GM Burglar's 00-23: Tide of Morning (Inactive)

Game Master mechaedd

You've actually got a square immediately, unless anyone jumps into the swarm. Note that until I get unlazy and not flood-y, we're back go Sky drive (which I think you could see at work?

AoO 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
Dmg 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Kyoshiro takes a 5 ft stp towards where the ball rolled from and casts colour spray [DC13]

Attack + Colour Spray [DC13]

Miniupdate: This kills the rat (surprise), but the colour spray turns up no results.

Worth a try...

Side note, Baz should be adjacent to Harboth after healing him.

Bazresh circles in front of the party, avoiding the rats, and moves to Jeb, healing him with the wand. Opal, quit throwing things and help talk this Gire down! I don't think it really wants to fight us!

CLW for Jeb: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Jeb dances to the east, moving about 4 squares away. He scans the sky for the invisible voice, readying an action to shoot him should he appear.

Um, I moved twenty feet to the east on my first action. Should I still be caught in the rat-splosion?

Ah, no. I forgot you danced; missed it. Nope, you're good. I gotta get the Google Map version of this up so I can actually work and not mess up everyone's actions.

I so can't wait for Gamespace to hit an open beta or something. It'd solve ALL the problems...

Jeb, his newly un-rat-chewed form surprisingly whole, calls out in aid to the diplomacy.

Aid Another (Diplomancy): 1d20 ⇒ 11

"Listen, whoever you are. We ain't gonna eat you. Heck, I don't eat nothing I used to know, even if I just met it!"

fort save vs disease: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
fort save vs bleeding (DC 13): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Grits yelps, groans, and then falls to the ground, unconscious.

Harboth yells, Grits! Noooo! as his canine friend falls under the onslaught of gnawing teeth and dirty claws. He remains fixated on the swarm, hacking his way toward the dog.

attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
damage: 1d12 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Dude, really? I can't get a good roll just for some dramatic effect?

If we can even access gamespace...

Access...

I can hit the main page, no problem. You might still be SoL, though that's not quite my problem, do ho ho.

Bad rolls

That's why buying the PFS-sactioned reroll shirts are for, dawg! Totes legal for online games, still, I just need proof you have one and are wearing it at some point.

Baz will heal Opal then, since Jeb didn't take any damage that round.

Acid splash damage is only 1, not 2.

Fort: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Opal steps out of the swarm, then pulls out a vial and spreads a vile smelling liquid on her breastplate. Vermin Repellant: DC 15 Fort save for the swarm to enter my square.

Actual Round 2 Without the swarms, we're entirely in a 10-wide path with these furballs landing roughly 40 feet from Kyo. You're about 200 feet from the base of cottage, though you've gotten caught in a large valley between hills, so you have no LoS at this precise location. To get one, you'd need to get within 100 ft of the hill, pretty much.

Kyoshiro swings at the weasel as the attack of opportunity.

Sword 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Dmg 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Stop this all! Its pointless! We come to talk

Diplomacy 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

What he said! Baz echos his earlier sentiment and Kyo's current one.

Not sure if another Diplomacy check is allowed, if not make it another Sense Motive at +11

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32

Not sure if another Diplomacy check is allowed, if not make it another Sense Motive at +11

It works like regular diplomacy, but you pushed her back down to Indifferent after the "failures cause her to go hostile and add 5 to the roll each time for the individual" roll barrage, and someone after you can likely hit the 17 required to fix that.

Jeb lowers his pistol, but keeps it close. "Tore 'im apart? Wow. Well, I gotta say, if you were aimin' to avoid starting a war, tearing a man apart is a pretty fool way to do it."

The creature, apprantly either tireless or simply full of energy, responds to the first statement while still flying in circles. "Cyflymder says the druids only exist to trick us and help humanity steal our treasure. But… but I’m not so sure he’s right."

Harboth largely ignores the conversation at this point as he switches his fur-spangled axe for a wand and taps it thrice upon Grits.

zip!: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
zap!: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
zop!: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Well lets talk face to face... it is hard to talk to the thin air.

"Bu-but all the axeblades you have! You're likely to cleave my wings off if I show myself! I can say things from not-being-seen"

We mean you no harm, or your fair home. Something is wrong here in the forest, as I am sure you have noticed. We come to set things right. To stop the rotting infestation that is spreading.

"Oh, by the Count's disappearance, we're rotting now too!?!" The entity buzzes around even more noisily, in even more of a panic. "How do I stop the rot?!? I like my parts where they're at!"

Perhaps we can help you. Who's the Count? Some of us are skilled in healing, why don't you show yourself and let us take a look.

As the conversation goes on, Kyoshiro hands his wand of CureLight Wounds to Harboth and asks he use it on him.

1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

"You're... you're not going to eat my head? For real?" A miniscule, green-skinned humanoid hides behind a branch, dropping invisibility. A pair of dragonfly wings are on her back, likely explaining the buzzing earlier. "Um, what can you do to help my rot? Am I going to die?"

A note that Fae/Fey/Fay (whatever your favourite spelling is) are ID'd by Knowledge (Nature).

Opal relays her information about the Count.

Where is this Count now?

"Stories say he got sent away millenia ago, though I hear lots of stories," the tiny naked woman states as he hides behind a leaf.

Last I heard he was living on Sesame Street...

Opal sees if anything is ailing him. Heal: 10 + 6 = 16

One, two, three, four, four dead rats, ahahaha!

Opal moves around the tree to visually corner the fey. She squeals in fear, though only tries to rotate her leafy shield between herself and the big person. She is quite easy to examine, being as bare as any beast of the nature would be barring a single, tiny bag tied to her waist by twine. She is no taller than 4 inches, and nothing visually ailing her (from this distance) beyond a hyper-active imagination. "Wh- am I, am I going to make it? Can you fix me?"

You are fine for now, little one. I was talking in generalities earlier. It seems you have not yet been touched.

I was also getting my sessions mixed up. Both of the other PBPs I am playing in are also in the forest and they have undead.

I had actually though you were just going to use it as a ruse to draw her closer. So far, she seems to believe almost anything bad that's told to her.

So what now? You said they killed Hemzel? Where is this Cyflymder?

The fae's face peers out with a slight look of calm, but is still clearly in a panic. "Clfymder sent me down here and fled north, promising to clear the Verduran Forest of the scum who stole our heritage by destroying his history-stealing rock. I think he is extranormally cruel and made many grotesque threats against all who oppose him." She looks with a genuine concern with the hut's chimney's smoke as a backdrop. "It would be better if you fled on your own, wouldn’t it?"

Flee? Never. You say he destroyed the rock? The Lorestone?

"I suppose that's what people might call it. He was planning on destroying it up at the old druid circle after he 'finished up' at the poor, old man's house."

We must make haste! Baz says excitedly. Is there anything in the cabin that might help us?

"I wouldn't know; I only saw it from the top of the hill that way." She takes one hand off her leaf-y shield and points the direction you were going. "My sister was with him during the raid, though he didn't mention her when he sent me here. If you see her, please tell her Mire is okay and that you're not bad."

Opal smiles. We will keep that in mind. You could accompany us yourself, little one, and speak to your sister when we find her.

When the party is ready, Bazresh will head to the small hut.

Kyoshiro will move with him, cold iron Naganata ready.

As Bazresh and Kyo crest the hill, they can now see the hut that (which is a mere run's distance away) has smoke coming out of more than its chimney, its windows beginning to billow a few trails of smoke into the air.

The area surrounding the hut is scattered with a few bodies, though at this distance its hard to tell what each cadaver is.

Bazresh yells for the party to hurry and follow as he begins running toward the hut. As he he closes the distance he slows, scanning the bodies on the ground.

When Baz gets to within 30', he will start using his deathwatch SLA to check the corpses.

>30' Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Edit: Drawing his scimitar along the way.

Chelsea will follow behind the tiefling, at a much more leisurely pace.

Harboth hustles behind Baz and Kyo, drawing his bow and scanning the hut for anything other than fire and bodies, particularly if it is moving.

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Jeb slowly draws his pistol and scans the corpses. Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

"What the? What happened here?"

To discuss things, like my presentation of Tide of Morning!

Did we decide if we're doing 1-2 or 4-5?

Let's see what the level spread is first, then do some mathsssss.

I ask because if we're playing 4-5, I'll run a different character than my poor fragile summoner.

Yup, yup. Such things are pretty much why I don't start up with an opening post. Plus, I like to type up faction letters for the new factions (keeping the appropriate mission, of course; just fixing weird fluff things as much as allowed.)

Hmm, to decide between the Gnome Summoner 1 and the Sczarni Gunslinger 3? Decisions, decisions.

If we play high, I'll bring Ander. Otherwise, I'd kinda like to bring this guy. I need to update him to level two and maybe a slight rebuild. Was toyinf with idea of an alternate heritage.

Opal is available at level 2, or I can play my level 1 Barbarian if we need more melee.

Dot.

Playing a level 2 Paladin, though I have a level 3 Samurai/Magus - Your call to some degree as I wouldn't mind at all playing up to a T4-5 game.

If we want to play up, I'll use my level 3 character.

It looks to me like we are going with a tier 1-2, but I have also heard that some season 0 scenarios can be terribly easy. If this is one of those we could play up in the 4-5 tier and everyone could play as high a character as they could manage.

The thing with Season 0 is that scaling is terrible. This isn't the exact enemy for this scenario, but it's from a different season 0 (and is mostly the situation in this scenario.) It's espeically bad in 1-7s, as follows.

"Sure, 8 gobs with +1, 1d4+1 attacks are dangerous when you've got 8 health. When you're a damn 7th level character, though? That isn't going to do anything but drag the game in the dirt on time except let players play Dynasty Warriors (which is fun in its own merit.) Fight 24 of the same gobs! That's a CR 6, right?" Proceed with cakewalk, in which you cake dead gobs into the ground and only the scholarly 5 Con Elf Wizard Diviner w/ dumb player is pasted because he thought 'I'm going to melee too, why not? Oops, I forgot Mage Armo-' 4 attacks.

I make no promises on it being approrpriate for you guys, though, being that the group I play with can at least moderately survive the deadlier Gygax-tier modules.

James:

3rd Bard, 3rd Gunslinger
1st Summoner (Note that while I love the summononer, remember the eidolon gets Animal Companion Hit dice, not the PC hit dice. 5-health, go!)

Sethious:

Chelsea:
Paladin 5, Cleric 5, Bard 3, Another Cleric 3, Sorc 2

Helaman (isn't this a mayonnaise?):
2nd Paladin, 3rd Samurai/Magus

Opal:
2nd opal or 1st barbarian

Ander:
Magus 3rd, Inquisitor 2.

At Maximum, we have 3 + 5 + 3 + 2 + 3 = 16 which is 3.2, which is choosin' range. (APL only auto-scales up higher at 6 and 7, IIRC.

Bazresh is actually Lvl 2.

Ah, I was going off the hotbar reading, which said 1. Doesn't change any of the highest-possible tier math, though. Once you guys know what you want to do, I can start stuff.

My inital reads (because I can't retain all my thoughts in just one): This isn't a notably rough one. A bunch of ones playing up in anything will be dangerous, but there's no Dalsine Affair-tier dangers here. The tiers here, I'd say, are appropriate.

No worries, GM. The eidolon has animal companion hit die. I just took toughness for his feat and used the Favored Class option for the gnome, which adds +1 HP to your eidolon.

Oh, ha, I didn't even look at the sheet; it was just the one thing I remembered from one of my acquantences's biggest surprises playing a 1st level summoner in pfs: "Wait, he has, like, 5 HP? Yeah, no power attack, toughness..."

But as before, highest possible with current party present is a choose-your-tier. Lowest is the bottom of the curve "Everyone plays new characters" ideology. Which reminds me, I need to PM some of the old faces, in case they wanted in (since I did promise I'd do just that.)

Ok... then I am playing this Magus, who just finished the Kirin Way. I'll update his chronicles in the cloud shared folder in a day or two.

I'll need to buy a standard Katana as I made a mistake with my last chronicle and sold my masterwork one.

Okay, I'll play my gunslinger. Should be fun!

Oh my ghad, that's my old Gunslinger's picture. The memories of no-pants broom combat...

But more relevantly, Sethous, did you want to try to drag your fighter through this, since I believe you said at some point you needed 1 more low-level xp to get that LL boon?

We've got 2 level 3s so far, so that's good. We just need Ander and Brute's choices. If we are to go with what they preferred our APL is...

Mathhelper 9000, (not) Hiram, Kyo, Opal, (not) Ander: 3 + 3 + 2 + 2 = 10

If the fighter is 1nd level, that puts us at 11 which divided by 5 is 2.2. If it's 2nd (or he brings a second level character,) it's 12 which divided by 5 is 2.4. If we're looking for low tier, we're gold no matter what. If we're looking for higher, we need to either get more players or stack on some more levels (or possibly check my math, as it is likely wrong.)

Opal is ready to go.

I have no problem bringing Ander, if high tier is what we're shooting for.

Oh my ghad, that's my old Gunslinger's picture. The memories of no-pants broom combat...

But more relevantly, Sethous, did you want to try to drag your fighter through this, since I believe you said at some point you needed 1 more low-level xp to get that LL boon?

We've got 2 level 3s so far, so that's good. We just need Ander and Brute's choices. If we are to go with what they preferred our APL is...

[dice=Mathhelper 9000, (not) Hiram, Kyo, Opal, (not) Ander]3+3+2+2

If the fighter is 1nd level, that puts us at 11 which divided by 5 is 2.2. If it's 2nd (or he brings a second level character,) it's 12 which divided by 5 is 2.4. If we're looking for low tier, we're gold no matter what. If we're looking for higher, we need to either get more players or stack on some more levels (or possibly check my math, as it is likely wrong.)

We need a 5th player... can we advertise/recruit for one for a few days before we start?

I sent PMs to Kip and Harboth, in case they want back in. Additionally, there's at least one guy playing a pregen Valeros in a pbp that was interested in PFS, but had nothing high up I could ask. I have yet to actually ask him, though. The need for someone is all entirely dependent on what Sethious wants to play.

Harboth has responded and been sent the link to the thread. If we were playing up anyways and someone wants to try to max out the table, feel free to deliberate a choice here.

I can try to hunt down someone.

So we are a go for playing up?

Harboth's bringing in his 3rd level switch hitter.

On the assumption of Chelsea...

Hiram, Kyo, Opal, Ander, Chelsea, Harboth: 3 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 = 15 | 15/6=2.5 | Scaleup makes 2.5 into 3.5. Forced play up, should Harboth show, so go nuts with higher level characters if desired.

Yes, I'll play Chelsea again.

Harboth (hair restored) is up for this one (and his little dog, too!), so that should secure the higher tier, and might even give others more flexibility in whom to bring.

Woot!

Sorry guys. RL stuff going on. I will try to get back up to speed tonight.

Moving to a new place this weekend. Posting will be spotty.

GM?

Hey, your "Down Under, Croc-wrasslin' daytime" cuts pretty hard into my East Coast USA "sleep-like-a-drunk-cat" time. Though if the world goes by for, like, 12 hours and I don't post anything, then prodding is likely warranted.

Apologies for the delays; Hit my ankle pulling a pushcart with 3 network printers on it on Friday. It's really only sore and non-serious, but I spent my lunch break at the hospital ('cause it got all puffy and my temp shot up), then waddled my way back to work to finish the last two hours.

Should be back on track soon-ish, easily be done before Gencon (barring further incident.)

Am I correct in assuming that ambient light levels are dim because the sun isn't up all the way yet?

Baz kneels down and prays to Sarenrae, that his mission will be finished by Wed., so he can participate in a mission of the Glass River. A rescue of some sort he's been told. ;)

I'd like to get this done before Gencon as well too.

I'm'a tryin'. I really only want to npc 1 person per post, though, especially when my posts make them drown.

I'm'a tryin'. I really only want to npc 1 person per post, though, especially when my posts make them drown.

It's fine, really. I was just attempting to be humorous. Technically, I don't think I play 5-01 until Fri or Sat.

If it gets to the weekend, though, we'll hit that Travel Lag, plus "Rich is a sleepy puppy" thing that seems to happen ever week, and I'd like to finish it by then; seems like a fine goal.

Sorry, I'm getting ready for GenCon and work has been kicking my butt big time. I think I should just bow out of this, given how little I've been on top of things. Feel free to DMPC me as needed.

We're in the last fight, and it should be right quick with Opal helping the sun destroy the darkness bubble, so just stick a little around, I suppose. If you want to put up some npc-esque programming, I'll feel a little better with a DMpcing, or you can ID another player to do stuff for you, if desired. One thing is that there's gonna be a break from me running things around Gencon, since I'm busy as hell as well, plus being inconveniently injured at the same time isn't helping.

I agree with Burglar. We're almost done, you should stick around if you can. Though obviously the real stuff takes precedent. I hope my comment/attempt at humor didn't spur this in anyway. I was just kidding around, posting to post something. Heck after today's Paizo blog post, I'm wondering if I shouldn't be bringing one of my Grand Lodge PC's to 5-01. Do what you feel is needed, but don't feel like it's something to do for the rest of party. I think I can state with confidence that we all enjoy you as a player in these games.

No worries. I've just been swamped with work, and haven't felt much like posting, plus we keep up a nicely rapid pace, which is great and a pain when you slip away for a bit! Double edged swords and all. Burglar are you heading to GenCon?

I was pondering the notion, but then I got (read: continued to be) incredibly lazy and never set anything up and defaulted to going to Dragon*Con with my regular group instead. Ironically, my sister is going back to Earlham College, which is, like, an hour away from Indy and she's going back on the 17th.

I just want a break around that area because it's convenient for everyone else and I want to sleep and rest my ankle all the time something hardcore but won't leave games to hang on my behalf, and GMing is hard from a phone. Not impossible, mind you, just difficult.

State of the GM Address*

My fellow PFS players, I'm not one for speeches of text because my horrendous attention span, so I'll keep it brief. I'll likely continue to be busy for the next week with "pre-vacation getting two weeks of work done in one week" time, followed by "Dragon*Con PFS-O-RAMA vacation" and "Post-convention nap-o-rama." We have a number of options, a few of which are the likeliest choices;

I think the hiatus is probably a better idea. You're probably going to need it if Dragon-Con is anything like GenCon. Plus the inevitable post-Con crud. I can wait a couple weeks. I dig your GMing mojo, baby.

Concur with hiatus and digging of mojo.