DM Talomyr's Serpent's Skull (Inactive)

Game Master Talomyr

I'm good with burying the locket.

I think the block and tackle might be good for building a more permanent or more fortified camp later on - probably elsewhere on the island - or in constructing a larger raft or repairing a shipwreck so as to get off this rock.

Does anyone remember ID-ing the bracers or daggers? I'll try some ID rolls over in the game-play thread here shortly.

Yeah, the list should be up to date. I was planning on editing it again once everything is opened/identified.

While it could all come out through convoluted play, in the interest of avoiding injurious mistakes, the way to get Hana to do something like "rest" is not just to convince her that it is practical, but then to offer her a way to save face. Hana knows intellectually that if she dies of disease it will be bad for the remaining survivors. But she is culturally predisposed to pretending that she is fine while she is on death's door, so someone has to offer her a way to make it look like she is not showing weakness!

/strokeschin

Hmmm...I'm not too sure how easy it will be for no-nonsense Adara to do that.

She's pretty compassionate and definitely has the Diplomacy and Sense Motive to "comprehend" what may drive Hana. But convincing someone to rest as a matter of honor sounds pretty tricky. I'm not thinking of a good line of reasoning or appeal that would make that angle enticing from Adara to Hana at the moment.

I'll think more on it though.

It comes up as a point of comedy in some Japanese movies. People will latch on to ludicrous excuses for stuff in order to save face. Watch some Zatoichi films - there are some "cowardly samurai" who will find excuses to explain why they don't show up for a fight or whatnot.

In this specific case, if the group reaches of a consensus of deciding to spend a day at camp without working on exploration, Hana would go along "because that's what everyone has decided to do," while in actuality she really needs the rest!

Just reconfirming that we had decided as a group to use the Automatic Bonus Progression rules from Unchained. You currently have 3 items in your possession (but have yet to be identified) that I have changed to match those rules. If the group does not want to continue down that path, that's fine by me, but now is the time to commit one way or the other.

I'm still on board for ABP.

Also, I think I may have forgotten to add the +1 Initiative that I got from the former Red Mantis girl's training. I'll check Adara's base stats on HeroLab when I get home and confirm.

Loot list updated again. I think I caught every instance of a potion or berry being consumed, but I could be wrong. I figure that I will move around and delete stuff as people start to claim more treasure.

Also, if it's not an issue, would you mind putting a link to the list in the campaign tab or header, Talomyr?

Will do.

I'll be out of town this weekend, back Monday! Please bot as needed!

ALso travelling through Wednesday. I should be able to check in occasionally, but bot as needed, please.

I fear this encounter could be a rough one.

I fear this encounter could be a rough one.

It's not really that bad. The terrain makes it a little rough, but the enemies in question are pretty weak.

Your Kingmaker is really moving, Talomyr! Congratulations!

Thanks. The pace has been good so far, hopefully it can keep up.

Update coming this evening when I get home from work. It will involve a map on Roll20.

I will be camping this weekend and may not have internet. Bot if needed!

I deleted my last post because I realized I hadn't checked the Roll20 map, and I don't think Adara could use that spell at the distance the spell allows. I'll reconfigure once I have studied the map better.

For some reason I had assumed the champion was closer than the lobsters and not the other way around!

You need new dice, Hana. :(

At least Marisol finally hit something over on the KM game! :D

Geez, let's hope an epic wand of mass cure moderate wounds drops off this bastard.

I'm away from home and don't have access to the map at the moment. I'll update in the morning at the latest.

Quick check. Who all is still active in this game?

I'd like to think you all are. That being said I will like to pick up the pace a back to what the original intent was, i.e. at least one post a day during the week.

I can try and push a bit more, but I do not wish to take away any of you autonomy as players and put you on the old DM Railroad.

Thoughts? Comments?

Still here, still very much interested.
A little push might not be too bad a thing.

Still here!

I'm still here. I do apologize for not being as active as I should be. I have Dereje's voice pretty firmly established in my head by now, so I don't really have a good excuse as to why I'm not posting whenever I'm able. I do like the characters here, and I do feel like I am capable of doing better, so I will try to.

But beyond posting frequency, do you have any suggestions as to how we might all speed the game up a bit?

This particular part of the AP is very "sandboxy", if that's a word. What would likely help the most is, given that it is essentially a sandbox, the PCs saying what they would like to do without being prompted by the DM.

For example the most recent issue with three shipwrecks to possibly explore or continuing along the coast, or even something else...those are the type of decisions that can be decided by the party without being prompted by the DM.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter? We're all in this game together and I'm certainly open to suggestions.

Definitely still around.

I'd say the biggest problem we've been encountering is exactly the kind of despair these characters would be experiencing. We're literally wandering the wilderness without any direction just hoping we can find something that will let us escape.

I've also noticed we've become very conservative even in our exploration mainly because it seems like every encounter we have just drains our resources mightily. Which naturally means we're not gaining the rewards for taking the risks. A Catch 22 irony unfortunately.

As far as suggestions about how to balance the railroad and the sandbox, I think perhaps we need something to help focus our group. We almost had it when we found the captain's tricorn (which I would like to have Adara be wearing as stated before during her fever state), but that avenue was shut down when there was no possibility of tracking the captain from the campsite.

I for one would have been happy to pursue the native denizen angle, but since most of the party deemed them cannibals despite a suspicious lack of evidence (>_<), that became less appealing for the characters.

Honestly, there are three things which would rouse people in this position:

• Anything that suggests a way to escape whether the sight of an unsunken ship far in the distance, something which would suggest magical intervention, or an alternate means of locomotion (say flight)
• Any hint of those responsible. And by hint I mean a followable trail that could fan the flames of the anger and hate for their situation given what they suspect from the items previously located
• A more secure and defensible location to live/survive. Discovering that would galvanize action to go and round up the other survivors, relocate, and then "kingdom build" enough to be sure they can survive while trying to discover or create a means to escape. Personally, I don't see the beach camp as a viable long term living place. It's much too exposed.

Until one of these three things rears its head, I don't imagine things will change much. The party will simply wander and explore trying to learn their surroundings and what needs their attention and decisive action the most. And that's no accusation. As I have read up through Book 3 or 4 of this AP long before I started this game, I know this adventure relies on base chance of what the PCs stumble across to get things going. The railroad is reserved for Book 2, lol. It's been years though, so having not memorized the map or the encounters, no need to worry I will spoil or metagame anything.

Yes... still here, and will do my best with an accelerated pace. My job is more exhausting during the summer.. which affects my creative spark, but I think I'll be able to keep it up if the party as a whole is chugging along.

Good to hear that everyone is still on board. Adara, thanks for the the feedback and suggestions. Oddly enough, assume you all don't avoid the hook, that inspiration is close at hand.

Real talk: Dereje absolutely sucks in melee combat. He arguably still sucks in ranged combat as well, but that is at least his forte. For some reason when he last had the opportunity to craft ammunition, I only crafted the bare minimum he could carry.

One day of crafting is 8 hours in Pathfinder - there should be enough time in a day to adventure after that, right? Since I can craft up to a 1,000 gp worth of ammunition in that time period (I only have 257 gp), if I craft as much as possible, I do not anticipate worrying about this again for quite some time.

I hate to ask everyone to just sit around while he works (unless there is something else you can all do), but doing so would put Dereje back into top form.

Yes, there is typically enough time in the day left to do at least some crafting.

Being a multi-tasker in real life, I'm not particularly fond of the all or nothing nature of Pathfinder crafting. Let's break that into 2 hr/250 gp increments, that is unless there are any objections.

No arguments here. That would make things a lot more convenient for me. Thank you. :)

Sounds good.

I was on a mini-vacation, and I'm back now! I will try and catch up so I can get a post in for all of this Aycenia related RP.

We missed it - Happy Birthday, Campaign! (First post, June 28th, 2016)

Lol, we move slow!

We may move slow, but we still move. Many other games can't say that. :)

Sorry for the holdup, I'm at my job's annual staff meeting. I'll have something up ASAP.

Thanks for the head's up.

I guess we're starting a new campaign as vegepygmies. :-/

All is not lost yet...although I admit it does look rather bleak. We'll discuss the ramifications of a TPK later, should that actually be the result.

Wow, what is Hana's new HP total now? If she fails this save, she will have had two Con modifier drops in max HP...8 Con damage is serious business. :(

Almost done with Dereje's level up. We're using Automatic Bonus Progression, right? So we all get a +1 resistance bonus to all of our saving throws.

Correct.

Samurai (sword saint) 3
+1 Bab
+1 Ref and Will saves
+7 hit points

Skills: +1 Climb, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perception, Swim; Artistry, Perform (string instruments)

Class features: Weapon Expertise (katana), brutal slash

Feat: Weapon Finesse

(Current hit points 13/13 due to 8 points of Con damage)

Paladin (Holy Gun) 3
+1 BAB
+1 Reflex; +1 Fortitude/Reflex/Will (ABP)
+8 hit points (28 total)

Skills
+4 adventuring skill ranks (+1 to Diplomacy, Knowledge [religion], Sense Motive, and Spellcraft)
+2 background skill ranks (+1 to Appraise and Craft [alchemy])

Class Features
Aura of Courage (fear immunity)
Divine Health (disease immunity)
Mercy (fatigued)

New Feat
Precise Shot

New profile is up. Sorry - i didn't track all the skill points, but the new feat is another instance of Evolved Companion (Increased natural damage-bite), and I will prep a couple of lesser restorations for our stat-damaged friends tomorrow.

He also picks up Trackless Step.

I'll have to do my level up tomorrow. Tonight was busy with previously made plans.

No worry, no hurry. I was honestly ruminating on a new character!