GM Kyshkumen's PFS The Godsmouth Heresy (Inactive)

Game Master Kyshkumen

"End dark. No harm you."

Apologies for being incommunicado, folks. I relocated over the weekend and ran into some problems getting my computer back online. My connection's still marginal, but I think I'm back to stay.

Sorry about the lack of prior notice, but I really expected to be back so quickly that it would've all been transparent.

/me shakes a fist at Murphy.

Yesterday evening I got on the plane, so tired I could barely keep my eyes straight, then in comes this Garedon post. I read it, then I read it again. I just gave up after that - I'm going to put that down to method acting.

See, Garedon has a rider in his contract with the Pathfinders that pays him extra per word, with special bonuses for egregious use of commas and generally unclear language. He's raking in the dough!

I'm sorry for going dark again, y'all. There's just been some complicated situations in my life as of late.

"It's not you, it's me?"

Sorry to here that, you are still welcome to keep playing and post when you can.

Hang in there, L.A. Speak up if there's any way I/we can help!

tl;dr: Matt's blathering about Crafts and Day Jobs and such because he was bored.

I've decided that Garedon is going to take up scientific illustration, so as to better chronicle the group's findings. It is not a specifically mentioned skill, but I would think Craft (Painting) would be a good one to make for painting, drawing, and sketching.

(I wonder if you could have a Craft (Cartography) for mapmaking, focused on maps, rather than Knowledge (Dungeoneering) and Survival, which are focused on a lot of different things besides just maps and directions?)

With a point in it, I could take 10 for a result of 25 (1 rank, 3 class, 4 mod, 2 masterwork tools, and 5 for Crafter's Fortune). Unfortunately, as a Day Job check, you only get one per module, so the money, such as it is, doesn't accumulate as fast as with scenarios.

But, being a dork, I made a little excel spreadsheet that, with a little tinkering, can determine whether it is better, on average, to Take 10 or roll for your Day Job check. With a some more tinkering, you could probably make it or a Google Docs spreadsheet that would take all of your values and automatically calculate all the results.

With some work, it might even be able to tell you how much you would make over your career, with regular increases in the skill points in the skill and with possible adjustment to stat increases at various points. (If I could still program like I used to in ye olden days, I'd be able to do it that way.) I wonder if anyone has already created such a thing? Overall, skill points are generally too precious and scarce for my characters to 'waste' much in basically fluff skills, but it would be interesting and valuable to others.

(I am going to put some money and effort into fluff for various characters, actually, for story and character reasons, but will probably regret it because my characters will be even less optimized. I am even going to take Knowledge (Nobility), which seems a dead skill in PFS scenarios -- even ones dealing with nobles and equivalent persons. (I'm looking at you, The Stolen Heir.))

In other matters-

I'm sorry to hear that, Lady Adelaide. I definitely second that I hope things get better/straightened out for you!

Sorry for the delay work is a bit stressful right now. I will do my best to post the next room tonight.

Heh. One of my players complained of a rather vicious TPK. I casually asked him what module he was running...

Let's be careful :)

Ooph. Yeah, I think I read something about this one somewhere regarding TPKs, back when I was thinking about running a module. It's interesting, because we aren't a party of maulers and tanks and yet it isn't too bad, so far... ('Famous last words'?)

I had decided I would do Thornkeep, after I finished going through it as a player, but then the group I was in had a near-TPK, losing 3 of 5, barely getting out with the rest, and ending our run pretty convincingly. We did, at least, pull together funds and managed a body retrieval and raise dead for one character. Sadly, it kind of killed a good group, too. I was still thinking about running Thornkeep in 'campaign mode' so that a few tweaks could be made, but, alas, it turns out that only the APs and Dragon's Demand are playable in 'campaign mode' in PFS. Oh, well.

I know exactly which encounter it is and it is avoidable.

Well, everything is avoidable: You go home! ;-)

Unfortunately, at Tier 1-2, the Color Sprays that often appear in these scenarios could result in TPKs if the saves go wrong, either knocking out the whole party in a round or two or knocking out enough that the party is hopeless - and the ones who are left standing can't just run off, leaving the downed characters to their inevitable doom. Fortunately in FSI, Hallie's ability to do multiple Color Sprays is downplayed in the tactics so that she goes for other, much less effective options. I almost TPKed a party in FSII, with the BBEG Color Spraying much of the party, but was allowed an out since it says the BBEG flees down the well early, although I could have CDGed a bunch of players with just him and a kobold.

I also always get freaked out about ghouls (and vargouilles!), since being paralyzed and thus helpless against CDGs really sucks, and three attacks gives a lot of chances for paralyzing one or more characters per turn. Fortunately, I have the things behave 'smart enough' that they move on to the next threat instead of finishing the one off. It is actually probably a better tactic, in many cases, to CDG a helpless or unconscious character, especially given the existence of channel heals, but it just strikes me as bad form. Fortunately, the mindless vargouille that attacked us was both alone and unable to scream, or otherwise it might have been a very different battle.

So, we're going to have to tell the 'naga' to clear out, eventually, and it probably has stuff that belongs to the Pharasmins (however distant), and it is probably evil, too, but I kind of feel bad about just roughing up the little thing and taking 'her' stuff.

Talky McTalkerson is feeling talky. Imagine that.

Something for Kurse:

It would be perfect except for the bardic performance part. He does have perform dance for a reason but everything doesn't click into place till level 5.

Hi All,

I am in a game of Carrion Crown - still at the early stages of The Haunting of Harrowstone - that is looking for a player, filling out a 6th position. I enjoy all of the players here - including the GM, of course! - and was wondering if any of you would like to join up.

We are doing a bit of a restart with a new GM (known to Ray/Vyk Tyr as "Storn" from my other group) after we lost the GM to, it seems, RL, and then, in the ensuing discouragement, we lost a couple of players that he had brought in. But, I think we will do well with the new GM and it should be a fun game.

Here's the link if you would like to check it out.

Thanks, Matt

PS - I'm playing an incarnation of my gnome cleric there. She's a bit wacky but inoffensive (not Garedon).

Sounds interesting and I have not played that part of Carrion Crown but I have played from the 5th book on I think.

Well, you would probably forget most of it by the time we get to the 5th book, I think.

It is also tempting to try out Kawrock with the archetype I keep meaning to write up.

That would be great. Let me know what you decide. If you don't, then maybe someone else here will or I will poll one of my other games.

Sent a PM to the GM.

I do not believe everyone is still waiting on me for anything?

I think we're unsure what to do at this point.

Okay, I think we're in agreement that we don't want to kill the naga/goblin-snake lady. We do, however, need her to hand over the magic item she has if it's a Pharasmin relic. She also needs to stop living here, since the church of Pharasma is basically declaring eminent domain on the whole place. I'll try talking to her as Vincent, and see where we go from there?

Edit: I posted... we'll see how that goes. I'm trying to get through this without killing her while still making sure that phylactery that we noticed earlier ends up on the chronicle sheet. "Kill the monsters and take their stuff" is much easier than "Befriend the monsters and take their stuff," I'll admit.

@Miko: Did you ever get an answer about a game store in the DC area that will be hosting Free RPG Day? If not I'll be seeing my friend tonight and he has a master list of all the stores.

I'm in contact with the VC for the DC area, he named a place called Victory Comics (I've played too much Fallout 3 - I hope it's not infested with robots).

If your friend has any other suggestions for the area (I might have access to a car, but it seems DC is very parking-hostile, so I'm not sure if I'll have it all days. If I have a car available, I can span a larger area, otherwise it's just the part covered by the DC Metro)

But yes, if you happen to be able to grab a hold of locations in DC that run the Free RPG day, I might just get into contact with one of them and set something up.

So there is a store locator on the web site check it out here. He also had copies of some of the stuff with him last night. So I got to flip through the module and look at the goblin pirate for the card game.

Alright Vyk will foot the bill for now. But please let me know who else will be contributing. So I know what to deduct from my Tracking Sheet. I assume it can be settled after the adventure concludes, for those who want to contribute but can't right now.

And, I say should we check 17 and 18 real quick and then check 14A and 14B afterwards. Everyone cool with this as a rough game plan?

Garedon was just being an insensitive idiot because I thought it would be funny, but Matt will happily pay his fair share. (Although, Garedon did offer to give you two scrolls of shield. ;-) )

Sounds like a plan. First, the areas of learning!

You are in area 17 already.

It really is ok, Gar. I'm picking up the tab as part of a character choice. I don't expect anyone else to pitch in, and won't hold it against anybody if they don't. But if someone would like to, that's perfectly fine. I just need the amount for accounting purposes.

Good to hear.

I really try to think about things in terms of the group, but tend to spend as much as I can since leftover funds won't be keeping anyone alive or helping to solve the adventure, typically. I should keep a little more spending/bribe money in hand, though.

Speaking of which, I bought that Wand of Cure Light wounds but can't use it myself. Does anyone who can use it need one? It could be useful to have in hand to be used against undead (esp. incorporeal undead or haunts) or if someone needs to be healed in combat.

If you have a point in Use Magic Device you can safely use the Wand outside of combat, since the consequences of failure are simply that the spell isn't cast. You don't lose the wand charge.

That's why I mentioned that Vyk needs to "shake it a few times" to get it to work. I like the visual of him treating it like a remote control with a nearly drained battery.

But yeah, using it in combat is dicey since you need to a DC 20 UMD check if I'm not mistaken.

Well, not Garedon: even magic items find him annoying. With his Cha, he starts with a -2, so he'd need at least 2 points in it to be able to activate a wand on a 20 since it isn't a class skill for Wizards and he didn't take the Dangerously Curious trait. So, basically 2 minutes per activation, and it seems that each charge would probably be a separate activation.

You make a Use Magic Device check each time you activate a device such as a wand.

Ooph, the spider swarm in our other game is going to be a pain, at least since there is no alchemist and we are in an enclosed location.

My second level paladin only has a +3 with alchemist's fire and, IIRC, spider swarms have a touch AC of ~17, meaning he has a 35% chance of hitting. On average, he'll do about 5 points of damage on a hit and 1 point on many misses, then a little more if it catches on fire. So, it will likely take him 4-5 flasks on average before he'll disperse it.

In that time, he'll take about 16 points of damage from them (1d6 a turn), plus about 4 more points from accidentally splashing himself. He'd be really in trouble given their poison and distraction capabilities but, fortunately, he has a +9 fort save and, having only 22 hp to start, has his Lay on Hands ability.

Since I have only two flasks of alchemist's fire (just missed with one, splashing our GM), he's going to drop a flask of oil of the ground this turn and then ignite it with alchemist's fire the next, hopefully doing an additional 6 points over two turns from the oil.

I could easily see the two modified wasp swarms that another GM skipped in a recent Tier 3-4 scenario (it was an optional encounter he told us about) causing many parties a TPK if they don't have an alchemist: with 31 hp each, doing 2d6 damage each, and moving 40 (but having a vulnerability to holy water), there is no escape. Our alchemist could likely have taken them out with the 10 flasks of holy water and his bombs, but others might not be so lucky.

You forgot the +1 from bless

Heh, good point. My clerics/oracle of life even have a saying, 'Everyone always forgets the bless!' Sadly true, except for when a GM marks it on the turn counter or something.

At least, in this case, a 9 is still a miss as much as an 8.

The "swarmbane clasp" (3000 gp) is looking pretty attractive, though, later on when I have that kind of money.

Yep, that swarm is a pain. At least we have someone working on the darkness. My rogue is feeling squishy down there :/

The problem is, as OOC knowledge, the derro can cast Darkness at will as a spell-like ability, so it may come back quick.

The prevalence of darkvision and magical darkness among enemies does make humans a little problematic, unfortunately, as dungeoneering rogues. I really liked a deep halfling rogue in 3.5/Greyhawk, but PF didn't choose to keep that idea going. You could come close now with a gnome who switches out low-light vision for darkvision, but it isn't quite the same.

So this weekend I will be going to a local convention which means I probably will not have time to post.

I am back after a weekend of running 2 Bonekeep level 2 and Bonekeep level 1 an Siege of the Diamond city.

Sounds like 1)busy and 2)fun!

Bonekeep sounds like a new Thornkeep, though. (Just reading the "You know you're in trouble when you get to the table and...".) How did it go?

Killed one in Bone keep 1 they were about to walk into a TPK but time ran out. First table of Bonekeep two almost had 2 deaths and they tapped out after an epic battle were only the full paladin and the fighter with 1 int left were still standing. Second table of Bonekeep 2 was almost a full clear but time ran out and one guy spent around 11000 on a level 3 wand and burned 47 charges.

Updating my previous discussion to local circumstances... Garedon only has 1 alchemist's fire, although his +4 to hit is a bit better, and he can pull one casting of Burning hands for 2d4*1.5 out of his hat.

Hopefully, Vyk Tyr bought that CL 3rd wand of burning hands from the Confirmation. Four charges of 3d4*1.5 swarm damage might get us out of this.

Sans that, we could be in trouble if they fly since the flying ones will likely be faster than us.

Oti also has the advantage of a +9 Fort save, which gets him by the nausea and poison saves pretty well, and Garedon's +1 is less comforting. 'Nauseated' is a pretty crippling effect, and only one move action means that it is going to be tough to get away or fight back. (Hopefully, roaches don't have have poison, although I could imagine filth fever being a possible long-term problem.)

I wonder if they would stop to eat rations? I only have two days worth, though. Perhaps they might give up and go away if we hid behind a closed door, using a bedroll and a blanket to block the gaps?

The first thing that came up in my mind:

Gross

The uploader has not made this video available in your country.

Sorry about that.

Boo.

Ha! A real warrior for Gorum would find a little splash of Alchemist's Fire positively invigorating!
:-P

Yes, because it would be an invitation to attack back in GLORIOUS COMBAT! A proper battle leaves no one standing.

Gorum be crazy, yo. Luckily, Vincent has a bit of leeway with how seriously he takes his god's whims.