Sounds like Jaghal is in if he wants. I'll figure out a way to work him in as soon as it makes sense. That is, unless the party wants to just allow a "poof" replacement with Martok. Up to you all :)
What?!? And deny me the opportunity to tell the story about Jaghal the Sasha?!
Thanks guys! I appreciate it. Just to mention, that time things really got out of hand. I had my father coming to town. He's like a Tsunami of trouble, so when he comes here we try to solve most of what has been forgotten for ages. If things were not problematic enough we had an invasion on our lands from some bandits who claim to have a title of property over it, which is nonsense, but need to be solved in a lawsuit. The fact is, if they were allowed to stay in the lands until the final decision we would have had a lot a huge loss. And I'm a lawyer, so the responsibility was all on me. Now the problem is under control, so I'm back to my regular life, although I'm not in as many games as I was back then, since I've been replaced in several. Anyway, I don't plan on having that kind of once-in-a-lifetime problem again, so do not worry. Either way, if anything happens I'll send word.
Jaghal is ready to go to level 5.
Jaghal, so ahead and level up. I got your PM and it makes sense, although somewhat nutty :) I'm going to have you come in after we resolve the current room.
Speaking of which, waiting on the group and their decisions prior to the fey turning tail and running, or flying, away. :)
Omg omg omg omg omg you let him die!! You monsters!!!
Does "Hold Person" work on the completely humanoid bear?
The spell you are looking for would be Hold Animal :)
T_T
BTW, I'm waiting for information on Mordak, if he can be saved or not, then we can continue the roleplay at least, I think
Sorry folks, I completely forgot to let everyone know I was convention bound Thursday afternoon and was on vacation Monday and Tuesday of this week. Just now getting back to the office. I've got some catchup stuff to handle this morning and I'll update accordingly. Thanks for your patience!
So a bit of insight into that encounter, now that it is behind you. The hag was supposed to follow you along, as you handled the various challenges here, and finally jumping you once you led her to the prize at the end. It would have made for an interesting fight, since chances are she might have been able to catch you somewhat depleted on resources. There are also more favorable terrain features for her further along. However, with the transition between Martok and Jaghal, I needed to come up with a way to switch them out without leaving Jag waiting for weeks and also having to tote Martok along as an NPC. With the way you handled yourselves it made sense that she'd actually be afraid of you and looking to get out more than anything.
She'd been trapped in this place for a very long time, and was more than happy to simply escape with her life. Since you provided the gateway out, she took it.
I guess I still do not get why she helped us against the fey or what prevented her from breaking free any time.
Because otherwise you all would have been too chicken to fight off those fey :)
In the AP, she's actually trapped by the Fey, so she needs the party to kill them off so she can escape, thus offering help. The treasure, if mentioned by the party (which you did) makes her want to tag along. She was never in league with them.
How dare you call us chicken!! The party was just waiting for the arrival of the backup!
No post today. Will be back tomorrow morning.
I want to take a moment and address the players and go over a few things from the current, and more recent, encounters, as well as cover a few other things I picked up on trying to resolve these issues. Please remember that the overall goal is for everyone to have fun, including the GM. When the game stops being fun is when the game dies.
1. Reconning Actions - I don't like this. If you say you are doing something, that is what I go by. Don't expect me to be a mind reader. Please be clear about your actions when you post them. If a chasm is too long for a 50' rope, be specific that you are using two ropes together. Characters DO make mistakes, and sometimes they do suffer the consequences. Reconning every oversight is not acceptable.
2. Ongoing Effects - Explained in my gameplay post, but I wanted to add this for emphasis. The last fight was really bad about this. If you are in an area with a negative condition or effect, be mindful of that and remember to roll accordingly. I think only a couple people rolled the every round Fort saves against the Sickening Entangle spell in the last fight, and for most of the encounter everyone was in it. I know its a headache to remember this stuff sometimes, but imagine how it is when I have to check and roll for 6 people. This is why I outline the map in areas where a condition is present, so you know when to roll. Please help me out here.
3. Roleplay - In the end, this is what the game is all about. As much as it is fun smashing skulls and killing the bad guys, this is a roleplaying game. I will always try to follow good roleplay with whatever I can add to make the scene better. I don't always succeed at this, but I try. I expect everyone to play their characters, not as a set of numbers and stats, but as a living being. One that is experiencing new things and overcoming new challenges. A good example would be some of the more fantastic encounters we've had. Some yell "Giant! Ware yourselves and prepare to fight!" and others are more "Giant, pew pew". Roleplay your experiences, others will feed off of it and react, and I feel everyone will have a better game overall.
4. "The GM is ALWAYS Right" - Ok, the GM isn't always right, we all know this. But if the GM tells you something, he has a reason. If you have a mechanics question where you think the GM screwed up, PM him about it. I have definitely made mistakes in the past, and will in the future. However, and I'll soapbox for a moment, I'm about as close to a "Professional" GM as it gets when it comes to Paizo and Pathfinder stuff, and have 5 stars by my name on the boards for a reason. Many times something that doesn't make any sense to a player makes perfect sense to the GM. There's usually a reason. If I have to counter every question or counter in the gameplay thread then I'm going to spend more time doing that than I am running the story. Also, I take a LOT of creative license when it comes to games. Some things work the way they do for the sake of the story, and for to make things more interesting.
In the end, the object here is for everyone to have a great time. I don't do this just to kill time that I have nothing better to do with. I want each of you to enjoy playing your characters and to be a part of a larger story and a larger world. But always remember, the GM needs to have a good time too!
Personally I think it's great that Sasha has a personality quirk that we'll need to deal with. Things like that make this more than just running the numbers. Sure they can be a difficulty for the party but they add to the story (if that makes sense).
Nothing wrong with having character flaws or phobias at all. I actually had a character once that stayed parked at the entrance to an underground temple to a snake god because he had an uncontrollable fear of snakes (thanks to Raiders of the Lost Ark). It meant I didnt get to go in and slay the baddies, but it made sense for the character.
The character ended up dying much later, to a snake. :)
Sorry to see you go. Good gaming.
2. Ongoing Effects - Explained in my gameplay post, but I wanted to add this for emphasis. The last fight was really bad about this. If you are in an area with a negative condition or effect, be mindful of that and remember to roll accordingly. I think only a couple people rolled the every round Fort saves against the Sickening Entangle spell in the last fight, and for most of the encounter everyone was in it. I know its a headache to remember this stuff sometimes, but imagine how it is when I have to check and roll for 6 people. This is why I outline the map in areas where a condition is present, so you know when to roll. Please help me out here.
In regards to this point, one thing I do in the games where I have a higher level character (and something I try to get my own players to do) is to use a stats post as a header for each combat post. Such as:
That is from a wrath of the righteous campaign I'm playing in. The bracketed values are the character's base values. Keeping track of buffs and debuffs is kind of a pain, so using the header is pretty much required to not forget what my character has active.
Also sorry to see you go Johan! Have a good time!
I like Giz's suggestion, and I've seen that done before. I'd welcome anyone using that if they choose, as it definitely would help me remember who has what buffs and such going at a specific time. In tabletop play I think its easier to track, but with a game where combat could take a week to resolve, its VERY easy to lose track of these things.
For my part, I'm going to work on something similar that will display any information during combat pertinent to the party.
Sorry it didn't work out Johan. Best of luck in future runs!
Just so I understand, everyone with the exception of Sasha is forgoing their actions this round, basically in shock. I'm fine with that, I just want to confirm before I press forward. Haven't heard from Szacha yet, but so far we have a lot of shock and awe happening, and a potentially fleeing bug.
< Shocked and awe'ed
Between my lack of attacking skills and pacts with the dice gods I think I wouldn't have many options either way ^_^
Bah, sorry Szacha, forgot about you being away. I need a status thing in my own posts to remind me when people are vacationing I think :)
As a reminder, a new one for some of you since my original post was at the start of the adventure path, please include a spoiler on your profile page of your character with your "Wish List" for your character. This could contain things you'd like to have that are character defining or impacting, or things you consider upgrades or important to your ability to maintain effectiveness. I don't always know what you have planned for your characters in the long term, or what weapons or such that you prefer to fight with, so having this helps me understand what you need to succeed.
When we come to parts in the adventure where treasure becomes a part of the encounter, I will do my best to slip such items in instead of stock ones from the adventure that people can't or won't use. I'd much rather you find loot that is actually useful to the group, rather than stuff you are just going to sell at 50% value.
An example list might look something like this:
Cloak of Resistance (Have +1, need upgrade)
Something to boost accuracy
Figurine of Wondrous Power
Magical Warhammer (Shock enchantment a plus)
Amulet of Mighty Fists (Normal enhancement bonus)
Some sort of magic item that would allow beast shape
Also, another reminder since the majority of the party are now small sized folks, magic items, armor, and weapons do re-size to suit the wielder. So don't think because something is normal sized that you cannot make use of it.
Hi guys,
I’ve decided to retire from PbP gaming and will move away from the boards over the next few days. I started PbP in 2008. Over those years, I’ve met and played with amazing GMs and players. I’m grateful for all the things I’ve learned playing with them.
I’m sorry for the disruptions my sudden leaving causes
Happy gaming,
DW
(This message is posted in all my current games.)
Thank you GM, this has been a wonderful game, if short. I hope you keep on playing and DMing. You're doing a great job!
Sad to see you go DW. At nearly 16k posts to your name you have no doubt had a long history here on the PbP boards :)
If you ever decide to make your way back, you always have a spot waiting. Best of luck to you!
Best of luck, DW! Sad to see you go!
That's indeed a whole lot of posts man, quite a story I guess!
I almost did that these last days since I had problems IRL and was kicked out of the majority of the games I was in, but fortunately life went back on track.
So I wish you good luck on your new journey!
Sad to see you go DW. At nearly 16k posts to your name you have no doubt had a long history here on the PbP boards :)
If you ever decide to make your way back, you always have a spot waiting. Best of luck to you!
Thank you for your kind words! I'm not sure how "retirement" will feel. There are 3-4 games I find harder to let go of. This is one of them. The coming days should provide me with some insight.
Happy gaming!
Corentin would be happy to have his inspiring friend back so if you want to make an exception for this run I'm sure we'd be ok with it :)
All, bad day at work. I need to give you all a follow up post to your actions currently, but no time at the moment. I'll try to squeeze something in tonight when I get home from work before I go on bird duty.
Sorry again for the delay in posting. I've been having really full days at work and my trip yesterday didn't help. I'm trying to keep things moving as best as possible, but my work/life balance right now is really being thrown out the window! :)
On a positive note, I received a message from Szacha and he will be sticking around the boards for a few of his games, this being one of them. He will rejoin the group once they exit the Vault, having been sent outside to post watch given the issue with the hag and her possible return. Sure, that was a safe idea! :)
That's great to hear. I'm sure his boyish good looks will see him through any hag issues :)
One last reminder, as of today only Jaghal has added his wish list to his profile. Obviously we are at one of those points in the game where if the party succeeds there will be some nice loot. Having those wish lists lets me tailor otherwise stock loot to that more fitting of what each of you desire for your characters. This isn't a requirement, but it would definitely be in your best interest to have one prepared for me. :)
I think only Jaghal deserves some treat then ^_^
Buff the little CLW Wand.
Wish list added