Fyrtor, I'm ok with you getting a lot of mileage out of herbalism since you chose it in place of a domain or a freaking animal companion, powerful options. I forgot there doesn't seem to be a limit on the concoctions you can have active at any one time because they assume you'll be using them at a reasonable rate, not stockpiling during downtime. So let's say you can have three per druid level active at one time. Make a note of that on your sheet and, since you've had plenty of downtime, go ahead and pick which ones you have ready.
Mel, great work and thanks for the reminder. I suppose Kelian was confused and forgot his trauma... :P That's a lot of work and will be particularly helpful during intrigue. 500 xp to the party. And "Aral" is the count's first name, of course. ;)
With that influx of small XP rewards I have to ask - how current is the XP counter?
Since we ARE closing in on Level 9 and that would REALLY help with the intrigue-arc coming up, I feel compelled to note that usually, bypassing a challenge or encounter by some means also awards a part of the XP it would have granted if taken head-on/fought.
(And no, I don't expect we can magic our way past them so easily all the time, but in this situation, it seemed sensible, since they had time to get in position and surround us.)
I was kind of wondering about the XP for that as well. It wouldn't surprise me if it were less than the full amount, but we did successfully deal with it (thanks to Túrion).
There are actually some limitations on druidic herbalism.
Up to 3rd level spells, it functions like Brew Potion. As a result, you do actually have to have the spell prepped. During downtime that's fine, you can prep what you want. On the adventuring path, well, it may be more advantageous to prep other things. Of course Fyrtor can spontaneously convert spells into healing spells, so even if he doesn't have anything left that he would want concoctions of, he can always make more CLW or CMW concoctions at the end of the day.
Once you make a concoction of a 4th or higher level spell, that spell slot is unavailable for anything else until the concoction is used, like an alchemist with the infusion discovery. So the number of high-level concoctions is limited by the number of available spell slots, and prevents Fyrtor from prepping anything else in that slot until it gets used.
So, you know, if Fyrtor makes a high-level concoction and someone steals it and buries it under a rock, he could essentially lose that spell slot semi-permanently.
Well if we do Hit lvl9, I’ll take a non-Combat feat for once. Extra Traits!
Emphatic Diplomat will push Diplomacy from +3 up to +9
Propitiation will push Intimidate from +2 up to +5
Figure that would be quite useful if the next part of the adventure will be mostly intrigue.
I have a plan for level 9, but it's mostly going to reflect events in Kazad Gravr. I figure a level should reflect what Mel learned in her recent past, not what I might expect her to encounter in the future.
I think GM understands how herbalism works, this is more of a way of balancing it for long downtime stuff. Herbalism is a downgrade if you're adventure moves quickly, but can become way overpowered with weeks of downtime. I don't really mind the idea that concoctions go stale with time, so there's a limit to the number you can build up. It helps keep things balanced. It does make bookeeping it a bit harder though, in a sense it becomes a set of potion "slots" that get refreshed with a week of downtime. Kinda like long-term spell slots.
I have a plan for level 9, but it's mostly going to reflect events in Kazad Gravr. I figure a level should reflect what Mel learned in her recent past, not what I might expect her to encounter in the future.
Not that I take it as an attack, but to explain my choices
Emphatic Diplomat: Kazador has come to terms with his past post Kazad-Gravr. The increase in diplomacy represents an increased confidence and abated guilt.
Propitiation: It’s fair to say that Kazador is deeply religious, and this is a trait geared towards worship of the Dwarven pantheon. I’d call that fitting. Plus someone like him should be able to be somewhat intimidating. I mean...if someone armed and armored like him makes a threat, it should be taken somewhat seriously.
Yes XP is up to date and you are close to level 9. I'm too nice and let you guys level up fast because leveling is fun. :D And yes, I did intend to give bypass XP so thanks for the reminder. Let's say 1/4 what the encounter would have been worth, just because that is still a fantastic return on XP given the risk/resources/table time that it requires.
So 1334 (I round up for party XP to be nice again) XP for dealing with the bandits.
That wasn't meant as an attack at all, Kazador. I'm sorry if it felt that way. I was just chatting, really. And ruefully reflecting that Mel's poor social skills are not going to do her any favors in this next arc!
Besides, you've got plenty of in-character cover for boosting his social skills. Since joining the group, Kazador has spent a great deal of time interacting with non-dwarves for extended periods, probably for the first time in his life. It only stands to reason that he'd start getting better at dealing with them.
Also, I just finished re-reading the entire campaign, and you've mentioned several times over a long time frame that you wanted to boost his Diplomacy in particular. So it's not like this is coming out of nowhere.
Another point for empathetic diplomat is that Fyrtor gives an example of driving diplomacy via wisdom rather than charisma.
So assuming 21 potions what do you guys want me to make? I'll probably make a small spreadsheet to keep track of them. How many potions of greater magic fang do you want Turion? Also we'll need to remove any older concoctions from our inventories. So no more touch of the sea, or that nauseating Trail on I think Kelian is holding.
I didn’t take it as an attack at all, so no worries there. :)
But it did get me thinking, so felt the need to explain the choices. I am an optimizer at heart, but this campaign in particular makes me think much more closely on whether each choice really makes sense IC.
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Also no potions for me. I’ll just end up forgetting to use them, as I always do with consumables. Regardless of whether it is an RPG or a hack and slash, me and potions don’t work well. You should see my potion bags in Baldur’s Gate...
There are so many concoctions Mel would like! She definitely wants these three:
1x Resist Energy [fire]
1x Barkskin
1x Waterbreathing
I'll be happy just to get those, but if there are some available after the others have had a chance to pick some, here's the rest of her wish list, in order of priority:
1x Remove Disease
1x Touch of the Sea
1x Feather Step
1x Ant Haul
- More Barkskin
- More Resist Energy (acid first, then electricity, then cold, then sonic)
1x Endure Elements
I think these function at your full caster level (7), which is awesome.
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They do indeed function at level 7 since we don't pay for it :D
@ Kazador I know exactly what you mean about potions. Btw baldur's gate is awesome!
With how long they last, I would say 3xGreater Magic Fang is plenty enough - you could prepare it again when we are close to running out, and make new concoctions if not needed.
A pity animal aspect is personal.
One instance of Spider Climb would be welcome, and, if it can be potioned, Eagle Eye.
Otherwise, Mel is a more versatile potion user :)
I, too, like to stack up and keep them in my potion bag...
Alrighty, I made up my concoction slot tracker. Mel Turion take a look, I've assigned you several concoctions. Brolin has been quiet, if he decides he wasn't some there are a few open slots still otherwise I may just fill them with ashen path and give everyone one.
Well, one extra Barkskin for Nelly would also be welcome, if you got capacity to spare.
I could probably do that.
Question for the party, if I made up concoctions of ashen path for everyone would we use them? Each potion would last 70 minutes which is good for quite a bit of fighting, but it's generally going to be more efficient to cast the spell and spread the duration.
I think it's more useful to have single-target stuff for potions.
Also for action economy. If we have time to pre-buff, it's more efficient to use ONE spell to cover us.
If we don't have time to pre-buff, I will definitely have more impact on the battle opening with magic than by drinking a potion - and I assume the same is true for most others.
Ashen Path is to allow us to maintain visibility - if you follow up with a vision-impairing spell, that almost forces people to use the potion.
It also means remotely smart enemies will not engage on our terms if they can avoid it, and possible withdraw - and we're then down half a dozen potions AND the spell.
No, powerful as it is, I think Ashen Path would be most useful as a prebuff if we expect trouble, and as spell with spread duration.
Mel wouldn't say no to a concoction of Ashen Path. It makes more sense for her than for others. As an archer, being unable to see targets renders her almost entirely useless, which is less than ideal. Particularly if you consider that she often scouts ahead of the group (due to having a high Stealth) or else hangs out at the back. As a result, she's more likely than other PCs to be out of range for a group casting.
There's also the fact that Fyrtor is not the only one who has access to such spells. If an enemy proceeds to lay down a vision-blocking spell, it would be handy for Mel to have the ability to deal with that even if she's a bit removed from the group.
EDIT: By the way, GM has been doing fieldwork the last couple of days, which is why he's been a bit on the quiet side.
Drat, just outside editing time.
I've added these concoctions to my inventory -- except for Feather Step, which Hero Lab reminded me isn't a valid spell for a potion/concoction, because it's not touch range.
Cool, I'll replace the feather Step with an ashen path.
Edit: I added a barkskin for Turion. I generally agree with Turion's assessment of ashen path potions. I'd had some of the same concerns. But I did make one up for Fyrtor, with accelerated drinker he can drink the potion and cast a vision blocking spell in the same round. A lot of those have good ranges so work well on enemies farther away.
Anyways I still have a few slots open. I was hoping to hear from Brolin, but if that doesn't happen I'll pick some stuff to fill them in.
Got it. Thanks!
Incidentally, does anyone else find it weird that Darkvision is not on the Druid spell list? You'd think it would make sense for a class that's so invested in bodily transmutations ...
It is odd. Looking again there's few spells a druid has to get darkvision even by shifting form. Thinking about it did give me a thought though.
GM, we decided that I can't make extracts of level 3 and lower spells. What if I used a higher level spell slot though? So say fey form 1. It's a third level spell. What if I used a 4th level slot to prepare it then made the extract? It's not RAW, but what do you think?
At lvl9 you could pick up a metamagic feat as well. That would also push the spell up.
Extend Spell, for example. Make it last twice as long! Could be useful for some of the extracts.
That is something that I've been considering.
Fyrtor: Oh? We decided you couldn't make concoctions of lower level spells? Was that when you first joined the campaign? I think that was to limit you from having a whole bunch of low level concoctions? I prefer just having a limit on active concoctions at once instead. That'll be the new ruling and just mark it on your character sheet.
Not concoctions, extracts. Basically I wanted to hand out personal spells. We decided that was a no go.
Well, technically...you would need to use Heighten Spell, then it should be raw.
Then you can simply prepare it as Level 4 Spell and create an infusion-extract from it. Or that's my reading, at least.
Herbalism seems to go for "any spell higher than 3rd level that she can cast" on that sub-ruling, not referencing original spell level -
Also, I'll try to post in-game when I manage. My 2 kids (3.5 and 1.5) are sleeping together in a room for the first time, since a week ago. The nights are short, and full of getting up.
That and a resilient cold(nothing serious, just coughing and sore throat) kinda drain most of my energy right now.
My word druid herbalism is a weird ability. Every time I re-read it, I come away with a different impression of key abilities. You are definitely supposed to be able to hand out personal spells, like alchemist extracts, as long as the spells are high enough level. So sure, you can do that. But I suppose those should function like extracts in that, while one "extract concoction" exists, you cannot create another one from that spell slot.
I agree. Though technically I think Turion's right. RAW they would have to be prepared with heighten spell to do that trick.
Well since we haven't heard from Brolin I picked a few more potions for Mel. It seemed the best use of the slots.
@Mel
Let me know what you think of the selections. Sky Swim combined with touch of the sea isn't a very efficient way to give a person flight, but it's nice for you to be able to manage it on your own if you need to on one of your scouting forays. Ward of nseasones is a versitile spell and you are really good at making the most of such things. I think it'll serve you well.
Those are both useful to have. I've added them to my inventory. Thanks!
One thing I do wonder about is how different the cultures of Kazad Gravr and Revan are.
KG was an isolated city, surrounded by enemies. Outside influence was almost non-existent. I’d imagine that dwarven culture and its martial tradition would be amplified by its environment.
Revan on the other hand is under a human settlement. There are no orcs around. The dwarves would be constantly interacting with other cultures. I get the feeling that they’d be much looser in their interpretations.
Not that Kazador or Algric would know this. As citizens of KG, Id think that both would assume that Revaners would think like them. Which is why Kazador *assumes* that his actions might well get him killed in Revan, while Algric might have a harder time adjusting than he’d think.
I'm not sure where Brolin is, he's been quiet for quite a while. That being the case I think a side combat would be fun. We can fluff Brolin as wanting to visit with the Dwarven elders while the rest of us deal with the infection.
Back in the olden days, I lost my Jagged Alliance 2 save in a HD crash before taking care of the Crepitus (or Deidranna).
Never got around to give it another go - I did try again years later, but it did not...age well, imho.
So getting to deal with the infestation now, here, is acceptable substitution. +1 for the side quest.
Up to you guys if you want to do a quick but big side-combat, want to visit the Revan dwarves a bit, or just want to press on to Bannerhold. A storytelling decision, at this point.
What does everyone want to do? Kazador would be all for defending Revan against the insidious insectoid threat, but knows that there is an overarching goal that must be accomplished. He is honor bound to the party’s goal, and will go along with the majority
Out of character, I'd be fine to squash some bugs.
In character, Mel thinks the dwarves of Revan probably have things well in hand, and it's more important to get to Bannerhold quickly -- the war won't prevent itself. Quite the opposite.
So I guess if Brolin wants bugs, we do bugs. If he wants to proceed, then there's no majority and Kazador will have to make a decision one way or the other.
Brolin?
Well to be honest I'd rather move the story along, but we haven't heard from Brolin in a while.
Happy Thanksgiving to our American members.
To everyone else ... uh ... happy ... Thursday?
Happy Turkey Thursday Thanksgiving!
Okay, time to move forward!
Unfortunately, it looks like we've lost Brolin. I'm considering some replacement possibilities. For this game at this point, I generally have the luxury of selecting players who are relatively known quantities and good players. What are you folks looking for in a character? It seems to me that a bard, cleric, or other buffing class could be nice. I think more melee would be fine but isn't really necessary since Kazador and Nelly cover that well with Fyrtor often stepping up. Thoughts?
A bard would be awesome. Party buffing in general is a comparatively weak spot. Both Túrion and Fyrtor can do some of it, but it's not their primary focus. Túrion is focused on crowd control (and very good at it), while Fyrtor is keenly pursuing his sight-blocking line of spells. Someone who could provide group buffs (particularly things like haste, blessing of fervor, or similar) would be very useful.
That said, I don't want potential newcomers to feel overly constrained; and honestly, I'm less concerned about mechanics than I am about fitting into the story. What I want is a PC who has a vested interest in pursuing the party's goals, a willingness to interact with other PCs to make story, and a interesting character.
Mechanics tend to sort themselves out. Story, less so.
Yes certainly agreed on those story points. I'm not necessarily concerned about mechanical clash but certain characters are mechanically more fun to play with than others, e.g. buffers are universally loved.
Buffers are indeed universally loved. But all I’d ask for is something mechanically different and which fits in the story. But the latter being more important.
Also Brolin not being here = sadness.
Yes, it hurts when good players vanish into the ether. I still miss Perrin, who did that self-same thing.
I will miss Brolin a lot. I'm glad that I did get to do the scene with Fyrtor's dad before he left, but I will really miss his posts. He was always so good with his spirits and working on all of it together. I'm with Mel, I don't think we really lack for anything in particular. Healing Mel has pretty well covered, face work we're a bit light on, but we can manage. Control and blasting we generally have enough of. Turion covers crowd control, buffing and blasting a lot. I mix in a bit. I've been pretty focused on the sight spells lately because they work good when I don't know the lay of the land, but I can swap things around pretty easily, melee, control, or light duty blasting.
I think we'll be ok with pretty much any role that gets added, the most important thing will be finding someone who will mesh with the general focus on playing a character in this campaign.
Aye, it saddens me, as well.
I had not given up hope yet, but it has been a month, I guess.
And now feel guilty for giving him a hard time about using the Sonder to reach our destination :( when really, I just meant to make sure it would not backfire.
That said, if there is to be a replacement, I support what has been stated: This is a very roleplay-heavy campaign, and that is part of it's awesomeness.
As such, the character itself will be more important than mechanics. And the player should have the time and commitment to create posts with content.
I mean, 3-sentence reactions to move things along are fine in combat, but now and then, something more substantial should be on the menu.
Regarding Nelly: She was meant as a support frontliner - I already increased her armor, but despite her splendid performance against the Magister, she will only get a second attack at Level 9 and get to make AoO against tripped targets at Level 10 - so it's dangerous to count her as a full frontliner, her damage output is limited to a single attack, so trading full attacks with actual frontliners is not a good idea for her.
Just saying - with Algric and Kelian leaving, additional Melee may be more important than it seems.
That is true...and having Nelly as a backline Defense would be the best use for her. But as you say, having the right character for the player to be invested in is most important.
I suggested to the GM that we might invite Vors back, if his life has become sufficiently less busy and if he's interested. Kelian accompanied us all this time partly so that he would have an option to return and play a character he created.
That's one reason I did so little with Kelian as a character while he's been in my care. He's said very little all this time and come off as rather stoic; but that could easily be played as he was doing a lot of heavy thinking about things.
Anyway, we'll see -- it would be awesome to have Vors again, but if not, well, c'est la vie.