was a crappy shovel...I was overwhelmed quickly.

Sorry for not continuing tonight, but we will get back on track, and get this ball rolling.

The original plan was to return to the ship, but I decided to follow Neil's lead re. the return to camp for post continuity. And it also seemed like a fine idea given what had happened.

Bran can reinforce the camp--just in case the natives are better trackers than we thought.

Leaving Bran at the camp does make a good way to close up loose ends. And I was concerned about heading into another scenario sans spells and limited gear.

Thank you for your support and keep a slow steady pace with that shovel. Speed kills.

So I got an answer to my question regarding the NPC's.

I really think that between your efforts to recruit them to participate in their survival, and the heroics in saving Bran, they would volunteer to help where the could. Especially since they are all in the friendly category at this point.

So, in short, you do not have to make a diplomacy roll to request them to participate in "camp jobs".

Great! I was hoping so.

I say have Sasha as a guard in case the tribals come back.

Anybody keeping track of the stuff we find while exploring the various sights the island has to offer?

Also, could we have a reminder on what attitudes the NPCs (Ishirou, Sasha, Aerys, Gelik, Jask) are at?

I believe the following is a complete enough list of all items either brought along by the group or found during their adventure so far. Feel free to look through them. They are only spoilered for the sake of convenience. :-)

Also, for our convenience and reminder, here are the quests given to us by the five castaways. They are linked to the relevant posts.

Loose Ends:
1) Seek out the berries of the viper nettle and bring them to Aerys Mavato.
2) Discover what happened to a Pathfinder Society ship called Nightvoice and inform Gelik Aberwhinge.
3) Find the treasure of Captain Lortch Quellig and split it with Ishirou.
4) Search the Brine Demon for evidence of his innocence and bring them back to Jask Derindi.
5) Find a flying lizard's egg and bring it to Sasha Nevah.

This is really helpful, F. Castor. Thanks for compiling it!

Well, in the spirit of awesomeness that F. Castor has presented:

Here are my offerings:

Blank Map found aboard the Jenivere

Current Map of the Characters Discoveries

Now, if this violates an CoC or anything, I will gladly take it down, and we will have to pursue other avenues. Let me know if you cannot see it.

Cast-a-ways: [Attitude, Morale]
Ishirou: Friendly
Sasha: Friendly
Aerys: Friendly
Gelik: Friendly
Jask: Friendly

Quasi-NPC's
Frik: Friendly
Bran: Friendly

Updated Map

Just checking in, DM Berwick--are we on hiatus?

Well, it has certainly been a while. Any news our most esteemed DMness? :-)

No, we are not. Sorry about that folks. My computer decided to eat itself, while my job simultaneously went on overdrive...everything has cooled down, and I got what I needed to run the magic box again, so we should be on.

Once again, apologies. Next time this happens (I hope it doesn't, but I am a prepper) I will get my butt to the library or something to post a note.

I will be without a computer for a few days. I will try to post from work if I get the chance, but if I seem to be taking too long please DMPC Isandril so that the game is not held up on my account. Sorry for the inconvenience. Rest assured that I will be back to posting regularly as soon as possible (i.e. as soon as I have my computer back).

No worries there F. Castor! I completely understand.

Also, you guys are so funny! My wife is looking at me funny as I crack up here, reading your posts!

I have my computer back, which means I should be back on track and posting by tomorrow. :-D

Hey guys...

Just letting you know my current workload has picked up and it's going to crowd out a lot of my ability to participate in PbP games. As a result, I'm scaling back a bit. I'm leaving one game and putting another PC on hiatus for a bit. As for this game, I plan on continuing to participate as I'm able. I'm having way too much fun playing up the quixotic and comedic Jonagher Witt to let him go. That said, he may be a bit more terse than usual. So this is just a heads up.

--Neil

No worries, sir.

I appreciate the vote of confidence. I will go ahead and quasi-NPC Jonagher when you seem busy and I need to move the plot a bit, but thank you for the heads up.

I lost track of this thread. Thought it died... Starting to flesh out Yuuwa. Assuming she survives, can we say subplots?

No more subplots that what you found earlier...though, I am having fun seeding sunken ships all over the place...creepy things...NOW WITH HAUNTS!

. . . I'm having way too much fun playing up the quixotic and comedic Jonagher Witt to let him go. That said, he may be a bit more terse than usual. So this is just a heads up.

Thanks for the heads-up, and I'm glad that you decided not to quit the game. It wouldn't be the same without Jonagher.

Just a thought.

When I made Isandril, I was going to have him level up as a fighter only. However, taking into account his role so far, what with the tracking humans and employing stealth and being in the middle of the jungle, I am thinking of having him gain some ranger levels. It certainly would make sense IC and within the game's and story's circumstances. Not too many mind you, around 2-3 at the most. And since I do not see him as spontaneously gaining the ability to cast spells, the Skirmisher archetype would fit him better than the base ranger (admittedly, he will probably never reach a level where he will be able to actually cast spells, but just in case).

Mechanics-wise, a couple of ranger levels will give him a rather useful boost in Perception and Stealth, as well as a small bonus to Survival checks when tracking. Plus, he will not be sacrificing much in the way of fighting ability on the way; it will just take him a wee bit longer to gain the Two-Weapon Warrior class features.

So, his 3rd level -barring any other changes of mind on my part- will be his 1st ranger level. Thoughts?

So, his 3rd level -barring any other changes of mind on my part- will be his 1st ranger level. Thoughts?

I like the idea...for all the in-game, character development reasons you cite. In addition, if you choose the two-weapon combat style as a ranger, shouldn't that put you on a faster track for your two-weapon warrior build? At least, from a feat acquisition perspective...

FYI, in terms of character advancement for Jonagher, I intended to keep him very focused on levels in rogue until he qualifies for the Pathfinder Delver prestige class from Seekers of Secrets. I think the delver's "ruins exploration" schtick fits perfectly with Jonagher's backstory and skillset. I do intend to pick up some levels in Survival, though. The jungle trek in Serpent's Skull should certainly develop some kind of affinity for that. But not enough to step on Isandril's toes as the party "tracker"...

In addition, if you choose the two-weapon combat style as a ranger, shouldn't that put you on a faster track for your two-weapon warrior build? At least, from a feat acquisition perspective...

Not really actually, seeing as how I will only be getting one ranger combat style feat; I do not really plan on gaining enough levels in the class to qualify for the second, which is at the 6th level. Not to mention that the fighter's bonus feats pretty much accomplish the same task. Feat-wise, it is more or less the same in the end (or the fighter path might actually be the faster one to building a two-weapon wielder rather than the ranger path).

Neil Spicer wrote:

In addition, if you choose the two-weapon combat style as a ranger, shouldn't that put you on a faster track for your two-weapon warrior build? At least, from a feat acquisition perspective...

Not really actually, seeing as how I will only be getting one ranger combat style feat; I do not really plan on gaining enough levels in the class to qualify for the second, which is at the 6th level. Not to mention that the fighter's bonus feats pretty much accomplish the same task. Feat-wise, it is more or less the same in the end (or the fighter path might actually be the faster one to building a two-weapon wielder rather than the ranger path).

Look on the bright side. At least you pick up Endurance! ;-)

Hey, it could come in handy in the jungle!

No kidding! Although probably one of the least appealing feats ever (does anyone actually choose it?), it nevertheless could have come in handy quite recently. Forced march anyone? Although Isandril's roll was abyssmal enough that not even the feat's bonus could have helped him. :-)

Awww Man I forgot about Yuuwa's endurance feat! Hey add +4 to the Focred march con check. which puts me at 22. She ROCKS! And Yes I happen to like endurance feat.

I have a "civilized" Shoanti priestess of Pharasma who made her way to Korvosa just in time for Curse of the Crimson Throne. Strangely enough, she shares the same portrait as Yuuwa. I intentionally gave her both the Endurance and Diehard feats so she could keep functioning even into the negatives. In other words, she's really hard to kill, especially since she can channel positive energy to bring herself back if she slips into the negatives. So, in some builds...and for some backstories...it can make perfect sense.

I like the ranger idea too, F. Castor. Given that the PCs will likely be on the island for a long time, it makes sense in-game.

What do you think about the Guide archetype? Losing the favored enemy might not be worth it mechanically, depending on what enemy that you pick, but it might make sense for how he's getting into the class. Also, I think that the archetype overlaps with Skirmisher (i.e., Isandril could do both if he wanted).

As I think that we discussed before, the Pathfinder Delver matches Jonagher for both mechanical and story reasons. I toyed with some prestige class ideas for Origen (e.g., Pathfinder Savant), but I'm not sure that they make sense given his backstory. He'll probably stay straight sorceror unless Ultimate Magic has something that's a perfect fit.

Hey, if you guys keep rolling well, this fight isn't going to last long.

Please be prepared to level up to level 3. Thank you.

I have a "civilized" Shoanti priestess of Pharasma who made her way to Korvosa just in time for Curse of the Crimson Throne. Strangely enough, she shares the same portrait as Yuuwa. I intentionally gave her both the Endurance and Diehard feats so she could keep functioning even into the negatives. In other words, she's really hard to kill, especially since she can channel positive energy to bring herself back if she slips into the negatives. So, in some builds...and for some backstories...it can make perfect sense.

To add to this strangeness or perhaps great minds think alike... The official PFS version of this PBP PC does indeed have the Diehard feat as well. I was trying for the same effect of her being the last one standing and healing. She ain't much for combat but that doesnt mean she will die easily. ;-)

What do you think about the Guide archetype? Losing the favored enemy might not be worth it mechanically, depending on what enemy that you pick, but it might make sense for how he's getting into the class. Also, I think that the archetype overlaps with Skirmisher (i.e., Isandril could do both if he wanted).

I am not really a big fan of the Guide archetype, especially considering that I will only be taking very few ranger levels. And I rather like the favored enemy feature, which for Isandril will be humans, seeing as how he has spent most of his life among them and training with them, not to mention tracking them for a few days lately.

And I rather like the favored enemy feature, which for Isandril will be humans, seeing as how he has spent most of his life among them and training with them, not to mention tracking them for a few days lately.

Yes, that favored enemy makes sense given his background. Also, the +2 vs. a group of commonly encontered opponents is very useful.

Origen is picking up a buff from his bloodline spells: enlarge person. He'll also probably choose protection against evil for its general utility.

Another attractive option is touch of gracelessness from the APG, as I eventually want Origen to have a touch spell at every level. But I have a general question about this type of spell. Like ray of enfeeblement and touch of idiocy, the spell's penalty cannot lower an attribute to below 1. How does this interact with other attribute-lowering effects affecting the target after the spell?

For example, Mongo the Terrible has Dexterity 10, but he gets a -5 Dexterity penalty from a touch of gracelessness, which drops his effective Dexterity to 5. He then fails his save for a bestow curse directed at lowering his Dexterity (i.e., a -6 decrease). Is his effective Dexterity now 0, or is it 1?

What if Mungo was poisoned with a paralytic poison attacking dexterity? Would he have to be drained 10 Dexterity for paralysis, or would he only need to be drained 5?

DMBerwick,

Do you want us to level up now, or wait till we rest?

Also, I'd like to defer picking my new non-bloodline spells till I get my sticky electronic fingers on the Ultimate Magic PDF.

Also, I have a question about Origen.

Feel free to adjust once the book comes out. Don't let that wait time keep you back from trying some spells...we can retcon later.

Also,

An answer about Origen . . . .

Okay, will do. Thanks for the flexibility about spell selection. Unless we get in a fight really soon, it probably won't even require a retcon. I'll buy the PDF as soon as it comes out.

Isandril is all leveled up.

He gained a level of ranger (skirmisher archetype), i.e. +1 to base attack, +2 to Reflex and Fortitude, favored enemy (human), track +1, wild empathy. His 7 skill points (6 + Int) went to Acrobatics (1), Climb (1), Perception (1), Sense Motive (1), Stealth (2) and Survival (1). As far as the 3rd level feat is concerned, that would be Weapon Focus (Short sword).

Hit points gained: 6. If I remember correctly, we use the 1/2 HD + Con formula, right?

OK. Following everyone's lead, I too leveled up Yuuwa. I grabbed a level of barbarian due to the overwhelming influence from the locals. Can one become uncivilized?

Hit points gained: 6. If I remember correctly, we use the 1/2 HD + Con formula, right?

I'm pretty sure that's correct. Yuuwa and I used that method too.

On a slightly related note, since Ultimate Magic was mentioned: I want to try a Bladebound Magus so very much! Come on 18th, get here already! And once you do, be sure to bring some interesting new PbPs with you! :-P

There, I got that off my chest. :-D

On a slightly related note, since Ultimate Magic was mentioned . . . .

Yes, I want it too. Bladebound Magus--and the Magus in general--seem like interesting options. But I particularly want to see the Crossblooded and Wildblooded sorceror variants, plus the new touch spells and metamagic feats.

Unfortunately, first I have to get through studying for and taking my Criminal Procedure final. I keep trying to cast Dispel Procrastination, but am failing the caster level check. ;-)

F. Castor, let me check back in the archives, but I do believe that is the correct formula.

Yuuwa, while I certainly appreicate your attempt to justify skill acquisition...I take more of a cinematic approach to gaming. The moments played out are just the highlights to a day, and the "important" bits...only designated by their relevance to plot. If Yuuwa spends down time chatting with Origen about the nature of magic, while interesting, it may not necessarily come up in the context of game. Basically, feel free to take really any skills you want. I trust you all to make wise character driven decisions. Y'all are excellent gamers. I trust you.

Come on 18th, get here already! And once you do, be sure to bring some interesting new PbPs with you! :-P

[drama]You wound me, sir![/drama]

Brings up a good point. It is difficult, but not impossible to bring in new characters here, but I would like you guys to think about something. How do you feel about fellow players switching out PC's? There are some awesome books coming out, and PbP's are not always the fastest games out there. I must admit to a certain guilt in this area. My first PbP hasn't gone at a pace that I anticipated, but that is primarily my fault. I certainly don't want to penalize you guys for my faults. I will leave the option open to you, but please do consider how you feel about it. If requested, I can drop an email address so you can send private communications.

Who is done leveling?

Yuuwa - done
F. Castor - done
Origen - done
Torden - still level 1?
Jonagher - still level 2?
Isandril - done

Psssst . . . F. Castor . . . .

Magus Base Class

Just so I am not misunderstood: I am enjoying myself very much playing in this PbP, DM Berwick. And I have no intention of changing characters, since I rather like Isandril. :-) When I wrote about 'interesting new PbPs', I meant it so that I would be given a chance to play yet another character, a Bladebound Magus; also, although I am currently in four PbPs, only two of them -yours and a Council of Thieves one- are actually moving along, while the other two seem to have either stalled or stopped altogether.

Yeah, I have noticed that, Eric. Thanks for the link all the same though. What I really want to see though is the Bladebound. Heh, even the archetype's name sounds tasty. :-D

None of the new Ultimate Magic feats seem all that interesting, at least at Origen's current level.

DMBerwick, I do have one RP question regarding Reach Spell. Given Origen's distrust of his abberant abilities, his tendency would be to blow higher-level spell slots on touch spells just to avoid using his tentacles to reach.

So, to avoid this, I was thinking that for spells with an original range of touch, Origen would still have to reveal his abberrant limbs in casting. He might try to pretend that it's part of the spell, but I don't see that working for long. Do you think that this would be too quick of a reveal?

Alternatively, he could take another feat like Toughness, Extend Spell, or Additional Traits (+2 initiative, +2 concentration) and leave Reach Spell for a higher level. He probably won't use this feat much till at least 4th level anyway.

If any other players have an opinion about this plot thread, I'd be interested in your comments.

. . . How do you feel about fellow players switching out PC's? . . .

I'd rather do character rebuilds if possible, though for a major change (e.g., sorceror to barbarian), that may not be plausible. In general, I prefer character longevity because of the chance to build in-game relationships.

But I don't think this particular preference should give me a veto over the rest of you guys, especially if you aren't having fun with your character.

My first PbP hasn't gone at a pace that I anticipated, but that is primarily my fault.

If you want to pick up the pace a bit, I'm fine with that. I'm trying not to post from work, so I'll probably still try to post once in the evening. But feel free to NPC Origen whenever he becomes the rate-determining step for plot advancement.