I'm hoping this not-a-zombie leads to some clues!
Can't remember if we ever addressed it in-character—did Silt share the details of his conversation with the deer?
He did, we just didn’t role play it!
Cool, that's what I thought!
Current thoughts on clues 'n questions:
- What's in that clockwork spy?
- Some kind of inter-colony political struggle—stuff with Arkley, ghost in the chapel, etc
- Everyone just up and left on a boat for some reason???
- Zombie mind control aberration
- Lots of aberrations in general
- Ankheg colony
I'm wondering how common chokers, incutilii, etc. are on this island. Like, is them showing up at or near the colony pretty normal, or is it weird?
Also, stuff about the boat/note/canoe:
After Dulin went on the “fishing expedition,” I thought it was smart to change the drop point, lest they drag it out of him. Rayland is becoming bolder and cockier now that more people have resumed supporting him. Don’t tell him anything, no matter how convincing he seems. If necessary, talk to Eliza, she’s on our side and it’s clear that Rayland resents her for usurping his authority. Some of us plan on taking the canoe—since those bastards conveniently took the boat—and finding somewhere to hole up until the supply ship comes. We can’t all go at once, so wait for the quarter moon and go down to the docks a few hours past nightfall. Barnabus will pick you up. Don’t get followed. —Una
So it sounds like Rayland and his "faction" left on the boat, leaving Una and her folks behind. They apparently take a canoe, possibly the one we found on the seabed when we were first rowing to the island, which notably had a hole in its keel that looked like it was made from inside the vessel.
And what's up with "no matter how convincing he seems?" The incutilis is making me think mind control stuff might be related to the disappearances, though that's tangential—I don't think incutilii can mind control non-dead people, plus even if they could, I'd think colonists would notice their friends suddenly sporting weird hats and tentacles.
Thought! What if Rayland's faction sabotaged the canoe so that the others couldn't leave the island?
What if the zombie we just re-moidered is one of Una's folks? Long shot, but reckon we'll find out soon enough.
|
I agree Andrew. It’s all very curious. The ankhegs I assume are just native to the area. But the aberrations are concerning. I’m wondering if the strange trail we saw was from a mass of Incutili heading for the village. Maybe everyone got shell-brained after Rayland left. Although the animals didn’t report seeing that. And where was Rayland going? To the second landing site? The convincing part is creepy. There is also the matter of the poltergeist, the dead farmer, and the fact that Rayland seems to have killed/betrayed him.
Edit: Yes, I’ve been assuming that Rayland’s faction sabotaged the canoe.
The dice roller does not like Silt this morning!
Yeah I'm worried about him! I think he's lost 16 HP in this combat?
We're heading to the same con as Doug, so it will be late tonight or more likely sometime tomorrow before my next substantial post.
Question in the meantime: do people like the Influence rules from Ultimate Intrigue?
Have fun y'all!
I've never read the influences rules, but I know David likes 'em. I'd give them a try if other folks want to!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Doug'tchaak, we did have 7 potions of cure light wounds; I went ahead and took one off the party loot (so we're now at 6), since Purpose Creche would've offered one to Silt.
Too sleepy from con for a big post tonight. I will update tomorrow.
|
|
Off topic from this campaign, are you all interested in another PFS module/scenario with Rowdy/Oiur/Ibb/Eugressia? I'm happy to run another one if we can find something, but we need to make sure you all stay within a level or two of each other. I think Oiur is 2nd level, Eugressia and Ibb are 3rd, and Rowdy is 4th. Is that right? If so, we could do a 3rd level module. or a 1-5 scenario.
I'm down!
I don't think I have anything scheduled with Ibb through February.
Now that I have my Skinwalker boon I can PFS on that if there's something in low tier I want to play, anyway. Just need to figure out what to build with it.
I have nothing scheduled with Eugressia, and would totally be in. I think a 3rd level module is probably better for a 2-3-4 spread than a 1-5 scenario, but it’s up to the group!
I'm down with whatever! Just gotta level up Oiur beforehand, which wouldn't take too long.
We can make 2-3-3-4 work alright. I think a 3rd level module is the way to go. Anyone have one in mind they've been wanting to play?
I think this group will be fun no matter what… so the question is also what do you want to GM?
I hear Feast of Ravenmoor is good and it's sanctioned for PFS. It's pretty old though, so maybe some of you ran it.
http://paizo.com/products/btpy8mw2?Pathfinder-Module-Feast-of-Ravenmoor
I recently played Feasts of Ravenmoor with some friends, and while I can repeat if need be, I'd prefer not to!
Looks like the others are Masks of the Living God (real old), and Risen from the Sands.
There's also Daughters of Fury, but that's 3rd to 6th, and I imagine folks don't want their characters locked up that long, and that's a big commitment for Dennis!
So I guess that leaves Risen from the Sands?
Works for me.
Works for me as well!
|
|
I don't mind doing a longish one, but if we want to start with Risen from the Sands, that sounds good to me. Doug, you could even consider taking your chronicle slow-track to let everyone else catch up to you, if we think we want to keep going afterwards.
I'll get the page set up in the next day or two and we can get started.
Sounds like Oiur's gotta spend some of their hard-earned cash on a hot weather outfit!
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Here's the campaign page for it. I'll try to get the first posts up tomorrow, but it may wait until Thursday.
damn, Hakkuho over here making me second guess my character concept :p
(which isn't a problem at all, they're excellent questions!)
*googles "wondrous item swim speed pathfinder" in response to current situation*
That, elixir of swimming, gloves of swimming and climbing, helm of underwater action.
A wand of slipstream or the like is probably a better call, though. Hit up the Sears catalog and see if we can get one shipped in at some point :)
I'm a little surprised there isn't an Occultist focus power for that (at least that I can find), given that there's one for land speed and for flying.
Hmm, yeah—a transmutation power for Climb/Swim seems like it could've been a thing. Though you probably wouldn't want to fold it into the sudden speed power, as that'd be a bit too strong. But then having Climb/Swim as its own power doesn't seem strong enough, given the strength of other options it'd compete with.
You could do one that gives you a swim speed and water breathing for a minute.
Ah, good call! Might even advance to an underwater attack penalty reduction at higher levels.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
By the way, I would TOTALLY be down for making an underwater harness that Purpose can use when Silt is enlarged/shifted.
I'm not sure how that would work mechanically but it would probably be fun.
oh man, that's a great idea! time to Ponder
There are some druid spells that could help too; just need forewarning that we'll be in the water.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
It’s so sad when creatures die before they get to do their cool things.
I'm still trying to find a way, as a sometimes-GM, to make players actually sympathize with that notion… it seems like players and GMs just always have different ideas of "cool" :D
Ok, so I finally cracked open my copy of Aquatic Adventures. I transcribed the rules on buoyancy and the off-balance special state below, and'll bring up some thoughts/questions in the next post.
In addition to these three normal state of buoyancy, there are two extreme states: swiftly sinking and swiftly rising. If a creature is swiftly sinking, it and its gear are so dense that ic an walk on the bottom of the body of water, but it also needs to succeed at a DC 20 Swim check to swim towards the surface or to stay off the bottom. A creature carrying plenty of dense stone or metal items gains this buoyancy state.
If a creature is swiftly rising, it needs to succeed at a DC 20 Swim check to submerge itself and stay submerged; a sizable air tank or other flotation device, or the help of magic, is needed to achieve this state. Several spells starting on page 59 can help adjust buoyancy to the desired state.
Aquatic and Water Creature: Most naturally aquatic creatures (those with the aquatic subtype) have some form of air bladder or other organ that allows them to adjust their buoyancy on the fly, enabling them to maintain neutral buoyancy as a free action on their turn (unless they are carrying something large with particularly high or low density), and creatures with the water subtype naturally have the same buoyancy as water.
Buoyancy Speed:A creature begins to sink or rise at the end of its turn the first time it badly fails (or does not attempt) a Swim check, moving up or down as appropriate at a speed of 10 feet; this speed increases by 10 feet each subsequent round unless the creature is stopped, to a maximum speed of 30 feet after 3 rounds. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. While sinking or rising because of its buoyancy, creatures are considered off-balance (see Off-Balance and Prone Underwater on page 45).Once per round, a creature sinking or rising because of its buoyancy can stop its momentum by succeeding at a Swim check as a move action A creature that chooses to continue moving in the direction of its buoyancy under its own power, rather than through uncontrolled rising or sinking, can do so with a successful Swim check without needing to stop first.
If a creature's buoyancy changes instantly while sinking or rising from buoyancy (such as via jettisoning something it's holding or using magic), its buoyancy speed adjusts by 10 feet in the new direction each round. A creature that fails the DC 20 Swim check to move against its buoyancy while swiftly sinking or swiftly rising moves 30 feet in the appropriate direction immediately.
Moving Against Buoyancy: Much like flying upwards uses up twice as much of a flying creature's movement, each square of movement swimming in the opposite direction of a creature's buoyancy costs twice as much movement as normal (see Thinking in Three Dimensions below for more details.) Creatures with a neutral buoyancy ignore this hindrance.
Drag: Sometimes, because a PC might want to alter her buoyancy (or simply because she wants to drag a particularly large piece o treasure back home), she might swim with an item that has significant surface area, like a giant treasure chest. In these cases, her speed is reduced by half (or more, at the GM's discretion). If the object is narrower in one dimension, like a pole, she can avoid drag by turning it so the narrow side faces the direction she wants to move; however, this adjustment requires a move action, so it slows her down if she needs to turn often.
Tripping Underwater: While flying creatures specifically can't be tripped, the Core Rulebook doesn't specify whether the same is true of swimming creatures. Being prone doesn't mean much for a swimming creature, so instead, a successful trip against a swimming creature forces that creature to attempt a Swim check at a DC equal to the result of the combat maneuver check to trip; failing the Swim check causes the creature to become off-balance. Many aquatic creature can't be tripped or have a high Swim bonus and thus can always take 10, so this tactic isn't always effective, but when it is, it can make dexterous foes much easier to hit. However, being off-balance doesn't affect most of the target's attack rolls and the target cannot regain its balance simply buy succeeding at a Swim check to move on its next turn as normal.
Yeah, it's definitely a shame! Another reason to avoid hyper-specialized murder machines. (not that we are—good die rolls and low HP enemies in this case)
My take on Purpose Creche's buoyancy/off-balance stuff: This assumes he's not carrying his pack; if he were, he'd just be rapidly sinking the whole time.
Also, we may or may not want to actually use these rules—I think they're kinda neat, and might be good guidelines, but also understand they might be too fiddly!
Rising:
—No armor, recently entered water
Neutral:
—No armor, been in water a while (his body becomes waterlogged)
Sinking:
—Wearing armor, recently entered water
Rapidly sinking:
—Wearing armor, been in water a while
If he has the sinking buoyancy state, it's a DC 10 Swim check as a move action for him to get around per the normal swim rules. If he's actively sinking, it's a DC 10 Swim check to stop for a turn, at which point he can continue moving on the subsequent turn. He can also just move in the direction of his buoyancy, making a DC 10 Swim check to maintain control.
If he's rapidly sinking, it's a DC 20 Swim check for him to swim upwards—effectively impossible. Moving against your buoyancy also takes twice as much movement, like flying upwards, so I think even if he succeeded, his movement speed of 20 (in armor) would be 0 feet—1/4 move speed with a Swim check is 5 ft., but there's the added complication of him moving against buoyancy.
EDIT: Whoops, messed up. It's a DC 20 check to move against buoyancy, regardless of your current buoyancy state. So yeah, basically impossible for him to swim upwards in combat!
Regardless of DCs, if he fails a Swim check, he's off-balance: no Dex bonus to AC, enemies get a +2 on attack rolls against him, and piercing weapons attack at a –2 and deal half damage.
Summary: Our 'lil wooden man is kinda hosed in long water engagements!
Summary: Our 'lil wooden man is kinda hosed in long water engagements!
We're also a team!
Level 1 druid spells like Touch of the Sea let you take 10 and give you +8 on your checks (putting you close to your DC 20); at level 2 both druids and occultists have Neutral Buoyancy for 10 minutes/level; later, Free Swim (also on the druid and occultist list), and Freedom of Movement should allow Purpose to move underwater for even longer periods of time.
I'm sure there are some affordable items that can help, as well.
Of course, the ultimate cheap solution might be to buy a sack and fill it with rocks as ballast :D
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Oh yeah, we'll definitely make it work! Just hadn't diiiiiiiiiiiived into the rules yet.
My own spell slots are super duper limited, so I probably won't take a swim-focused one, but a wand of touch of the sea might be just the thing! My UMD'll be plenty high to use it.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As for recovered items, here's what we got!
- +1 longsword—Purpose Creche's Azlanti blade; floor in Levin's house
- +1 reliquary composite longbow (+2 Str)—in Purpose Creche's pack; chapel wall
- +1 darkwood buckler—Cedar's using; blacksmith
- wand of color spray (12 charges)—I think in PC's pack?; barracks, belonged to Una Hendrake
- lesser talisman of good fortune—not sure who has this equipped; barracks
- ring of protection +1—I didn't get this one on my spreadsheet, apparently. I think it's from the barracks? And who's wearing it?
- quick runner's shirt—same as above, not on spreadsheet
Other pilfered recovered goods:
- Una Hendrake's spellbook and spell component pouch—PC's pack; hidden in Arkley's house
- Town charter—Cedar; town hall
- Azlanti protofinder thingie—PC's pack; Arkley's house—did we ever find out exactly what this thing does?
- wand of goodberry—Silt; storeroom
- swarmsuit—PC's pack; storeroom
- alchemists's fire—one for PC, one for Cedar; storeroom
- 1lb powdered silver, black of incense, pouch of diamond dust worth 100gp—PC's pack; Felton's house
- Felton wedding ring—PC's pack; Felton's house
- bucklers and masterwork machetes—PC's pack; blacksmith
- mwk chain shirt—Toby; blacksmith
Plus some arrowheads and potions and things.
Silt has the shirt. Awesome job tracking this, Andrew!
Silt might take the ring unless there's a druid-usable armor upgrade soon. I think all the attacks but 1 or 2 have exceeded his AC by 2 or more. He'll be taking heavy armor prof at 5 but might at 3 (instead of power attack) if he keeps getting K.O.'d.
No problem! Though I haven't kept up on clue/action item tracking quite as well, but hey.
And yeah, the ring for Silt probably makes sense!