Spells Added: Glitterdust, Gallant Inspiration
+1 STR
+6 hp
+9 skill points
-Perception
-Performance
-Sense Motive (2x)
-Stealth (2x)
-Climb (2x)
-Diplomacy
I'm hoping that the +1 STR is a typo? I'd suggest that at this point, Strength is a lost cause. Use your very limited stat boosts on things that you're good at. +1 Charisma is really the only way to go for a support bard. You need your Charisma to be as high as possible for save DCs, concentration, and everything else having to do with casting. It is, by far, your biggest priority.
Some other things:
You should be getting a minimum of 7 hp per level. You get the average of your hit die (which is 4.5 or 5) and then add 2 from Constitution. You also get either a +1hp or +1skill from your favored class bonus (which, I assume, is bard).
For skills, you should get at least 9, maybe 10 depending on how you're spending your FCB.
I would ignore Sense Motive. If you really want it, pick a performance that cover it, max that, and then pick it as a versatile performance at level 6. You're just never going to be good at it and you have a lot of skills that *need* to be maxed out to be useful. Speaking of, if you're going to have the following skills, have max ranks in them:
Stealth
Acrobatics
Use Magic Device
Appraise you only ever need a +10. Performance is fine to max out as a bard because it gives you three skills for the price of one. Knowledge skills at rank 1 for a bard is fine since being able to take 10 or 20 later on makes anything invested in them worthwhile. Having perception, even low, is also perfectly fine. It's an important skill and gets rolled a lot.
As a last note, your sheet doesn't list how many ranks you've put into Performance (act).
I mean...it wasn't a typo. With his limited spell ability and support role, I thought it best to lesson Sazu's burden should a physical challenge present itself. Also on the rare instance Sazu is confronted close range it could prove useful.
I confess I couldn't remember what the hp decision by the GM was, so I guess erring on the lesser. But I thought since bards got a d8, and my CON is 2, I got 6?
I did mark 9 skills (forgot about FCB), investing twice in ranks for some skills.
Is it important to max certain skills? I've played pathfinder for a while, but I haven't put too much thought into maximing effectiveness. I mean, the difference of 1 or 2 ranks wouldn't be that prnounced, right? Or maybe I'm completely wrong. You seem very expereinced, so I'll probably defer to you.
Oh, and forgot to mark the acting part.
On the Strength vs. Charisma:
On those instances where Sazu is confronted in close combat he's got Vanish. And that's the only effective thing he can do. Hitting, or trying to hit, his opponent would be a waste of time. At our current level it will be nearly impossible for him to hit and do meaningful damage. At later levels it will quickly become even worse of an option. Frankly, shooting people with a crossbow will eventually become a less useful option than just about anything else you can do. Nevermind actually trying to hit something in melee. Spending a point on Strength with the intent to actually try to melee something just means that Sazu will actually be *more* of a burden, not less. Concentrate on what makes him useful, his Charisma.
Hit Points:
Bard have a d8. The average for a d8 is 4.5, which means you get 5hp per level. +2 from Con ends up at 7hp.
On maxing skills:
For the three skills I listed you want to be maxed out. For stealth, the enemy's perception scales with our skill. For acrobatics and use magic device, the price of failure can be catastrophic, so if you plan to take the skills, don't go halfway. The issue is that DCs in pathfinder scale with level. You attempt harder things as you level up. If you continually just spend points in random skills, you end up being as good as a 1-2 level character in a bunch of stuff. Which is awful when you're facing level 5+ challenges.
I really would recommend just about any stat over STR. As Ihon noted, it isn't going to make a huge difference in combat and a higher Charisma for higher DCs and more spells per day will probably serve you better, especially with shrewd spell choices.
Okee doke, thanks for the guidance. I'll take your advice for the stat change, will make actual changes soon. Also, you make a good point about the skills.
Just a heads up, will be on a short family get-away. Should be back Monday to reliably post.
Hey all, starting tomorrow I'll be camping for a few days. Bot me when necessary please.
Phaedra or Amideo might want to grab the potion of cure moderate wounds and split the two potions of enlarge person. The other two potions we can keep around for a rainy day. And Sazu can grab the silent image scroll. Ihon already has it in his spellbook and most likely it won't ever be his best option to cast it from a scroll.
Does anyone need anything else beside the wand for some out of combat healing? Ihon won't be buying anything, though if the plan is to stay in town for a day, he might craft something. I'm all for a sense of urgency though given the four day limitation and them being more prepared the longer we wait. :)
Hi all: I'm setting off, now, on a vacation to Japan with family. I'll be there until August 3rd. I should have internet access but I'll have a lot less time to post. Please be patient and bear with me--bot if needed!
I'll gladly take a potion of cure mod, but Phaedra can have both enlarge potions. If I was enlarged, I couldn't fit on my horse. :P
I'm back in the country, and posting should resume now. Thanks for your patience, all.
I'm back in the country, and posting should resume now. Thanks for your patience, all.
Welcome back!
Moved into a new apartment, the internet down. Hopefully up tomorrow.
Remember to take 20 when searching for traps. Unless we're in a rush there's no reason to not take your time with that.
I mean, I imagine this door has a low AC...
Hi all. I'm getting married this weekend (and planning the wedding with my fiancé myself), so things here are pretty crazy. My posting may be spottier and I probably won't post at all between Thursday and Monday. Please bear with me as I go through this joyous, crazy thing. :)
Congratulations!
Congrats :)
Congrats!
Thanks all! It was a good day. Sorry for the delay, I'm back now!
Sorry for my absence in the last few weeks, all. Life threw some curveballs, but I'm back now.
Happy Holidays!
To all my games, I am going to be leaving tomorrow for a humanitarian trip to help those in need. I will only have access to my smartphone at the time, so I will not be able to post during this time. I estimate my return to the boards in the first week of January.
If I'm a player and you find this absence unfavorable, I understand if you remove me from the game.
If I'm the GM, and you'd rather leave the game if it stalls for this long, I understand your withdrawal.
In either case, message me and we'll get things sorted out.
But I do wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
While it would be nice to open up the chests we don't have any disable device in the party. Sazu has the highest Reflex Save, but I'm really uncomfortable opening up traps relying on Saves. And especially saves of people that are being botted at the time.
I would agree with that...
Back everyone.
And I'm either multiclassing into rouge, or getting unseen servant next level. That was Sazu doesn't have to have his hide roasted too much.
Well I, of course, recommend Unseen Servant. But if that's the issue, Ihon can just get and use the spell without it costing a "slot". What we need is to recruit and actually keep around someone with disable device. :)
Hmm...I'm gonna throw this out there, just as an idea.
Beforehand, I offered to replace Sazu with someone a bit more combat prone as my initial idea felt slightly useless. After leveling and swapping something, I'm alright with Sazu but do feel we are missing that necessary "roguish" element.
Rather than double up on Bardic abilities and arcane spellcasting, I could switch over to rogue to help speed up the game progress and also fill a niche role.
I think, right now, the double "bard" buffs don't look great because we essentially only have two fighters. Andre and Ihon are both support casters with Andre focused on buffs and Ihon on debuffs. Amideo and Phaedra are the two face-beaters. Sazu's buff is amazing, and gets better the more people we have actually making attacks. The problem is we only have two people making effective ones. If we had a third (particularly one that could also take advantage of Phaedra's rage) we'd be in *great* shape.
Sazu can be a really effective buffer/debuffer as well. Ihon and Sazu double up on spells, but that's actually somewhat useful. The two of them can start off a fight with glitterdust and grease in the first round. Trading off who does what in fights and they can keep that up for a couple fights a day. After that, Gallant Inspiration can really up our damage output.
I think the key really is that we need another person actually making attacks. Three buffers/debuffers and two fighters (with one actually *also* being a buffer) ends up with too much buff and not enough actual output. And if that person came with disable device, that would be a perfect world.
A few things:
First, you guys can all level up!
Second, we've got a few options for adding a fighting body. We can either try to recruit another player or you guys can plan to take something like Leadership and get an NPC. As a GM I'm pretty open to whatever, but you guys will need to let me know what you'd like to do.
I'm trying to adjust combats to better meet the makeup of the party as it exists, but I do absolutely agree that the buffs (especially full group buffs) get better with the number of people that are buffed by them.
Level Up:
Wizard 5
HP +6
Skills: (forgot to add skill points from intelligence increase so included below)
Fly +5
Knowledge (arcana) +1
Knowledge (planes) +1
Linguistics +1 (Gnomish)
Perception +1
Spellcraft +1
Stealth +1
Feat: Spell Focus (Transmutation)
Wizard Bonus Feat: Heighten Spell
Spellbook Spells: Dispel Magic, Fly
A note on the spells chosen for Ihon:
I grabbed Fly only because I need the spell to justify buying ranks in Fly. I plan on picking up Slow, Perfect Placement, and Clairaudience-Clairvoyance.
Okay, spell-wise:
I'm planning on swapping Vanish for Unseen servant, and picking up the 2nd lvl spell of either:
Silence (useful for stealth or shutting down enemy casters)
invisibility (I mean...yeah)
Allegro (sincce bardic inspiration is usually on, always being hasted sounds pretty good)
Versatile weapon (would help with our mundane weapons issue slightly.
I would recommend Invisibility. It's an all around solid choice and useful in a ton of situations.
Silence is way less useful than you'd expect to shut down casters and the rounds/level mean that it's not even that great as a stealth spell. You're almost always better off having had Invisibility to stealth.
Allegro is personal, and so way less useful on a non-combat bard. And you get real Haste as a level 3 spell, which is awesome.
Versatile Weapon isn't amazing. The main things we'll be facing have cold iron DR and it's not expensive to pick up. And even if we pick up a side cold iron weapon for each of the fighter-types that we decide to not make magical, we have enough Magic Weapon casters in the party to just make them magical.
I'll have Sazu updated in a day or two, but for "solving" the magic traps, I can send over my unseen servant.
So, there's some gear to dole out:
1. Amideo - there's still Half Plate +1 on the loot sheet that you haven't put on your own sheet. You're the only one that can use it, so you might as well.
2. We have a bunch of Greatsword +1's. Phaedra is already using one and we have two spare. Does Amideo want one to have a magic weapon? e have plenty of magic weapon in the party if he thinks he'll never use one.
3. Potions - Here's a list of them:
Potion of Blur: I suggest giving this to Amideo or Phaedra. Alternatively, save it for a rogue-type that we pick up that might be squishier.
Potion of Mage Armor: This is mostly only useful for Ihon, though I can't imagine the situation in which he'd use it. (sell)
Potion of Endure Elements: Might as well just hold on to it. Eventually it'll be useful.
Potion of Enlarge Person: Give this one to Phaedra. Being big really helps her. We have two, so the other can go to Amideo.
Potion of Shield: Again, this really helps Phaedra. Alternatively again, save for a rogue type recruit.
4 unidentified potions
4. Scroll of Silent Image: Maybe Sazu? Another one that doesn't seem like it'll come up.
5. Bracers of Armor +1: I think Ihon's the only one that would benefit from this item?
6. Cloak of Resistance +1: This can go to anyone. Ihon, when given half a chance, will be making Cloaks for the entire party as his first priority.
Bard 5
HP +7
Spells
Lvl 1: Vanish -> Unseen Servant
Lvl 2: Invisibility
Skills
+3 to Diplomacy
+1 to Stealth
+1 to Use Magic Device
+1 to Acrobatics
+1 to Perception
+2 to Escape Artist
Still thinking on a feat
As for the items, the consumables I'd rather sell to better outfit the group with weapons that would bypass the DR we seem to always face. Not much personally jumps out to be great for Sazu
We have plenty of money to buy cold iron weapons. (They aren't actually expensive.) They will cost a bit to put magic on, but the 25gp that we'll get by selling a potion of Blur isn't going to make much of an impact on that.
It's important to note that our heavy hitters really need the DR bypassing weapons. Spending a lot of money on those things for characters that don't hit often, or don't hit hard, means we're wasting a *lot* of money. Buying a bunch of cold iron bolts for Sazu and arrows for Andre is fine, those things are cheap as dirt. But we shouldn't be worried about getting their weapons magical any time soon.
The last four potions:
1. Cure Moderate Wounds - Amideo should definitely grab that. Do not, under almost any circumstance, use that after a combat is over with. That is for emergency in-combat use.
2. Resist Energy (Fire) - Might as well hold on to. Fire will probably com up.
3. Haste - This one is tough. I'm sure it'll be very useful, but we have two people that are going to be able to cast this spell. And figuring out when to use a 375gp single shot consumable to best effect is hard. It may actually be worth selling just to not have to worry about that. It's a lot of gold.
4. Remove Blindness/Deafness - Someone should take this. Maybe Andre? Being blind is *horrible* and the Blindness/Deafness spell is permanent. More ways to cure it pre-rest is better.
Andre can hang onto the potion of remove blindness/deafness--either to use on himself or as the party medicine cabinet.
At last, level up!
Cleric 5
HP +7
Skills: Sense Motive +1, Survival +1, Knowledge (Religion) +1
Channel Energy increases to 3d6
Can now cast 3rd-level spells!
Feat: I'm trying to decide between Savior's Arrow and Alignment Channel [Evil]. While Savior's Arrow would be a lot of fun (and in specific situations could be crucial), I'm leaning toward Alignment Channel because it seems much more likely to be frequently used.
I'll get my levelling done tonight. I didn't notice the half-plate, but I'll factor that into my sheet along with my levelling. I might as well take the greatsword, even if I don't use it much Mahouf can carry it. Also, a bit of a question for DM Morvius, I just got the Qadira campaign setting book, and found the shissah animal companion. It's a lean Qadiran horse which fits the description of Mahouf perfectly. Could I change my companion from a standard horse to the shissah?
I don't mind the change.
Levelling!
Cavalier 5
HP +8
Skills: Perception +1, Diplomacy +1, Ride +1, Handle Animal +1
Also, wearing the half-plate Amideo is too heavy for his mount to carry, so I'll wait until seventh level when my mount will get its advancement to get heavy armour. If we sold the half-plate, I could probably make my breastplate +1 which would bring me equivalent to what I would have with the half-plate.
I've split the loot list into things worth selling and things not worth selling. Those things that we're not selling, especially the potions, should be on someone's character sheet. Amideo should take that Greatsword +1. And anyone can grab that Cloak of Resistance +1. We're all going to have one eventually.
Speaking of, looking back through the gameplay thread. We *bought* a wand of infernal healing before heading back out into the woods. Ihon handed it to Sazu. Why isn't that on Sazu's sheet? Apparently it's still at 50 charges, so we don't have to buy a new one, at least.
So, shares should be 2868.09 if we can sell everything in town.
I wrote some recommendations on what items should go where on the loot sheet.
Put my name down on a few things.
Must've missed that post on the infernal wand. Adding it now.
Think it'd be worth it to keep the masterwork light crossbow? Not magical, but it would give a small boost.
It's not your size. :(
Otherwise, yeah, you'd be welcome to take it.
We now have a decent amount of gold. And Ihon has Craft Wondrous Item. So he should be able to make some useful stuff once we get some time. Not weapons or armor, but half priced +2 stat items should come in handy.
Andre and Amideo, put the stuff from the loot sheet on your character sheets!