Fell Kingdom (PF1 Kingmaker)

Game Master karlprosek

Sorry I forgot, I should have warned you.

Meh, retyped in notepad++ so I have a backup. Backstory is up, I need to put some stats in and it's done

** spoiler omitted **

They are in races revised or something like that. I've sent you full text in the mail along with the character.

Also, for Armor penalty, I'm a fighter, I get Armor training which lowers it by one (at this level)

I've made some changes, swapped around some gear, and updated as much of a background as I could with a link to Levn :D

My interwebz got taken out again (hotspotting ATM), but should be back tomorrow evening, so my dude (Elf Diviner, Foresight focus, "big brother" of Levn) should be done by Saturday evening at the latest (I'm building him old-skool with pencil and paper right now).

A couple of notes: 1) The kingdom/Duchy is Veteris. Pâza is the capitol city. 2) It almost seems like, if everyone has a connection to Levn, that we could easily be Levn's smuggling "crew..." :-)

A couple of notes: 1) The kingdom/Duchy is Veteris. Pâza is the capitol city. 2) It almost seems like, if everyone has a connection to Levn, that we could easily be Levn's smuggling "crew..." :-)

I would like the post if there was an option.

But with two LG characters...smuggling...I could easily be NG, but still.

I've made some changes, swapped around some gear, and updated as much of a background as I could with a link to Levn :D

I've read the history...just one neatpick. Flying fox actually exists as an animal on Earth. It is especially big species of bat.

That's really cool! I thought I'd heard of them before!

Rules (or rather language) question:
Advanced weapon training feat says: prerequisite 5th level

Special: you can take this feat multiple times, but at most once per five fighter levels...

Now, in my language it would mean I could take it once on levels 1-5 (but due prereq at exactly 5th level)

Once over the course 6-10 level, but NOT NECCESSARILY at exactly 10th level
Same for 11-15 etc...

Now, could I take it at 9th and again at 11th level? My friend in Ireland argues that it can be taken only on 5th, 10th, 15th levels...but it says one per five levels, not at exactly every fifth...

Help?

I found on Reddit interpretations which suggest your Irish friend is correct?
Here

But good query for the GM

Sorry, I don't see it. They just bold the fact that it is limited to once PER five levels not EVERY (as in exactly) five levels.

I'm fine with whatever ruling, just to know if I get it sooner than 10th FIGHTER (which will be 12th CL since I will have at least 2 monk levels)

@karlprosek, at 10th level I can take Draconic Paragon kobold feat which makes my wings fully functional. One of the prerequisites is Gliding wings feat...but I already have Gliding wings racial trait...does that count?
RAW, I have to have the feat since it is in the prerequisites, so this reserves my 9th level if I have to have it.

Again, I'm fine either way, just need to know :)

Shajnal, I don't disagree with you, its pretty darn vague! I've let fighters take it in the level blocks after 5th in games I've GM'ed, but I could see others reading it as the redditor did.

I think that in English, and in Pathfinder specifically, "Once per 5 levels" should indeed be taken to mean "at level 5, and every 5 levels thereafter." That would follow all the other rules, though the wording isn't as clear as it should be. But the DM may have another interpretation.

No pressure, karlprosek! XD

A smuggling crew would be SO COOL (though perhaps Parin & Co. wouldn't see it that way... XD XD XD). Maybe we're the "other Mal's" rivals, hahaha! I just have to adjust Levn's attitude a bit to allow for his "big brother" tagging along. I'll try and get something written today. What about those of us who wouldn't be smugglers or other seedy types? Maybe Parin hired us, but also them to ride herd on us?

ETA: Just read Kellen's background, I'll try and work their friendship into Levn's story too. Scrappy semi-nomads for the win!

Getting some serious Zoe vibes from my character right now...

Shajnal, I don't disagree with you, its pretty darn vague! I've let fighters take it in the level blocks after 5th in games I've GM'ed, but I could see others reading it as the redditor did.

So, I agree that the wording supports the 5/10/15 argument and as Levn said that works the same way all the other rules work, with set benefits at particular levels. RAW and probably even RAI, it should be at 5, 10, 15, etc. That said, I'm not a stickler for stuff like this and my houserules are always on the side of more flexibility. So I'll rule with Shajnal and Kellen that you can take this once every 5 level blocks (once at level 5, once between 6 and 10, once between 11 and 15, etc.).

Though I think that if you for some reason didn't take it immediately at level 5 you would be pushing the whole progression back by however many levels you waited, but that's neither here nor there in this instance.

@karlprosek, at 10th level I can take Draconic Paragon kobold feat which makes my wings fully functional. One of the prerequisites is Gliding wings feat...but I already have Gliding wings racial trait...does that count?

Since the required Draconic Glide feat has a Special effect for kobolds with the Gliding Wings racial trait I'd say they don't count as the same thing for feat prerequisites.

A smuggling crew would be SO COOL (though perhaps Parin & Co. wouldn't see it that way... XD XD XD). Maybe we're the "other Mal's" rivals, hahaha! I just have to adjust Levn's attitude a bit to allow for his "big brother" tagging along. I'll try and get something written today. What about those of us who wouldn't be smugglers or other seedy types? Maybe Parin hired us, but also them to ride herd on us?

Well, the first mission is going to be escorting a caravan of hardwood up the Shrike to the Varnway to help finish Fort Varnhold in Varn Heights Pass (Maegar Varn likes naming things after himself), so your first client isn't going to be the Duchess herself. It will be someone with more flexible ideas about how morality and economics should interact.

I'm liking this smuggling angle and how the group is coming together. Anyone who doesn't want to be a smuggler can definitely be hired on to provide a more rules-abiding gloss to this group, I think that would work.

If everyone's down I think its a cool concept, or we can run as ex-smugglers - referring back to the Han Solo is Chewy's dog theory brought up earlier.

If everyone's down I think its a cool concept, or we can run as ex-smugglers - referring back to the Han Solo is Chewy's dog theory brought up earlier.

I'm fine with smuggling crew - kobold would naturally gravitate toward shady crowd because upstanding citizens would be...wary...to say to least. And I have underworld links in the story. I'm LG mostly due to Apsu being LG...but I'm not a priest or anything like that.

So, NG would be no problem, and G and smuggling can go together as long as we don't smuggle slaves or some such.

@karlprosek thanks for the ruling, much easier when one knows what is required - especially with english not being my first language.

Also, "Green knight" might have something to say about overlogging :p

https://wildkingmaker.obsidianportal.com/wikis/combat-feats

Uhhh...weapon finesse is no longer in use! I get extra feat! :)
I just read "main takeaways" from karlprosek, now I'm scouring obsidian portal ... woo hoo!

OK. Still got a long way to go, and will transcribe all the stats to here between tonight and tomorrow, but here is "Chewbacca" to Levn's "Han."

And yes, Daymar of house Hawk is blended in there.

Levn makes life interesting, so he's willing to forego "serious research" for a few decades and follow Levn around. Both of them think they're the "grown up" keeping the other one out of trouble.

Also, Daymar's forgery skill is something like +15, so, you know, smuggling? Everything here is perfectly legal, and we have the paperwork to prove it.

Question: Do any of our Melee types use Longswords? I have a very cool spell/metamagic combination, but it's only actually helpful if we have a melee type who can use a longsword well.

I think Alfric is it.

Hey, Alfric, would you be up for using a +1 Longsword that acts in all ways like a Longsword, except that it does Force damage, and every successful attack gives a free Trip attempt (+12 vs CMD - replaces your CMB), that doesn't provoke AoOs, and can't result in you being tripped if it misses?

I know you have a shiny +1 Bastard Sword, and your lance, but being able to knock people down every time you hit them just seems... fun?

If not, no worries. I'll just go with Toppling Magic Missiles, and you can trample fallen opponents, instead. Just wondering if I should put Force Sword in my spellbook or not.

Use the Force, Alfric

Lumber Co: Profit Above All, huh? Now I'm picturing it as some kind of medieval Amazon. XD Lumber delivered right to your town by the Sellen!

Two (or three) possible new angles (because how often is Alfric going to want to come down off of his horse in a fight?):

1) If JoshB's hunter uses longswords, I could give him the Force Sword, instead.

2) Instead of Force Sword I could take Telekenetic Strikes, which would allow Basdemar's unarmed attacks or natural weapons to deal an additional 1d4 points of force damage on each successful unarmed melee attack, as well as getting the free Trip attack on each successful strike.

3) I could skip both of those, and stick with both Summon Monster III and Haste (instead of just one of them) as my Level 3 spells. But really, giving SOMEONE that free trip ability AND Haste just seems like a good call, no?

Well, I wouldn't turn down a Force Sword during the times I'm on foot; but when mounted I'd go for the lance most times.

2) Instead of Force Sword I could take Telekenetic Strikes, which would allow Basdemar's unarmed attacks or natural weapons to deal an additional 1d4 points of force damage on each successful unarmed melee attack, as well as getting the free Trip attack on each successful strike.

giving SOMEONE that free trip ability AND Haste just seems like a good call, no?

I wouldn't mind having the trip especially one not affected by size :)

That said, I'd need extra damage only if I lose agile enchantment. I think I do good damage on full attack. BUT, if initial attack prones the target, they are not going anywhere later. And I will fight every fight on foit.

Well, I wouldn't turn down a Force Sword during the times I'm on foot; but when mounted I'd go for the lance most times.

I wouldn't mind having the trip especially one not affected by size :)

That said, I'd need extra damage only if I lose agile enchantment. I think I do good damage on full attack. BUT, if initial attack prones the target, they are not going anywhere later. And I will fight every fight on foit.

That all just makes logical sense.

So all of that considered, it probably makes the most sense to take Telekinetic Strikes, because Mikmek Jr. Basdemar will likely make use of the spell every day that we get into a fight, and it adds to what he's already doing, rather than replacing it, as it would with Alfric (or JoshB's hunter). Force Sword, by comparison, is really more of a backup weapon with a neat gimmick for everyone but Basdemar.

Telekenetic Strikes it is! Everyone else will just have to settle for Haste. ;-)

EDIT: Also, Shajnal, regarding "not needing extra damage," I refer you to Maxim 37 "There is no 'overkill.' There is only 'open fire,' and 'reload.'" :-) Doubling your damage isn't a bad thing. :-)

@karlprosek, I took some liberty with Mikmek. If you would like to distance Mikmek add this to Bademar story: at one point, Basdemar walked along the street as instructed by Mikmek ("meet me at Parched sailors tavern. No armor. No weapons.". Night. Dangerous neighborhood. And there were 3 attackers on him and two snipers. While Basdemar fought for his life with the assassins on the streets, Mikmek killed one of the snipers even before the trap was sprung. Basdemar shredded the first attacker, took some wounds, dealt back worse and won. Only to be hit by a bolt, poisoned of course. Mikmek didn't silence the second one in tine and Basdemar barely made it. The idea, Mikmek explained later, was to draw his potential assassins in the open and deal with them. With Basdemars toughness spy master judged his and his protégé chances very good. But underestimated the assassins' group strength and had to scramble to stop the second sniper.

This shattered the trust younger kobold had in the older. While still friendly, they are nit as ckose as they once were.

Still need to upload the background and figure out the Prot:X selection, but he's mostly ready to go.

Any suggestions for the feat? Plaon old dodge? Weapon spec? Improved natural attacks? Something else?

As a smuggling group (allegedly), with a lot of high-Dex characters, we actually don't have a real rogue. 4 of 6 are casters of some kind (Investigator, Wizard, Shaman, and Hunter), and two melee folks (one tank, one shredder).

That's amusing. Might maybe influence your Feat choice, shajnal?? Though probably not in a rogue-like manner, since Bas is LG, I suppose.

I mean, Levn covers DD, and Bas is super-sneaky, so maybe we *do* have Rogue covered? But still. No pure rogues or bards. Should be fun. :-)

If we are smuggling group I'm going with Neutral Good

OK, it's Monday. Let's do this.

JoshB, are you still interested in playing? I'll send you a PM.

"No pure rogues/bards" - well, we barely had any casters for the first week of discussion - with alchemist and vigilante and various hybrid classes covering skill monkey role and with a trait that gives trapfinding...I don't think we *need* pure.

We have warriors, divine arcane casters, and rogue equivalents. We're good.

Karlprosek, I didn't ask earlier, but are monster feats OK? Kobold can take improved natural attack / natural armor / multiattack etc?

OK, you guys are on day 3 of an expected 1 week trip from Pază to Varn Heights Pass, escorting a caravan of lumber shipped by the Veteris Lumber Cooperative (the Consortium has technically been banned from Veteris after crossing the Duchess), ordered by Duke Maegar Varn of Varnhold. Night has just fallen, camp is set up, dinner is ready.

It is Erastus 3, 2717. Weather is from the upper 50s at night to the upper 60s/low 70s during the day, the skies are grey and it briefly rained on the morning of the 3rd day (today). Fog is just starting to move in along the river. It's actually pretty pleasant for this far north, this being the middle of summer.

I need a watch order and PC introductions.

Also, does this team of (ex?) smugglers have a name? So far, the PC groups have been the Charter (for obvious reasons) and the Five Kings, and there are other adventuring and mercenary groups active in the kingdoms such as the Young Lions, the Bloodstone Swords, and (formerly) the Black Banners.

Karlprosek, I didn't ask earlier, but are monster feats OK? Kobold can take improved natural attack / natural armor / multiattack etc?

I'm fine with monster feats.

Also, does this team of (ex?) smugglers have a name?

Misfits?

Common things like
The irregulars
The black sheep
Wild cards
Menagerie
Scales/Talons/Fangs/other sharp body parts
The untouchable

Basdemar specific:D
Shedder and the company :p
Knights of the kobold
Order of Silverwing

Dunno about a group name, but if Levn gets a horse, he's naming it Serenity. XD

ETA: ...Sir Alfric as our Companion, lending us much-needed respectability? CANON

OK, final tweak to background.

...And respectability goes without saying...:p

Daymar should probably sleep through the night, since, you know, sleep and wizards and stuff, and we have 5 other people who can take 2-hour shifts, which would cover more than enough rest time. :-)

Can Monks be non-Lawful in Pathfinder? Does it matter? I'm cool with us being officially "ex" smugglers...

As for a group name, are we a group? Or are we a group of 3/4 (depending on whether JoshB is still here) with two babysitters/passengers?

If we need a name, I'm cool with "The Browncoats"... Just a thought...

I can take most any watch (except last), though I'll be relying on Avalanche for actual perception checks. Mine are not good.

Probably figure Bas and Alfric would take mid-watch shifts, being the non-casters, and since Bas can see in the dark. If we really wanted, I do have the spell Keep Watch, which would allow Alfric and Bas (and one other person) to keep watch all night without fatigue or other ill effects. It takes one of my 1st-level slots, but I do have 5 of them...

As long as we don't actually fight during the night, we'd be fine. If we *do* fight, then we just need to set watches to cover the missed time. (So if they go 4 hours, then there's a fight, it still counts as having gotten 4 hours of sleep, and we just need to pull watches for the remaining 4-5 hours).

Also, I have Rope Trick available, which, with extend spell, means we can all sleep comfortably and dry for up to 12 hours (other than Avalanche, as I don't think he can climb the rope). Can't pull the rope up, so we'd still need a guard, but it's more secure and weather-proof than tents. This is a 2nd-level slot, but I have 5 of those, too. Probably don't need it while actually accompanying the caravan/barges, but the option(s) are there.

Open to input, by all means.

Also, Karl, this discussion reminded me that I needed to actually have a rope for the trick, so I bought two. One hemp, one silk. As RT only allows up to a 30' rope, I cut the hemp one in half, so there are two 25' lengths. Let me know if that's not OK.

IIRC, you can be non-lawful monk, but you cannot advance as one...good point, I knew I was missing something. LN, here I come ;)

@karlprosek, I will take dodge for extra AC when unarmored.
Changing the sheet now.

We haven't encountered anything yet so I'm cool with you buying anything you left off your sheet.

JoshB is busy moving in a snowstorm, so IC his character went on ahead with an advance party and will meet back up with the group at Fort Varnhold.

Since we're pretty far north, the days are technically very long right now (17hrs 37m on Erastus 1 when you set out with sunrise at 3:49am and sunset at 9:16pm, for example), but we'll stick with the usual 8 hour watch schedule.

Watch schedule (2 hour shifts), tell me if you object:
Kellen
Alric/Avalanche
Basdemar
Levn

Good thing Sir Alfric relies on Avalanche for perception. Damn horse is spoiled rotten by living on a barge :p

To be clear in my own mind, we're definitely NOT sleeping on the barges at night, but rather on the shore, where we're guarding (among other things) the anchors/oxen/drovers, yes?

So are we sleeping in a tent(s), or am I casting Rope Trick at night?

This is correct. I am envisioning everybody except maybe one or two crew people per barge as sleeping on the tow path/road or nearby.

The tow path/road is on the north bank of the river (the Shrike River), so the river is to your south and it's wide open grassland to the north.