DM Jesse's Kingmaker PbP (Inactive)

Game Master Jesse Heinig

I dropped the FCB from the gunslinger part so she can use it for inquisitor later. Very little reason to keep being a gunslinger after level 5 unfortunately.

Thanks for the comments on the fluff! If Mivon acts mean towards Jovvox then Jenya would want the new kingdom to invade to liberate the gnome town... It's not very far away!

ok- i replaced the light shield with a buckler. that freed up about 80g, so if anyone has any suggestions for gear that the party could use (and that either make sense for a me to already have or are available here right now) let me know.

@GM- please let me know how/when I should introduce myself. Was I part of the same convoy with Vallen and Auric (I could have just been in my room for this first bit of introduction), or did/will I arrive separately? What about Jenya- was she in the caravan, separate but with me, or came from somewhere else entirely?

@Cassandra- way with words and social presence both scale with class level so, in my mind, that was kind of a way to blur the lines between classes and add some consistency to the abilities I'm learning/developing. Honestly, the aasimar thing is probably unnecessary... the GM had initially invited me to make an unusual race (like aasimar or tiefling) and I kind of liked that so I carried it over from the original bard that I was working on. I do think it adds to Alexei's sense of destiny/burden though- there was something special about him even as a child so now that he's discovered/taken on this special purpose of trying to bring peace/stability it feels kind of like 'this is what I was born for' or 'this is why i've always been special', if that makes sense? (and aasimar can randomly be born to 2 human parents if both have some trace of celestial blood somewhere in their ancestry)

that freed up about 80g, so if anyone has any suggestions for gear that the party could use (and that either make sense for a me to already have or are available here right now) let me know.

Well, you're about 8% of the way to the most important adventuring item of all time- a mithril cooking pot.

It weighs 2 lbs and HAS A NON-STICK SURFACE. I don't know how many of you have cooked in cast iron before, but trust me, a non-stick surface alone is worth 1,001gp.

Bah. But what about the slow damage bits of mithril do to your body Vallen over time? What about that!

And yes, please let me know how best to introduce myself into the game also.

Bah. But what about the slow damage bits of mithril do to your body Vallen over time? What about that!

And yes, please let me know how best to introduce myself into the game also.

Hahaha

Hey, the FDA (Food and Dwarf Administration) says that non-stick mithril pots are completely food-safe to temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius. So unless it's used as a helmet during a red dragon attack then used to prepare red dragon stew afterwards, it's fine.

What if our half gold dragon paladin lights the fire?

It's a little known fact but if you soak it overnight in a solution of water and troll ash that leaches out the contaminants and makes it safe up to 1000 degrees Celsius!

Basically we're at the spot where new people would come in; the group will be spending the night at Oleg's so Jayna can arrive in the morning and make introductions, show off her charter amendment, and join the fun.

I'd say the best way to deal with Auric/Alexei is to have Alexei show up and essentially be Auric's liege or at least an associate who knows of him, ask Auric to stay and help defend Oleg's because "some things are coming" (ooh terribly mysterious) and then get inserted into the group along with Vallen and Jayna.

We could just retcon Auric out and Alexei in but that is always a bit jarring.

Everyone ready?

Right now your goals should probably be:
• Finish exploring the pieces of the map that you haven't explored yet (required by the charter!)
• Complete any outstanding quests (see the Campaign Info tab)

Also, I've seen that interactive Stolen Lands map before, but I haven't had any luck finding a link to it yet. Still working on it.

Should I jump in then? Probably do that tomorrow real time :)

Let's do the interrogation of Dovan real quick, then advance to the next day and the new arrivals.

Yup, good to go here!

Alright- I'll go with an associate of Auric. We can say they're both on the same charter amendment (since nobody actually looked at it anyways) and travelled down together. Alexei is in his room working on a few correspondences but I'll watch the thread and come down to introduce myself after the interrogation.

Okay, sounds like a plan to me!

For Campaign Traits. 'Issian' is the only thing that kinda fits Jenya.

I'm guessing Surtova or Orlovsky would make sense as houses Jenya got her charter from. Maybe the easiest choice would be Orlovsky and Jenya was included as sort of a capable if unorthodox bodyguard for Alexei when she showed up in Brevoy asking about the Charter as Alexei and Auric prepared to head down into the Stolen Lands?

She'll probably be outside making sure her horse is fine :).

I spent my weekend working on a project with these gals and got sick along the way, so I apologize for being a slowpoke!

Ohh they sound really good, thanks for showing me this.

Two good excuses... not sure when to jump in though.

Not a problem DM, sorry you were sick!

And dinner seems like a good time for the 'new' new faces to come down and say hello :)

Oops... sorry if I jumped the gun (that's what I get for not checking discussion before I post in gameplay).

What do you think about Jenya being on the same charter amendment as you Alexei?

That doesn't bother me in the slightest. I thought, though, that the reason we were separate was that we were coming from different directions?

Well the generic backstory I came up with (The Jenya P. alias has only joined Kingmaker games already in progress!) is that Jenya heard about the charter and so actually rode through the Stolen Lands from Jovvox in Mivon to get to Brevoy, got a charter, and then rode back south to Oleg's.

I could change that to her stopping over at Oleg's before heading into Brevoy and running into the rest of the group. From there she can decide to tag along with the group as she doesn't really care about a formal charter and just wants to explore and adventure (the group decides to let her tag along too of course hopefully!).

The second is a bit more organic so we could go with that. What does everyone think?

I figure if you guys are fine with reformed bandits hanging around a random girl with a gun and a horse might be okay too!

Sounds good to me!

We can roll with it. Doesn't have to be perfectly seamless.

So Jenya talks like Apple Jack. I'm just trying to figure out how much like Apple Jack she talks.

I don't think I'm going to cross the y'all line for example. Though I'm coming damn close.

I meant darn close.

Once you cross the y'all line, you can't go back. Be careful.

Also, GM- Vallen will put in an order for a Masterwork warhammer, considering no one else wants any weapons.

So... I guess this is an exploit, but it's not a terrible one, and fitting the party.

A masterwork firearm counts as "any weapon."

Now I remember why we needed Auric. We have four ranged characters and stealth just went out the window. Alexi is the tank now.

Ah I dunno DM. Everyone gets a masterwork firearm and you can sell it for mad cash. Also the game suddenly became almost a "Guns Everywhere" kind of campaign.

We have two gun-users in the party now so it feels like it's worth exploring. Back when we had Telmarni and Carinna, both of them had melee weapons that had some kind of special quality tied to their story, so I was going to explore that before they had to leave. Also Jenya and Vallen both have kinda "heirloom" guns that they made for themselves, so I don't necessarily expect you to want to replace those (getting masterwork transformation cast on them at some point is probably a good idea, of course).

I don't expect Cassandra and Korinne and everyone else to start using guns - nobody has the proficiency, anyway - but if you want a spare musket or a coat pistol, this might be a good way to supplement your armament.

Keep in mind as well that while you could order a masterwork <whatever> that is worth a ton of money, Oleg's sell limit is too low to purchase it from you, and it could take weeks or more to send it back for sale in civilized lands, so it's not as simple as "Get weapon, turn weapon into cash." Furthermore if you sell firearms in Restov there may be political consequences. ;)

If you want to do something reasonable like get a coat pistol, this is the time!

Now I remember why we needed Auric. We have four ranged characters and stealth just went out the window. Alexi is the tank now.

We just focus fire and kill them before they get to us, problem solved!

So... I guess this is an exploit, but it's not a terrible one, and fitting the party.

A masterwork firearm counts as "any weapon."

Eh, I just don't feel comfortable doing that. I guess I've tailored Vallen so that he will craft and enchant most of his weapons/items himself, and will continually modify his pistol. It's actually already masterwork, I factored that into the crafting cost.

I also feel like Jenya and Vallen both using guns is more of a coincidence, like how if two people at a bicycle competition both showed up wearing the same hand-made helmet with the same design. Sure it's weird, but it's a bicycle competition: everyone has a helmet, so the chances of such a coincidence increase. Vallen and Jenya are adventurers, they both have weapons (for different reasons), coincidence increases.

I'm good with the masterwork warhammer for backup!

Jenya's pistol is masterwork as well. The gunsmithing feat makes it very economical to do so.

Sorry if I'm slow to post right now- I'm out of town celebrating my birthday.

My primary weapon (longsword) is already masterwork but if nobody wants the offered weapons I would take a longbow or musket for those times when I could get a shot or two off before I need to start tanking.

and don't worry about Auric, he'll be back to tank later (at 7th, when I take leadership, if I understand the plan correctly).

@Alexei: That does in fact sound like a plan.

Also remember that you could maybe get masterwork bows for Vance and Hatch if you like. Giving nice weapons and armor to your henchthings is a good way to improve their morale.

Or you could get a masterwork backup weapon. Like if you're fighting skeletons and you need a blunt weapon, having a masterwork flail or morningstar might be good.

Okay if neither Jenya or Vallen wants a masterwork gun how about we get bows for Vance and Hatch, a longbow or musket for Alexei (whichever he wants) and unless someone else wants another weapon Kor will take a masterwork longspear.

Would maybe another 40 or 50 person-days of food be enough to take back to the fort? Hopefully we can get a good path to it cleared so we can start opening up some supply lines soon :)

Jenya will take something if she can. Gotta think about it though.

Yeah, get weapons for your npcs! They'll appreciate it.

I agree with the for amount. I was going to calculate it out but haven't had time.

40-50 person days is probably a good stock to lay in, especially if you're going to detour to explore for a while. You probably shouldn't be away from the fort for more than 5 more days at this point or things might get bad.

Eventually the fort will be self-sufficient but this is not that time yet. ;)

Can we get another round of Spellcraft checks on the gear from the fort and divvy those out? As for MW weapons, those sound fine.

Yeah Jenya wouldn't feel right about taking a reward for something she didn't do. Alright NPCs it is!

Vallen can certainly take a crack at identifying the various magic items in the swag bag (leather armor, rapier, etc.).

Sure thing, he can do it when we stop to camp for the night.

Sorry for my sudden silence- I had not one but two crises come up at work. I should, hopefully, be able to post today. If not, I'll definitely get something up tomorrow.

Well, if no one minds, Cassandra could use the helm the armor and the bow. The amulet too if no one wants it. Is there a way to change the helm cosmetically? Either a full alteration to an actual stag helm or just remove the mask and fangs?

Little meta gaming here but did we meet the undead at the river that wanted the Staglord's body?

I know going solo is usually bad but I think Cassandra can handle herself for the two hexes to the east. Then we can all take on the ones to the west.

How much is actually left? Do we need to explore any further south?

We can send Tel and Kavalina north where Tel can leave for home and Kavalina can just be there if we need her. Maybe join Auric in setting up a supply route. If we set up the supply route we don't have to visit so often and maybe use the fort as a forward scouting base. Return to it rather than Oleg's. For now we can set up a tab for supplies they need until they can start trading. Maybe catch fish to trade or, since there might be other hunters in the area, set it up as a trading post like Oleg's.

Well since we haven't started kingdom building yet I don't think there's too much for Vallen and Jenya to supervise. I'd prefer to go east and then west together after an appropriate pause for fluff. I don't think we're in any hurry so don't need to be super efficient with time at the moment?

I am not sure what goes into renovating a fort but I imagine you'd spend the rest of the day looking over it. Then the next day creating a plan and drawing it up. One that the inexperienced could follow. The more important discussion might actually be organizing the supply route. We didn't bring a lot and we don't want to have to constantly be restocking them. I don't think any of us have real world experience in doing most of that so let's say that takes a day in character. Cassandra could have one hex down by then.

I'm good on you taking the loot, Cassandra, you earned it. Amulet would probably be better for Korrinne though.

It's going to be a while before Vallen has craft Magical Arms and Armor, so until then you'll have to be Fangy McStagface unless you find someone else.

Also good on the solo hex scouting to the east while we organize the reformed banditry.