The tanglefoot bag to prevent 5' steps is a really good idea and I wish I had thought of it at the beginning of the combat.
I wish I had thought of it earlier, too! I'm not used to carrying them and always forget just how good they are.
Out-of-character, I figured it was going to breathe anyways, but in-character I had no idea what the recharge on the breath was so I figured denying a full attack was what she would do. Sorry, Theo :(
No worries; Theo likes the experiences...lol.
At the very least you have a strategy now. Or you could just ignore that room entirely.
I'm also on vacation and obsessively hitting the refresh button. Would normally be driving for 10 hours to visit the in-laws this time of the year, but you know. Also realized that I've been running this game for two years this month, wow.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Oh Dervak definitely wants to go back and kill that dragon whether it is mission-critical or not.
Botching a fight like that through bad tactics leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.
Have to figure out how to get back to the moon, though.
And thanks for taking over this game - it has been a fantastic ride! One of my favorite games.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Having crazy fun!
How much diamond dust did we have left over? I'm afraid I've lost track. That will determine how quickly Mara can help Theo reach his normal level of insanity.
I believe we have 1,000.
If we use it in the Dreamlands to cure Theo's insanity, it isn't really used up.
I really would rather not wait too long to go back to the Dreamlands.
We have one vote for waiting until you visit the Stardust Augurs and one vote to head back in right away. Anyone else want to weigh in?
Theophilus feel fine; honestly...lol.
I do want to buy more spells for my "spellbook", but not a deal breaker.
Well, maybe not right away.
If we can find a place to get some scrolls that would be good.
First of all to feed the White Rabbit so Theo has more versatility.
And second of all to use in the Dreamlands where they are not expended.
If there is no such town on our route, then I suppose we can wait until after the Stardust Augurs.
You're in the middle of the sticks. The next major settlement is Cassomir. I'll get a post up for the Stardust Augurs in a few.
I'm going to assume that you're going to the Dreamlands daily to cast restoration on Theo
Yeah, that works. We'll take some backlash damage but save the diamond dust.
And maybe we can hang around the caravanserai and see if the Shantak has returned.
Theophilus will leave a comprehensive note.
Witch list or spells that only cross over from Cleric list?
And thank you!
Any spell that appears on both the cleric and witch list, including Chaos, Good, Liberation, Luck, and Travel domain spells. Up to 3rd level spells.
I'll get a more lengthy post up detailing the Dreamlands excursions for the Stardust Augurs when I have more time to write it - probably tonight.
As to scrolls, at least as far as I can see, nothing jumps out for Theophilus, but it might be good to have a scroll or two of Prayer for Kat to UMD.
I will get a more detailed post up later today
Theophilus also has UMD.
I will take a look at which Spells crossover.
Protection from Evil and Remove Fear are useful ones for UMD. Mara already carries scrolls of these, but an extra could be useful in an emergency.
Dervak has a lead on a fifth player that we can add after the end of this book which is really close. The new person is rather new to pathfinder but is running for another of Dervak's game and is going to run one for me.
I thought we'd return those favors by inviting them to our game. Is that ok?
I certainly trust both your judgements. A fifth is fine by me.
Sounds good to me.
Hello Everyone!
I want to thank you for the invite. I look forward to joining the game and rolling some virtual dice with you all.
I joined the boards about 6 months ago and I am really enjoying these PbP games. They are a great way to learn the game and do some quality role-playing.
I live in Pennsylvania, so I am on EST, and I typically check the boards several times a day.
When I am not rolling dice, I also enjoy hiking, backpacking, and kayaking. I look forward to getting to know you all.
Thanks again, Cheers!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Welcome! You will have a bit of time while we wrap up this book so you can think about what you want to bring in. Making a mid-level PC can be daunting with the number of options so I am happy to offer thoughts if asked.
Dervak is a Bloodrager. He has the Urban Bloodrager archetype which gives better AC (no AC penalty and can boost his Dex) and his Destined Bloodline also helps his defenses. He still gets hit but does not go negative all that often (most recent fight notwithstanding). He has a very limited number of spells per day.
Theophilus is a Witch. He has not taken the Slumber Hex (thankfully), but has some very useful other abilities. He has the Insanity patron. I hate Slumber hex.
Mara is a shaman, a somewhat more complicated class I think, but is a divine caster with some witch hexes. Does a lot of buffing spells.
Kat is an investigator. Our trap expert and skills expert who is also pretty solid in combat and has alchemist extracts.
So those cover the four basic roles of martial/arcane/divine/skills - you could really bring in anything.
We are using the Automatic Bonus Progression system, so get less gear but more interesting gear instead of straight plusses.
Our class abilities can be a bit complicated so feel free to ask away in this thread as we do things. It would be good to get a feel for mid-level play before your games get there.
Welcome! Dervak covered most of the basics. Let me know if there’s any way I can help, too!
Welcome!
Well said, Dervak!
The White Rabbit claps.
I like these for Theo. They fit him. Also, I can fill lower spell slots with them.
Scrolls from the Kind Folks of Desna!
So I have a half-orc magus I that was built to fill in at 10th level for the Shattered Star AP. He was not selected and is still waiting to be adjusted and played.
It was brought to my attention though that apparently inter-species adult-play has run rampant in the past with several half-orcs so I am rethinking character choices.
Reviewing the current assemble, does anyone fill the role of a ranged fighter/ranger type?
I am open to recommendations.
Cheers!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
We do not have a ranged specialist. Archery is a very strong combat style, and could be a real asset.
Fighter and ranger are both good options for archers. Ranger is probably simpler to build, and has a range of great skills and abilities, but Fighter is probably more powerful with Advanced Weapon Training options (and, to a degree, Advanced Armor Training). Bard also works pretty well as an archer (especially at Level 9 where you have the feats) and brings a lot to the table.
Will saves are important in this AP. Rangers use Wisdom for spells so that helps. Fighters have a few means to boost their Will save. The Advanced Weapon Training option "Armed Bravery" is good, but "Fighter's Tactics" combined with the right teamwork feats is outstanding. In either case, various races have features that help.
I definitely recommend beefing up your Will Save. There are periodically some dangerous fear and confusion effects.
When it comes time to pick your languages, Aklo is a good choice.
It's generally a good idea to try to negotiate with unusual and strange creatures in this AP — sometimes they can prove to be helpful. We have even run into relatively friendly ghouls, so unquestioningly attacking things that seem "evil" isn't always a good idea.
I may have also turned some strictly combat encounters into non-combat due to exceptional diplomacy rolls. But that doesn't make what Mara suggests untrue.
Some combats cannot be avoided, Diplomacy takes a minute, and some foes will only talk to get you to lower your guard.
The monsters are tough enough that it can be suicidal to let them attack first. It's a balancing act that we do. Fortunately, Dervak is generally a target for a first attack and he has Uncanny Dodge.
The moon-beast negotiated to stall for time while it tried to mentally enslave us. Dervak thinks Mara is too trusting and she probably thinks he is too aggressive. But we muddle through.
Theophilus usually agrees with both of their styles!
Just a heads up some people are reporting that they aren't seeing new post notifications.
It's all been working for me, but I will check the thread if a day goes by without a notification.
Just waiting for the results of Mara's Clairvoyance.
Just waiting until we reach the prison to cast the Clairvoyance. We might want to climb onto the roof/balcony where Mara came out the side of the wall. That's the easiest point of reference for her to choose the distance and direction for the sensor.
You can be at the prison at your leisure. DC to climb the outer walls is 25
Theophilus laughs at the mention of climbing!
@Theo and Dervak. Me and Mioki are finishing up on recruitment for WotR and we're considering Kenderella Lafuriel who had a previous incarnation in a SA game you were in before this one. Did you have any opinion on the player/character? I know it was 4 years ago so if you don't remember that's fine.
I have noticed that recruitment...i am trying to be good, and not apply...lol.
It probably makes sense for Mara to be carrying the Bracelet of Friends, and be Dimension Doored in with Theo. Temporal Celerity allows her to act in the enemy surprise round, so she could summon the remaining PC right away, if we get ambushed.
@Mara, I thought you had already done that. If you hadn't, Dervak would have had to use his last remaining 2nd level slot for Resist Energy. He would not have gone to face this dragon totally unprotected against acid. You asked if he wanted the spell now or later, and he said "Now."
"Dervak, do you want me to protect you against acid now, or wait until later? The protection will very good, but only lasts a few minutes."
"I'll take that protection now, Mara. Hopefully we can find the beast within a few minutes."
I thought you had the numbers on your side, until it got a lucky crit.
The crit was unexpected, but after the in-combat healing I was at 49 HP and reasonably confident that I could outlast it and win by attrition, especially if Kat started hitting.
Didn't expect to kill it this round, though.
I never did end up using Blade Lash as I had thought I might, because I had to prevent the dragon from 5' stepping and full-attacking Kat (who has a significantly lower AC).
Mara was prepared to step into the frontline for a round if you needed a breather. With 72 hp, 5 temp hp and a 20% miss chance, she could hopefully survive one round. The dragon could also miss on a one. :)
I honestly expected another tanglefoot bag right away.
You know which direction the Yellow King is in. Question is do you explore more or go right for your goal.
I'm prepared to get the Yellow King and make our escape.
I thought about it, but with the mirror images up, I knew it would be iffy to hit, and Kat isn’t really built for ranged. By the time we got them cleared, full attacking with haste just made more sense
Theo is fine either way.
I was going through the loot sheet for redacted, and noticed that there is an unused mithral breastplate. I think someone can probably use this?
