Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone!
Ok, I am back. Things went horribly worse with my home network before they got better. Catching up now.
I have some bad news. I have decided to withdraw from, or end most of my participation in PBP games. Getting into the Top 32 of RPG Superstar has shown me how much time I was dedicating to PBP that could be better used elsewhere, and how I am in too many games for me to do them all justice. As a consequence of over committing myself, PBP games often feel like a chore for me instead of fun, and I have to make difficult choices about which ones I prioritize, while other people wait on me to post. Therefore, I’m limiting myself to two games as a DM and the games as a player where I have invested the most time/posts and had the most fun.
I apologize for withdrawing from this, but it’s a hard reality I have to face. As much as I love PBP there is limited time in life, and I can’t be fully invested in so many disparate ventures. Thank you all for giving me a chance, and for the fun we have (hopefully) had together. In the future my availability may change, and I hope to see you all around the boards. Again, apologies for failing in my commitment. I wish you all the best of luck, and that all your rolls be critical hits!
Sorry to see you go Johnathan but I understand ... :-)
Until Swords Part!
Good luck with the Superstar.
Good luck with everything!
What does the anytool do again. I am looking for it but can't seem to find it.
What does the anytool do again. I am looking for it but can't seem to find it.
Sure thing -- it's from Ultimate Equipment and here's the link to it. This one is mithril and not iron, and I've given Burton's a bit of a boost in that it can also suffice as Mw Thieves' Tools.
So which way do we go from here? Do we stick to the plan and take the road, albeit around the dangerous part Nicholas is warning of?
I don't mind holding on to the earth coin but if someone has a plan I'm all ears.
What does the anytool do again. I am looking for it but can't seem to find it.Sure thing -- it's from Ultimate Equipment and here's the link to it. This one is mithril and not iron, and I've given Burton's a bit of a boost in that it can also suffice as Mw Thieves' Tools.
Thank you :)
The road with the avoidance would be better. Climbing mountains will take longer and be dangerous.
I agree. My climb is -3 so that would be bad. I just wanted to throw it out there.
DM Vord, Jonathon currently has the Anytool and even though he is now a NPC, he should have it. It will better suit his skills than Willem at this time.
Hi All,
So I've been thinking a lot about this game over the past week, and I feel I have a good notion on how to proceed forward with the four remaining players in the short-term, until I can open up recruitment and secure 2 more players to the campaign. It has been a bit deflating to have to go back to the drawing board for a third time on this, but I am both determined and convinced we will find some new long-term players for the Zeitgeist campaign.
Obviously, in the story we're not at a point to bring on new characters. I also don't want to wait until the end of the AP1 module, as that would be too long. I think we could be fully two months out from the end of AP1. So I've come up with a middle-ground solution that is plausible story-wise in about half the time, but it does mean I need for the story to be a bit farther along before I kick off the process and weave an alternate sideline story to introduce the new constables, after the players are recruited. I have decided it makes sense to kick off the recruitment process around the time that the group reaches the walls of Axis.
How long that takes, will be dependent upon your interactions. I'll move you to the next scene on Sunday, as you've decided to take the valley road route. As long as the remaining four of you can keep up a good posting frequency with mine, we should be fine. Since there are only four players right now, everyone weighing in on every scene post is key. So don't wait around for everyone else to post before you - find an angle and go with it. The more momentum on posts, the more inspiring and easier it will be for hooks and interactions.
Cromlich will be DMPC'ing Johnathan in combat, and I will DMPC Ifris in combat (unless one of you wants to do it - tell me if so), but otherwise I will only be referring to them in third-person narrative for the most part. In other words - don't expect dialogue from them as full-fledged PC's from my end, as I will need to focus efforts on other elements.
Feel free to discuss here, or in PM if you prefer.
Sorry if I am part of the blame, it is the end of year for us so my company likes to implement everything at the end of the year. I am hoping I can post more often which I believe I can because it is the end of the year and pretty soon our network freeze will begin.
I posted something that hopefully can transition us into the next part of our mission.
Hi Gang,
My apologies to you all for the absence of posting and proper communication this past week and a half. Our recent player disruptions and the pressing need to once again get some new players into the fold has affected me more than I thought it would, and I had to rejuvenate a bit longer than I had expected.
That being said, I'm back to it as of tonight, and you may have noticed I started you all out on the next leg of your mission. You're out of the mines at last! We'll keep on with our recently stated notions of Cromlich DMPC'ing Johnathan for any rolls and actions, and I'll DMPC Ifris for the time being. I have what I believe to be a fair plan in how I will approach the recruitment of 2-3 new players in the near future...and how to properly write them into the storyline in a manner that makes sense. More on that later as we get closer to it.
In the meantime, I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things with our group of 4(+2), and if you want to post your check/reaction posts in the next 48 hours I'll be able to write again on Friday evening - unfortunately a recent info security change at my workplace as made access to the Paizo site unavailable, so I'm constrained to post only in the evenings now.
Vord
Hello Everyone,
Some major projects for work for October/November are largely done now, so I'm looking to get back into the game with a starting-up-again post tonight. I will be somewhat limited in scope until next week. Thanks for your patience, and at some point in the near future I'll be opening up recruitment for 1-2 players to add to the player base.
Thanks!
Vord
No problems, still here and monitoring ... :-)
Here, though also limited.
A quick note for those who have ancient golden coins to review their benefits and powers -- the coins will not have the majority of their powers if they leave Axis Island, so enjoy them while you have them!
I think we should go east immediately and take the most direct route to the right most gatehouse wall. We would just have to give the Brigg (location 5) a wide berth.
So that certainly would work as a general plan to determine skill checks and difficulty. Any agreement on that or alternate plans?
In other news, now that you all are at Axis, I am looking at setting up a recruitment tab this week to see if I can add 2-3 players to our game. While it's going to be a fair bit of work and a bit tricky to time it all in the story, I feel this is the best way for this game to get the momentum and attention it deserves. In the meantime, once you're past your immediate holiday obligations please get re-familiarized with your characters and back into a posting habit of every other day (3t./week avg.), as the action is going to pick up here fairly soon.
Roger, still here, and I will meet the average or better.
How would we get them? Story-wise.
How would we get them? Story-wise.
The new constables will be coming in with the fleet. They'll have their own story as to why they were assigned to arrive as latecomers. Your mission to open the sea gate and alert the fleet at the lighthouse ends Chapter 2 (so they'll miss that), with the final Chapter 3 being shorter than the previous two chapters.
Some fine ideas on how to proceed, all of you. Unfortunately you're not all around the gaming table where you can talk this out in a matter of minutes, as the PbP setting makes this a bit harder to coordinate. Once you have a consensus (sans Ifris and Johnathan as I'm just RP'ing their opinions), I'll setup your skill encounter to the lighthouse and get it going.
Gang, the Recruitment Tab is now active and has just been posted. I am looking to acquire submissions through the end of next week (December 11th), with (hopefully) decisions made on some new players by that weekend (12th-13th). If you know of anyone who might have legitimate interest in the game, please refer them to the boards. While I prefer to be the only one to respond to questions and comments on the Recruitment Tab, please feel free to lurk there and PM/message/e-mail me with any comments or insight on the activity there over the next couple of weeks.
Nice rolls Anderlorn! So that's three PC's who made the checks, with three to go. Sneaky-sneak onwards!
Hi Gang!
A player potentially interested in our Zeitgeist game had this question specifically for the players:
For those of you playing this campaign, what do you guys think you need the most? I have a couple of ideas for this game and I'd like some help narrowing them down ;)
If you'd like to answer Feth's question based on your perspective of party needs, please wander over to the Recruitment tab and give your thoughts. Thanks!
DM Vord;
A Couple of Questions since I like to plan ahead of how my characters progress;
1. Any further plans or updated Material regarding the Campaign Feat - The Man with Two Guns is God (Gunsmith Theme)?
2. Will you permit Deadly Agility? It is a feat from Dreamscarred Press Path of War that allows a PC to add their Dex Modifier to Damage instead of Strength in melee combat. In real life, I can see this working by beating an opponent's block and striking soft targets with quick strikes.
3. I can't remember but can we use Dares to regain Grit or Panache for any possible future Swashbucklers?
Maybe more questions to come?
Thanks in advance and regardless of the ruling ... :-)
Nice new profile pic for Willem!
Thanks Gemma, I think it fits better but Willem doesn't have a stache, it is more like a 5 o'clock shadow.
This is more like Willem, The True Image of Willem
DM Vord;
A Couple of Questions since I like to plan ahead of how my characters progress;
1. Any further plans or updated Material regarding the Campaign Feat - The Man with Two Guns is God (Gunsmith Theme)?
2. Will you permit Deadly Agility? It is a feat from Dreamscarred Press Path of War that allows a PC to add their Dex Modifier to Damage instead of Strength in melee combat. In real life, I can see this working by beating an opponent's block and striking soft targets with quick strikes.
3. I can't remember but can we use Dares to regain Grit or Panache for any possible future Swashbucklers?
Maybe more questions to come?
Thanks in advance and regardless of the ruling ... :-)
Okay my apologies on not getting to this sooner, as I was distracted by our recruitment tab action hehe. Let's see about what we got here:
1) Aside from the homebrew modification to allow a holstering of a single pistol or musket as a swift action, I have no further mods planned on 'The Man With Two Guns is God' character theme feat. It's pretty potent as it is, and the mod allows you guys to not have to drop pistols or something foolish due to action economy.
Now in terms of the 'Gunsmith' character theme itself: It WILL have definite benefits in the Zeitgeist AP as we move along, including advantages for you guys to come across avid gunsmiths in the world and get access to "advanced" firearms that are not normally available, including the ability to use them! Those benefits and advantages are baked into the Zeitgeist AP's at various points in the story.
2) Ahh the fabled Dex-to-Damage conundrum in Pathfinder. There's legions of messageboard posts on this topic in the forums. I get what you're saying, but I don't want to go there with 3PP and a single feat - particularly after changes to Rogue class in Pathfinder Unchained and the existing Dex-to-Damage feat paths to particular weapons with Advanced Class Guide's Swashbuckler class and the Slashing Grace/Fencing Grace feats in existence. The best way to dex-to-damage for a one-handed weapon fighting style is through Slashing Grace/Fencing Grace and its prerequisites (Dex 13, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus w/ appropriate weapon), which dipping in the Swashbuckler class removes one of the feat requirements (Weapon Finesse)...and the pool merging of Grit and Panache makes that a pretty attractive option there.
3) Dares out of the ACG for Gunslingers and Swashbucklers? Sure! I mean its using up the bonus feat at 4th Lvl for either of those classes, so if one wants to lock in a Dare in that slot it's fine by me!
So here's Gemma's (and my own) thoughts on what we should do next.
I think to go by way of water and up the dock is possible but improbable. Most of us would have to spend a round water-proofing and then another round un-water-proofing. Plus we'd end up having to use the water breathing scroll. So I would opt not for that option.
The next option is the seagate wall, moving towards the lighthouse. Emerson and Anneca can figure out how to use their elementals to either take out guards or buy us some time (??). Emerson can use his Silence scroll (centered on himself?) so we can move up silently. Gemma has darkvision, so that should help with some extra guard detection. If Emerson does use the Silence and we all stay together (at least initially), we should be able to get off at least one shot each without sound from our pistols. If our rolls are good, that may down at least half to 1/4 (maybe) of our guard situation.
I'm thinking the most likely place that the mechanism is to open the seagate is in the building attached to the lighthouse. So I think that's the end goal to aim for. Thoughts?
If you need any DM clarification just ask me here in Discussion tab, but it seems you guys are well on your way to working out your plan of attack...
It appears we will not be able to waterproof our weapons well enough for the water method so the sea wall is the best way to transit. Snuff out the lights as we move or maybe the shadow or unseen servant can snuff it out for us before moving. Then we get to the entrance, take out the guards with the coin powers and/or silence combat as suggested. The we can have the unseen servant turn them back on to make it look like a malfunction - of course, if possible. I am also thinking the light house has all of most of the sea gate controls. We can talk about it more in character before and once we get there so we don't meta game too bad because you know, the Gm is mean. He denied my 3 party feat ... sniff sniff. ;-)
Although a Dip is Swashy would surely fit.
I like the idea of using the silence scroll on a bullet or some other small item so that once we're done with it we can either throw it out to see or at a potential caster threat.
Using the silence should let us concentrate our firepower on each guard as we approach.
I say we forget about the two on the boat and just try to get to the lighthouse tower as quickly as possible. We will be much more able to hold off an attack if we're behind those walls.
Plus, it may take us some time to figure out the gate mechanism. (I smell a skill challenge in that.......)
Can you cast Silence on a bullet and then carry it in your pocket? Would it give the same effect as being centered on you until you threw it somewhere or fired it?
Can you cast Silence on a bullet and then carry it in your pocket? Would it give the same effect as being centered on you until you threw it somewhere or fired it?
Yes.
DM Vord
Is the sea wall path wide enough if we quickly dash along one edge, there is a less of a chance of being spotted? Basically, block line of sight as well as use silence to quiet us.
DM Vord
Is the sea wall path wide enough if we quickly dash along one edge, there is a less of a chance of being spotted? Basically, block line of sight as well as use silence to quiet us.
Hmm...well the walkway on top of the walls is just over ten feet wide, so no not really. The top of the seawall walkway has chest-high stone railings to prevent walkers from tumbling over the sides. Though I didn't describe it in gameplay, you have gaslamps with 5' illumination (5' normal light + 5' dim light radius) every 60' atop the sea wall. You have 300' of distance to cover to get to the tactical map, so that's 4 unguarded gaslamps you'd have to pass by before you'd get to the guarded gaslamp that can be seen at the very southern/bottom edge of the tactical map. Gaslamp posts do provide cover, as do windows and doors for that matter.
You can try to snuff out gaslamps with well-placed shots or the right cantrip/orison if you take the time to do so, but to your point if you do more than a couple it will logically increase the chances of being noticed. As silence only lasts for rounds (CL3 so that's 18 seconds a pop) and not minutes, you're not going to be able to use silence to move stealthily across the entire length of the sea wall in terms of the time it would take.
So I suppose you'll have to figure out how far you want to go out on that sea wall without being noticed before you make the final dash to the tactical map. Or you guys can try and bluff your way in, though history suggests you guys aren't the best at that sort of thing...or sneaking...but hey it's time to be heroes right?
I think it would be best to save the silence until we're about 60' away. Then unload on the guards and move forward as quickly as we can.
It looks like you all are getting a rough gameplan together - at least it appears you're going the seawall route with some items to work out on dealing with gaslamps (if desired) and how close you're trying to get before interaction with the rebel guards is unavoidable.
Once you firm it up I'll create the conditions for how it needs to proceed with rolls and such, and then you can get going.
Something we've talked about before but I'll put it out there again - I've asked Cromlich to make a profile to run Johnathan Jackson with mechanics, just as he did for Arthur Wilde previously. I'd like to ask if someone else wants to run Ifris Lanvaldan in the same manner. Though I can DMPC I'd rather not in a skill/combat encounter setting, and despite the psionics the character is not really that complicated to run in a combat encounter.
Since Willem is friends with Ifris and Cromlich has Johnathan, and I am very familiar with Dreamscarred Press Psionics, I will control her.
Now in terms of the 'Gunsmith' character theme itself: It WILL have definite benefits in the Zeitgeist AP as we move along, including advantages for you guys to come across avid gunsmiths in the world and get access to "advanced" firearms that are not normally available, including the ability to use them! Those benefits and advantages are baked into the Zeitgeist AP's at various points in the story.
GM Vord aka Twiki,
To acquire Knowledge and use of Modern Firearms, will this require any additional feats?
So who are the two in the group that are the best shots? Willem and Emerson??
On paper, 1st Willem then Emerson. The other factor, is if the dice agree ... LOL. I am designing Willem to be a sharp shooter with a long gun. Basically, the team's own SWAT guy.
Had a work issue last night but I'm looking to get you all rolling very soon, so get ready!
Is there any advantage to us splitting on the bridge? Emerson goes with one group, Willem goes with another?
The only thing I can think of, is smaller groups have less of a chance being spotted and the smaller there are, the faster they move. However, when we get to the gas lamp before the light\gate house, we want to all be together.