Safia's position is kinda odd. I said she moved north and west and instead she was placed south and east :)
Hmm, it appears I mistook Daina's dot for mine. I blame the lighting and being distracted.
So my comprehension of psionics is about 0. But what I understand of Nnn'tkklik'l and how he fights, I think he does something like this
Sorry, I just noticed how similar those colors look on my monitor at work - the difference is more notable on my home computer. Safia is the southernmost dot, ie. closest to the bottom of the page. I'll switch her to another color when I have a chance to redo the map. In the meantime, let me know if you'd like to be moved somewhere else.
So my comprehension of psionics is about 0. But what I understand of Nnn'tkklik'l and how he fights, I think he does something like this
yes indeed!
She'd end up between Daina and Gorkhan then. No use preparing for melee if you're not fighting anything.
Grit, I'm confused about your animal companion's AC. On your character sheet you list +4 natural armor (2 for 5th level animal companion, 1 for big cat and 1 for Imp. Natural Armor feat); + 4 Dex and "+4 AC." Not sure what the last refers to. We posted back and forth about possibly purchasing some studded leather for the tigone, but you never replied one way or the other that I can see, and studded leather would only be +3 armor bonus. A hide shirt would be +4 but it would lose one off its Dex bonus.
Just let me know what you meant (and if you want to retroactively buy the studded leather barding, we can do that). It didn't make a difference in the last round because one attack (at 20) would have missed regardless and the other (at 24)would have hit (with studded, or hide and reduced Dex, the tigone would be right at 24 including haste and barkskin).
I had to look myself. I did not recall. The animal gained Light armor proficiency at 5th level. I had thought Grit had purchased the best light armor available. I recall a discussion about what could be made but may have forgotten to follow through. So yes please assume that a studded leather armor was purchased if it was not. That will be 3 points of AC, not 4. I guess 4 was my wishful thinking. :)
The tigone also has Barkskin and haste at the moment for an AC of 24.
Man I love haste.
I'd also like to know how high the webs go. If it's just the floor I'll levitate over it but if it's more that might be difficult.
Unless Grit decides to set the webs aflame, doing the fiend 2d4 dam,age he can't save against from the burning web alone.
Office holiday party tonight, so I may (almost certainly) not get an update up til tomorrow. Cheers!
Happy whatever it is you are celebrating today!
Merry Christmas all.
shall we assume that in the traveling days that Daina was put into the collective? i was gonna post it but it seems like it would be distracting from the scene at hand
Sure.
You can PM or spoiler it to me if you want. I can imagine it being more of a 1 on 1 thing than the entire party.
I'd like to give Safia and Gorkhan a chance to post before moving on with the templars. I'll be posting something Monday morning regardless.
Right. We need to get our story strait before moving in, and get our plan together. Grit would like to watch their treatment of other groups more closely if possible before subjecting himself to that treatment.
The issue there is that these Templars can no doubt cast Detect Magic. The question is, will they? Safia's scythe is an old thing and probably looks like it, despite it being in a perfectly good shape. Will that make them dismiss it like an old tool or would they consider it an interesting artefact of a bygone age? It's kinda iffy.
Same goes for the cloak. If they don't use Detect Magic it'll be an ordinary cloak but if they do...
Short of owning an entire smuggling cartel I doubt we can hide the fact that there is magic on us. A level 5 party? We positively reek of magic. I can hide everything in my backpack, but the backpack itself will still stink of magic.
True.
I so want a smuggler's pouch. Basically it's a belt pouch size bag of holding. You open or close the extradimensional space inside with a command word and when it's closed it does not detect as a magic item. I couldn't fit a scythe in there but a cloak would be doable (rolled up I guess) as would potions and the such.
That pouch would be great. Grit can fly in under cover of night in bird from carrying most of the magic, if not all, especially if he uses that haversack lot Daina's.
Ok, didn't realize the magic thing was causing so much consternation (and yet another reason I'd like to smack the PF designers for not thinking through the consequences of making detect magic an infinite-use cantrip).
Not all magic is outlawed - just arcane magic. Psionicists, elemental priests and druids are able to operate openly (-ish - the priests and druids tend to be watched pretty closely by the sorcerer-kings), and both the psionicists and the priests are known for enhancing arms and armor as a side business.
Detect magic and identify don't reveal who crafted an item, so unless it is obviously arcane - ie. a staff shooting fireballs, a pouch full of bat guano, etc. - who's to say it wasn't blessed by a priest or psionically-enhanced by a master of the Way? Enchanted weapons and armor, cloaks and jewelry with passive enhancements, etc., typically will not be a problem.
The more obvious or attention-catching an item is - a flaming sword, a robe covered with glowing eyes, etc., the more likely it is to be questioned by the templars. If they want to mess with you, they might use that as an excuse, even if the item is not arcane. Just as likely, they'll accept the excuse that your flaming blade of death was forged by a fire priest, demand a fat bribe and tell you to keep it sheathed from here on out.
Trying something like flying the bag in over the city walls at night can actually be worse, because it shows the templars that what you're carrying is, in fact, contraband, and you've added smuggling to your list of crimes. (That or the elves spot Grit first, shoot him out of the sky and steal your stuff ...).
So, long story short: Your weapons and armor shouldn't raise an eyebrow, except for the obvious value of the metal stuff. Things like the spellbooks or shadow urn are pretty obviously arcane and need to be hidden. In between you've got things like the potions and continual light rocks that could probably be explained but will save time (and bribes) if you just hide them.
Finally, regarding Daina's satchel: When in "appears empty" mode, an examiner must make a successful Spellcraft check (DC 24, in this case) to even realize it is magical.
Thanks. That helps a lot. So, most magic stuff should go into the satchel in my thinking.
The only thing that surprises me is that the shadow urn is arcane. I would think binding of undead in the divine area myself.
Shadows are weird on Athas. Rather than the typical strength-sucking undead, they're extraplanar denizens of the Black, kind of a super Plane of Shadow that is one of the few planes (the others being the elemental planes and the Gray) with an easy connection to Athas. The Black isn't something that the elemental priests or druids would mess with much. Only arcanists and relatively high-level templars typically even know of it.
Oh nice, that needed check makes things easier. Well I, for one, am going to put pretty much EVERYTHING I own in my haversack. I'm definitely the biggest security threat for arcane magic.
Would my +13 Diplomacy/Intimidate and 20 Charisma be "face" enough? Safia is only bad at bluffing.
I'm fine with a Diplomacy check from Safia.
For reference, here's a list of tasks/possible courses of action so far. Let me know if there's anything to add to the list, and what you want to do next.
* Find someplace to stay, or bed down in the warehouse.
* Make contact with the Veiled Alliance and give them the carved box. Durwadala's instructions were: "In the city's Warrens, under the shadow of Kalak's ziggurat, you will find a place called Shadow Square. There is a wine-shop there called the Drunken Giant. Tell the bartender you are in town selling faro blossoms and would like to buy three kanks. Tell him where you are staying and someone will come to you. Your contact will be wearing a jade pendant in the shape of a half moon and will claim to have met you when your aunt died."
* Find someplace to sell your surplus metal weapons. The guide pointed out Grik's, a weapon-seller on Caravan Way, but there may be others, including the Elven Market.
* Nnn'tkklik'l wants to visit the local psionic academy, the School of the Mind, to ask about his crystal reliquary.
* Däina wants to buy spell-scribing supplies, which likely requires a visit to the Elven Market. The guide told her to see Ta'albis at the Red Kank (a tavern in Shadow Square) or the tattooist Ris.
* Other shopping or selling? Exploring the city?
I have to admit to being confused. Do we not get payment for delivering the caravan supplies? How as Fen suppose to buy his next shipment if he got no payment?
Ok. No payment, and the caravan with the pack kanks were some sort of debt the Fen has now paid. That clears us even more to sell the riding kanks, yes? If so that is one more thing to do.
Grit is fine staying in the warehouse. Do we know how long we are allowed to stay here? He seconds selling the surplus weapons first and recommends we try to complete the veiled Alliance part of the quest before going to the tattoo artist as that could draw attention to us. I guess anything could draw attention to us though. :)
I do love this world and am enjoying learning more about it Great job with the color so far. :)
We should probably figure out what we want to do about the armed men trying to take our stuff before we worry about any of that though :p I assume we're probably going to give it up, but someone might want to explain things to Raun.
Confusion is justified - Fen died and left no clear instructions, so you're at the mercy of the House Tsalaxa agents.
As for the remaining four kanks, you can do what you want with them. Riding kanks sell for 12-13 sp each new, so you likely can get at least half that from the stable you passed on your way into the city.
So, it sounds like this for now:
* Resolve things with House Tsalaxa guards/keep Raun from going berserk (or let her, I suppose)
* Try to sell kanks at stable and stop by Grik's to see about selling weapons
* Head to Shadow Square to make contact with the Alliance
Safia would be interested to know if there is a graveyard or a crypt in the city, especially one where they have actual undertakers in employ rather than just gravediggers. She wants to get a message out to her father and figures his colleagues are her best bet.
Wont be on for a bit, having my birthday dinner with some friends and likely to be fairly tired, if not hung over, for a portion of tomorrow.
looks like we made the right choice.
Safia would be interested to know if there is a graveyard or a crypt in the city, especially one where they have actual undertakers in employ rather than just gravediggers. She wants to get a message out to her father and figures his colleagues are her best bet.
Kalak's necromancers handle all the dead from the arena, as well as the slaves killed upon the ziggurat. Professional undertakers can be found near the brickyards, weaving shrouds and for a price burying local dead in the graveyard west of the city that has been cleared of vegetation in order to offer less fuel for necromancer-defilers that would disturb the dead.
I don't think we really know where we're going from here yet.
Before you head into the Elven Market I need a better idea of how much Daina plans to spend and where the money is coming from. You're carrying a pretty hefty sum right now, much of it in gold.
First off, I don't know how the group wants to handle Daina's share. A large part of the undivided loot at this point comes from items you obtained before she joined the group. On the other hand, you're benefiting from her association with Fen (free place to stay, etc.) and have been sharing spoils pretty much communally so far. Is there any kind of consensus on how you want to handle this?
Second, you may not want to carry more than you need into the area, which is rife with people intent on separating you from your hard-earned coin. Nnn and one or two others could take any excess back to the warehouse, if desired.
Third, is anyone interested in bartering (using skills/ability checks) or would you rather just buy at full price, sell at half and be done with it?
For reference, right now the undivided loot pot contains 8 gp, 26 sp, 13 cp, which comes to about 17.5 silver each if divided six ways, leaving a few ceramics for food and water the next few days. Daina's scribing costs, converted to silver, would be:
0-level: 5 cp; 1st-level: 1 sp; 2nd-level: 4 sp; 3rd-level: 9 sp.
The spell "books" you have will be worth quite a bit when Daina is done with them - 55 silver for the leather strips and 40.5 for the spear.
I am not sure what Dania started with, but it makes sense to me to begin dividing loot with her based on what we earn/find from the moment she joined us. So I say we divide up the spoils now so that we do not have a community pot. I do not mind Diana learning the spells before we sell them though and would not want to sell them before she had the chance to learn them.
Good advise about carrying more that we need into the area with the elves. Grit does not need to go and would be willing to stay back if he is not needed. He wants to be "at home" when a certain messenger comes anyway.
OOC I would rather not deal with bartering.
Would the value of the MW spear be part of the total value of the spear spell book?
You have done a good job keeping me confused about the monetary system. I have no idea what things are suppose to cost. :)
I agree with Grit, the money confuses me.
Also, I'll make sure to only pick spells I actually think I'll use instead of just learning them all. That should save some money.
On second thought, I don't want to deal with the book-keeping involved with splitting up pre- and post-Daina loot. I gave her equipment based on what existing group members had on them, not counting the undivided spoils, so she'll be behind if she doesn't get a share. So, for simplicity's sake, everything gets split six ways.
Yes, I included the MW spear cost in the calculation above.
As for the monetary system (which goes back to the original campaign setting, so blame them), I'll try one more time:
* 1 gp = 10 sp = 100 ceramic =1,000 bits
* Everything that isn't metal costs 1/100th of what it would in normal Pathfinder, so most things that would cost 1 gp now cost 1 cp.
* Anything that is metal stays normal cost, so an iron longsword still sells for 15 gp (the equivalent of 1,500 gp on a normal world).
* Weapons made of bone/obsidian/etc. cost some fraction of the iron cost, depending on material.
I've been expressing most things in silver pieces, because I think it's more flavorful (gold remains rare) and because it reduces the number of coins being passed around by a factor of 10, compared to using ceramic pieces. If it's too confusing I will stop and just use ceramic pieces, which are equivalent to gold pieces in a normal campaign.
OK. I think I got it. In a faster paced game, like a table top, I think it would sink in faster.
So we got 800 ceramics for the iron weapons. Did we at one time have some iron coins, or am I imagining that? And what are weapon enchantments worth in general (i.e. what do we think the swords should be worth)?
Ah, that perfectly clears it up for me, thanks DM.
I currently have used 49 pages in my 100 page spellbook. The following are the list of spells that are at hand that I do not have in my spellbook:
Spell Book on leather strips: ash storm, dispel magic, fireball, lightning bolt; mirror image, protection from arrows, scorching ray, touch of idiocy; burning hands, magic aura, shocking grasp
MW agafari spear: fly, misdirection
I intend to copy down: Dispel magic, fireball, lightning bolt, mirror image, protection from arrows, scorching ray, burning hands, fly. The rest of the spell are either so circumstantial I wouldn't use them or are touch spells (which I avidly avoid unless I am a magus).
That would make a total cost of 49sp. After selling them once I'm done I'll actually make a profit from that.
Er, we are splitting everything up so don't say you will make a profit. :P
So we got 800 ceramics for the iron weapons. Did we at one time have some iron coins, or am I imagining that? And what are weapon enchantments worth in general (i.e. what do we think the swords should be worth)?
Yep, 800 cp for the dagger and steel spear, which was a little more than 50 percent retail price. (As a note, the cost of the masterwork component gets converted to ceramics, regardless of the weapon material).
You've had a number of gold coins, and some scrap iron that you sold, but not any minted iron coins.
The cost of weapon and armor enchantments is converted to ceramic pieces, so 2,000 cp (retail) for a +1 weapon, 8,000 cp for a +2, etc. The cost of the base weapon depends on material.
At retail, the +1 iron longsword would cost 3,800 cp (2,000 for enchantment, 300 for masterwork, 1,500 for an iron longsword). The bastard sword is steel, which triples the price of the base weapon, so it is worth 12,800 cp (2,000 enchantment, 300 masterwork, 10,500 for base weapon). You won't be able to get full retail price from those weapons, but the rarity of enchanted metal weapons means you may be able to do better than the normal 50 percent sale price.
*We'll make a profit ;)
Daina, by my count you have 22 sp and 20 cp - so 24 sp - at the moment. If Gorkhan or someone else loans you 25 sp you can get all the ink you need now, then pay them back when the group sells the swords or finds a buyer for the spellbooks. Otherwise you'll have to come back for more ink once you have the money.
I think borrowing from Gorkhan would probably be the simplest solution.