GM Endless Forms' PFS 07-25 Orders from the Gate (Inactive)

Game Master Mike Tuholski

Hello everyone!

Before we get started, please post the following below:

PFS #
Day Job roll
Initiative modifier
Perception modifier

Thanks! We'll get started soon.

PFS # 133608-3
Day Job roll Perform (Dance): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Initiative modifier +1
Perception modifier +2

This is chadius. Thanks for inviting me, GM!

pfs# 52335-2
craft weapons: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
init modifier +3
perception modifier +13
faction: grand lodge

This is JAF0... my DA character got accepted into another game, so I have only Varian left in the level range.

PFS # 222036-1
Day Job roll scribe: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Initiative modifier 3
Perception modifier 0

Hello all! Batpony here. Real excited to play my first tier 5 game. I've been using this guy in real life so I'll get his stats updated by today on this.just hit 5 last Wednesday. Plays the part of fighter who ambitions to be a great one on one swordsman.

PFS # 90071-5 (Scarab Sages)
Day Job roll - none
Initiative modifier - tbd
Perception modifier - tbd

This is chaosorbit, thanks for running and the invite! Are we still planning to start in early Jan?

I've got a few GM chronicles I need to apply on Evad here to get him updated. Will take me a couple days to get updated. Looking forward to the game.

Yes, I''m about to leave for Hawaii from Dec 22-31 and I won't be online while I'm there. Feel free to roleplay in the gameplay thread if you want but the briefing won't be coming until January, hopefully by the 3rd at the latest.

Perfect!

PFS # 133462-1
Day Job roll survival, hunting lodge vanity: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (7) + 21 = 28
Initiative modifier +2
Perception modifier +18

Ki'lalas
Initiative modifier +3
Perception modifier +6

PFS # 110249-3
Day Job roll: Profession Gladiator: 12d1 + 5 ⇒ (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1) + 5 = 17
Initiative modifier +2
Perception modifier +11

Well that didn't work.

Profession Gladiator: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Woo, lots of frontliners here! I'll have to adjust my spell list accordingly.

Hey guys! Thanks for being patient and I'm happy to see quite a few Gameplay posts already before you've even gotten the briefing! I just back to Indiana after two sleepless nighttime flights so I will try to get this game going tomorrow. Excited to get things moving!

Good to see you back, GM. Also, Happy New Year, everyone!

Just as excited as you are! Happy new year!

Happy New Year! Time flies, guess I need to finishing getting my character sorted. Shouldn't take to long. Will have it done by the time the mission briefing is completed.

Just for everyone's info, I'll be travelling tomorrow until Sunday, although I still have mobile access and the hotel should have wifi so I intend to update daily as per normal!

You guys have an APL of 7, which puts you right between subtiers.

Starting with Season 4, scenarios were designed for six characters and contained methods to adjust for tables with four players. When the APL of a table is between two subtiers (like APL 3 for a Tier 1–5 scenario), a party of four characters must play the lower tier without any adjustments for party size. A party of five to seven characters whose APL falls between two subtiers must play the higher tier with the four-character adjustments found throughout the scenario.

So we are playing tier 8-9 with four-player adjustments. Hope everyone is ok with; please speak up if you are not! Otherwise we will keep pushing on.

fine with me.

Yep!

Much excites. Let's do this!

Good for me.

Sorry for no post yesterday. As I explained at signups, I try my hardest to post every day and for a couple years I held to that promise pretty strictly but it's just not possible for me any more so I'm going to miss a day here and there without warning. However, if I know I won't be able to post for more than one day I will try to warn you.

Speaking of which: next Thursday-Monday we will be traveling from Wisconsin to Indiana with a load of stuff to our new house and then painting said house. So I might have trouble posting during that time. I'll try to get off at least a couple posts but it will be tricky as we don't have internet there yet.

No worries, real life comes first.

Yeah, no worries....all good.

"You can't aid knowledge checks unless you have a class ability or the feat that allows you so. Just did a quick run through Arianna of your character and don't think your character can."

Really? Our GM's at our in person PFS let us aid another on skill checks all the time. That's the whole point of my putting a rank in those two skills was to be able to possibly aid.

Aid Another

I've always played/practiced it that way. Just searched this up, it's not explicitly written RAW (i thought it was), some GMs practice that you can't aid another knowledge but it looks like there's no consensus on this. I'm not GM here, so I don't call the shots and I also make mistakes! but definitely like to hear GM Endless Forms thoughts. I'm told he is the GM to mimic! So am stoked to be in this game.

This hasn't come up in a while but I remember at my old local lodge some GMs adjudicated differently.

I share the school of thought that Knowledge checks are supposed to define what you know. In that case no one can really help you know what's in your brain per say. Where as for other checks like climb, it's clear you can help someone by holding a rope or help them balance ...etc

This was certainly one argument I remember people making. The other is when you are having a brainstorming session and you are helping each other remember details. "And then General.... oh, what's his name... showed up and led the cavalry on a charge." "Lee?" "Yes! That's who I meant!"

But Ariana, don't forget this line of the aid-another skill:

The GM might impose further restrictions to aiding another on a case-by-case basis as well.

So that's how GMs are justifying not letting you aid on Knowledge skills. Honestly in my experience it's more common for GMs not to let you aid on Knowledge skills, but in PFS you'll just have to expect some table variation on the issue.

Now, all that being said, I generally fall into the category of not letting people aid on Knowledge checks. As Gridger said, to me it is supposed to represent what you know. Even with the brainstorming argument, I don't see how someone with a +1 in a skill is going to help someone else with a +10 in that skill, for example. That's like someone who's read a Wikipedia article about thermodynamics trying to help someone with a physics degree explain it. Are they really going to contribute much to the conversation? Probably not anything substantive.

Anyways, you are welcome to disagree with my reasoning and ruling but unfortunately there's going to be some table variation in PFS. If you really want those skill points back you could always pay a bit to retrain them. I think it's pretty cheap for skills.

Also, another announcement:

From Thursday 12 - Monday 16 I will be traveling. Hopefully I'll still be able to post a couple times during that interval but just wanted to warn everyone in case I'm (much) slower than usual.

We've got a busy extended weekend moving a truckload of stuff to our new house, cleaning it up, and getting all the walls and ceiling painted. And there's no internet there yet so to update I have to go elsewhere because I really hate using Paizo's site via phone or tablet.

Thanks!

You mentioned Indiana, So are you moving to Indianapolis? Being nosey

No, but I'm actually from Indiana originally. NW, in a little town called LaPorte. I went to IU for five years but I've been up in Madison at UW for a genetics PhD for the past 2.5 years. But I'm leaving grad school early with a masters and moving back home to help out on the family farm. So I won't even be in the little town of LaPorte really, I'll be out in the sticks. So the internet will probably suck, haha, but I think I can learn to live with that in exchange for no neighbors, no traffic, no noise, and a nice big yard.

Driven up through there, lots of wide open farm land. Not bad really, plus you are near enough to both Chicago and Indianapolis, if you need to get your city fix.

Driven up through there, lots of wide open farm land. Not bad really, plus you are near enough to both Chicago and Indianapolis, if you need to get your city fix.

Very true. Although I don't really have such a thing as a city fix, haha. I go the Chicago museums once every year or two and that's about it. Otherwise I avoid it like the plague. Only time I've really spent in Indy has been for GenCon, to be honest. But yeah, NW Indiana is extremely flat and just corn, corn, beans, corn, beans, corn, hey tomatoes!, corn, corn..... haha.

I mean, Madison has fewer than 250 000 people and it has been too much city for me these past 2.5 years. So I think that tells you my preferred living situation.

well, congrats on the masters... enjoy the move...

I'll be at a class from sunday night the 15th through tuesday night, the 17th... limited access to time for posting, though I will have my phone with me, and perhaps a laptop as well... so I may post if I can.

Congrats on your masters!

Thanks for your clarification on the Aid for Knowledge. I'll be sure to ask for my next table on how the GM plans to rule on it and not just assume.

Good luck on the move, unpacking etc. And congrats on the Masters.

I will be away for a few days... will have internet access in the evenings but not sure how reliable it will be... just a forewarning that I might be unable to post... if that happens, feel free to bot me as needed.

Sorry guys!

I was hoping to get a post or two up while I was traveling but we were painting nearly every waking hour trying to get the whole house ready and we only had a few days to do so. I just didn't have the time or energy by the time I sat down (late) at night.

But we just got back tonight so tomorrow I'll get the game moving again and we'll be back to a normal pace for the time being.

Thanks for being patient!

No worries or apology needed!

Fine with me... i'll be home again soon myself

Just a heads up, Ki'lala has not learned the pin maneuver through using the tricks/maneuver through handle animal, so she usually keeps attacking the target until I tell her to stop. Unless the GM says it is ok for her to know that instinctively.

I have played it both ways with GM's. So if Endless can make a ruling because I could never find a legit ruling on it.

She should be able to maintain the grapple and do damage that way if you don't want her to release and re-bite each round. But yeah, I think she would need a trick to pin. I've never actually heard of an animal pinning before but I guess I don't see a reason why they couldn't if they know an appropriate trick.

Okay sounds good. I know once she makes the grapple, she can maintain it. She does that extremely well. The question always comes up when I try and have her pin.

Thanks for the quick response.

Unfortunately I've come down with a throat infection, should be back in a day or two. Please bot me in the meantime if required!

Recover soon, Gridger. It's definitely flu season in Boston, all of my friends are getting hit with something.

I just got over a nasty stomach bug myself. Take care friend.

Hey everyone! We're nearing the end but I am on the road today so I might not get a post up.

I'll be traveling for the next week and a half but I'll do my best to keep you guys moving since we're so close to the end. Next Saturday and Sunday I will be completely unavailable though.

I hope we can get done by Friday... I leave for a convention on Friday morning and would love to have this character free to play if possible.

I'll do my best. I can't update now (have to leave the house for a showing soon) but I will try to post before I leave town this afternoon.

Will you be emailing chronicles or posting them here? just curious... also, any idea of an eta on them? I leave for a con early Friday morning and would love to have it before I go... thanks.

Thanks for the game all. It was fun, and a really good group.