GM Ladile's TL;DR: A Pathfinder Society Campaign

Game Master Lady Ladile

Holan-Ji flies away to chase the wolfman through the skylight.

The dark courtroom looks like a scene out of a nightmare. A young woman, perhaps twenty, lies on the floor with her throat torn out. Across the room, a well-preserved older woman stands atop her bench, supporting a bleeding arm and swinging a ceremonial blade erratically. Four slobbering mongrels, each as much dog as wild wolf, circle her makeshift tower.

The wolfman runs past the jury box toward a doorway upon which only kindling hangs from the hinges.

For the sake of simplicity, unless you have a speed of 60 ft, 2 move actions to the guards or courtroom door. Once you make it to the courtroom door, I'll place you on the map.

Round 1. Bold may act!

Holan-Ji (on map)
Effie Gee
Wolfhound 3
Maria
Wolfhound 1
Hepsubia
Wolf 2
Wolf 4
Werewolf
Pradowca

I think some of the party might have a Haste SLA available from a chronicle sheet - but Effie doesn't. So...

"On my way Holan-ji!"

Effie hot-foots it as best she can towards the commotion in the courtroom.

Oh Duke of Thunder, sometimes I do wish I'd been born a child of the sky, not of the flame.

Double move it is, drawing her pistol as she goes (which will have been loaded with silver ammo, given the briefing).

Effie barrels past the dying guardsmen and through the doors. Inside, she sees a pack of feral wolfhounds menacing an older woman standing upon a desk and brandishing a sword to keep them at bay.

One of the hounds in front lunges. The judge screams in pain as the beast's teeth sink into her ankle. She falls flat upon the desk as the wolfhound pulls her off her feet.

Round 1. Bold may act!

Holan-Ji (on map)
Effie Gee
Wolfhound 3
Maria
Wolfhound 1
Hepsubia
Wolf 2
Wolf 4
Werewolf
Pradowca (-9 hp)
Guard 1 (-2 hp)
Guard 2 (-2 hp)

Double move to the guards, drawing wand of CLW. Can she see inside? Knowledge checks?

Double move to the guards, drawing wand of CLW. Can she see inside? Knowledge checks?

Bump.

Yes. You can see inside from the entrance.

Maria arrives at the entrance to the courthouse. The two guards have grievous wounds in their chests and need immediate attention. There Maria watches as a wolfhound behind the desk lunges and sinks its teeth into the judge's leg, dragging her off of the desk where her screaming stops.

Round 1. Bold may act!

Holan-Ji (on map)
Effie Gee
Wolfhound 3
Maria
Wolfhound 1
Hepsubia
Wolf 2
Wolf 4
Werewolf
Pradowca (dying -6)
Guard 1 (dying -2)
Guard 2 (dying -2)

Knowledge: Nature + Inspiration: 1d20 + 12 + 1d6 ⇒ (17) + 12 + (1) = 30

”Take out a couple wolfhounds and you might get the rest to flee. Their minds are weak, if you have anything that works against that.”

Maria, I'll try to get to the judge so she don't die, get the wolves down as quickly as you can. Cheers!

Hepsubia mixes a few alchemical reagents, and drinks it quickly

Mutagen: +2 to AC, +4 Dex, -2 Wisdom, total Dex 24, Total AC 24

Sounds like a sound plan. Not risky at all.

Bump

With the woman dying behind the desk, two of the wolfhounds break away to rush Effie. One of them bites at her leg, but the ifrit quickly steps back. Meanwhile, the werewolf rushes into the darkness through a ruined door in the back of the room.

Round 2. Bold may act!

Holan-Ji (on map)
Effie Gee (on map)
Wolfhound 3
Maria (1 step from the map)
Wolfhound 1
Hepsubia (mutagen) (1 move from the map)
Wolf 2
Wolf 4
Werewolf (no longer visible)
Pradowca (dying -7)
Guard 1 (dying -3)
Guard 2 (unconscious)

"I'm no expert, but I don't think wolves like fire."

Effie summons up her courage, and allows that part of herself that she used to fear to come to the surface. Her eyes blaze brightly, her colourful scarf catches aflame revealing two burning horns that protrude from her coal-black tresses. She reaches out towards the wolves with her free hand...

concentration DC17: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20

fire damage (burning hands CL6): 5d4 ⇒ (2, 4, 2, 2, 4) = 14 Ref DC 16 for half, catches the two wolfhounds in front of Effie.

If that by any chance leaves the way clear, Effie has a move action remaining and she'll approach the fallen judge.

"Holan-ji! Can you lift her away to safety?"

"Holan-ji! Can you lift her away to safety?"

Maybe...? Move speed of 60, but I don't have any Flyby related feats. So I think I can move to her and grab her for sure. Strength of 20 I can likely lift her away, but I think it would take two turns.  Dang, if only there was a system with a 3-action economy....

Or I Move and shift to Tiger as a Free action and attack and/or Grab the dogs

I like the latter idea. Give the dogs something to worry much more about.

The ifrit's flames wash over the two wolfhounds, but these are hardy beasts. The fire is not enough to fell them nor scare them away.

Round 2. Bold may act!

Holan-Ji (on map)
Effie Gee (on map)
Wolfhound 3
Maria (1 step from the map)
Wolfhound 1
Hepsubia (mutagen) (1 move from the map)
Wolf 2 (-14 hp)
Wolf 4 (-14 hp)
Werewolf (no longer visible)
Pradowca (dying -7)
Guard 1 (dying -3)
Guard 2 (unconscious)

"There are a LOT of big bad wolves in here!" Effie calls, glancing over her shoulder to see if she can spot the two elves. She sidesteps behind a bench in hopes of not getting outflanked.

5' step - but no move or swift actions this round.

"Holan-ji! Can you lift her away to safety?"

"I think so. Maybe," the dragonfly answers in a buzzing voice tinged with uncertainty. "She ain't big for an Avistani, but..."

He starts zooming towards the wolves and woman, but as he does so his features shift into a more familiar, ferocious, and furry form.

"You know I like fightin' more!"

Bite, Charge, PA : 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 13 + 2 - 2 = 21
Damage, B/P/S, magic: 2d6 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (5, 2) + 7 + 6 = 20
Claw 1, charge, PA: 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 13 + 2 - 2 = 26
Damage, P/S, magic, Cold Iron, Silver: 2d6 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (6, 5) + 7 + 6 = 24
Claw 2, charge, PA : 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 13 + 2 - 2 = 29
Damage, P/S, magic, Cold Iron, Silver: 2d6 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (3, 4) + 7 + 6 = 20

Attacking Red (I color coded that one to distinguish between the two.) Charge (Shifter's Rush to change form as free action), Pounce (Full attack when charging). -2 to AC this round from the Charge. 

(Sorry. I must not have set up the Alt text correctly.)

Holan-ji tears the more-wolf-than-hound wolfhound to pieces. The other hound beside him takes full advantage of the distraction to pounce upon the giant cat. However, without the other hound as a distraction, the wolfhound finds the cat too nimble.

Round 2. Bold may act!

Holan-Ji (on map)
Effie Gee (on map)
Wolfhound 3
Maria (1 step from the map)
Hepsubia (mutagen) (1 move from the map)
Wolf 2 (-14 hp)
Wolf 4 (-14 hp)
Werewolf (no longer visible)
Pradowca (dying -7)
Guard 1 (dying -3)
Guard 2 (unconscious)

Acrobatics to avoid AoO, Mutagen Dex: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 10 + 2 = 28

Hepsubia dashes into the room, tumbling over the wolves and rushing toward the fallen judge to save her life.

Double move

Maria taps the nearest guard with her wand and steps over to the other one, ”Good work Tiger.”

CLW Wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Hepsubia tumbles past the wolfhounds and rushes toward the desk.

Outside, one of the guard's eyes blink open, and he screams until he realize that he is not dying and the werewolf is gone.

One of the wolfhounds scrambles over the bench to get flank with its companion. The two beasts work together to harry the ifrit, and one of them manages to bite her on her leg.

Those of you inside the hall hear metal grinding in the distance, like a heavy iron door being pulled open.

Round 3. Bold may act!

Holan-Ji (on map)
Effie Gee (-8 hp) (on map)
Wolfhound 3
Maria (1 step from the map)
Hepsubia (mutagen) (on map)
Wolf 2 (-14 hp)
Wolf 4 (-14 hp)
Werewolf (no longer visible)
Pradowca (dying -8)
Guard 1 (4 hp)
Guard 2 (0 hp, unconscious)

The big cat smiles and spits out a chunk of dog meat. Not that he minds the taste, it's a normal food in Chu-Ye, but he's gotta keep his mouth free to chomp on the other one. And the smile is cause his favorite flanking buddy just joined the fight!

Bite, Flank, PA: 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 13 + 2 - 2 = 19
B/P/S, PA: 2d6 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (6, 2) + 7 + 6 = 21

Claw 1, Flank, PA : 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 13 + 2 - 2 = 18
P/S, PA: 2d4 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (2, 3) + 7 + 6 = 18

Claw 2, Flank, PA : 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 13 + 2 - 2 = 18
P/S, PA: 2d4 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (4, 3) + 7 + 6 = 20

Effie salves the pain of the bite with a prayer.

lay on hands: 1d6 ⇒ 2

"I'll occupy these two as long as I can!" Effie calls as she pulls her old elephant knife from her Handy Haversack.

"Can't find room to shoot though" she grimaces, and takes up a defensive posture.

omg! melee, gandasa vs bad wolf, defensive fighting: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 3 - 4 = 2damage: 2d4 + 1 ⇒ (2, 1) + 1 = 4

Bumps AC to 24 this round.

She jinks out of the flank, for now. 5' step.

Holan Ji mauls another of the wolfhounds to literal pieces. Effie channels divine power into herself and then makes a careful, testing strike toward the other two wolfhounds. The two remaining wolfhounds raise their hackles and follow the ifrit with their attention, but their tails are also curled under themselves.

Round 3. Bold may act!

Holan-Ji (on map)
Effie Gee (-6 hp) (on map)
Maria (1 step from the map)
Hepsubia (mutagen) (on map)
Wolf 2 (-14 hp)
Wolf 4 (-14 hp)
Werewolf (no longer visible)
Pradowca (dying -8)
Guard 1 (4 hp)
Guard 2 (0 hp, unconscious)

Maria taps the other guard with her wand, then issues a brief statement.

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

”We heard screams and are here to help. Grab your weapons and guard the doors, don’t let these feral beasts escape. They could hurt innocents.”

She moves inside and draws her rapier.

Hepsubia slides with style over the table taking 10 for Acrobatics for 22 with augmented Dex and secures the judge's health first

Healing, Reduced Wis: 1d20 + 4 - 1 ⇒ (19) + 4 - 1 = 22

Needing some help Tygger?

"Not any more," Tygger replies as he spits out another hunk of wolf. "You're timin' was perfect."

He nods as Hep works on the judge, and looks back towards the door and the remaining wolves. "Tails between their legs. You might be able to just shoo 'em away," he says with an added growl for emphasis. "But I'm goin' after the big guy."

The first guard to be healed stands and runs off into the night while Maria heals the second. That man's eyes blink open, and he feels his neck when there nearly fatal wound had been with wide, terrified eyes. He scrambles to his feet and runs off gibbering.

Hepsubia stops the judge from bleeding to death. The longsword next to her limp hand is ornate but the blade itself is blunt.

The two wolves turn around and run past Maria into the night.

(Either would trigger AOO, but they have plenty of HP.)

Round 4? All may act.

Holan-Ji (on map)
Effie Gee (-6 hp) (on map)
Maria (1 step from the map)
Hepsubia (mutagen) (on map)
-----
Wolf 2 (-14 hp) (off map)
Wolf 4 (-14 hp) (off map)
Werewolf (no longer visible)
Pradowca (0 hp, unconscious)
Guard 1 (4 hp)
Guard 2 (9 hp)

Maria stabs!

Melee AoO: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15 for Silver/Piercing: 1d6 ⇒ 3

She glances back as the guards also sprint away, ”Cowards! Do your job!”

With a look of distaste, she turns back to the group, ”The judge ok, Tahl? If so, the chase can start.”

She's still wounded but No longer dying at least. Me, saving a servant of the Law.. I should spank myself!

She gives the Judge a vial with an effervescent liquid.
Bottoms up! It will restore your health a little, I did it myself! Notices the lemony taste, hope you like it

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Holan-Ji playfully swats Hep's butt with one enormous paw as he passes behind her. "Happy Spanky's Day!" he laughs. "You know, I bet that's a real holiday somewhere. Everyone spanks each other cause you can't spank yourself, then they have a huge feast." He laughs again, the roar echoing off the marble walls. But when he reaches the door, he stops laughing, gets serious (but chuckles one last time as the image of Spanky's Day returns to his cat-brain), and moves on through to continue the chase.

"Maybe we can come back and question the judge later..." Effie wonders as Tigger leads on.

Happy to follow ;)

Maria replies as she follows the big tiger, ”It’s most definitely a holiday, and often a weekly celebration at the Calistrian temples. Not my cup of tea, personally. But they offer a variety of different enjoyments, so there is usually something for everyone.”

"Wait! Wait for meeeee!"

Finally, Soddy comes huffing and puffing into the chamber, hat askew and out of breath. "Oh, I'm still figuring out how my new wings work or I would have gotten here sooner! Did we save everyone??"

The judge's eyes blink open after Hepsubia pours a potion into the woman's mouth. As Holan-Ji makes his way toward the shattered door, the judge groans, "Wha--?" The leshy herbalist also hustles into the courthouse after being blown several blocks away away by an errant breeze (or the force of Holan-Ji's dragonfly wings).

Just as he reaches the door, Holan-Ji hears Soddy come running in breathlessly. He turns and realizes sheepishly that it might well have been his recklessness that caused her to get blown down the street. Then he hears the Judge groan, and turns back to see if they shouldn't take care of her first. He trots over to Soddy Daisy, gives her a head butt and offers to let her ride on his back while she catches her breath if she needs to.

Meanwhile, Maria moves over to the judge, ”Evening your honor, we heard screams and came to help. We saved you and your guards, but were too late to help your assistant. Your guards also ran away after coming too so I’d suggest you have words with their bosses. Two of the dogs ran out the doors and another assailant ran through there. Did you see anything that could help us about them?”

She points at the exit location Tiger was sniffing around.

"Oh, I think I'm okay," Soddy nods, though she does give the big kitty an appreciative head pat in thanks.

"We're Pathfinders and we're here to help," she adds to Maria's explanation, not really considering whether that information would actually be helpful or not. Gazing around, she tries to quickly assess any injuries her friends (and the judge, of course), have.
______________

Anyone especially injured?

"Um. Oh," Judge Pradowca stammers. "Thank you. I'm afraid that all I saw were bloodthirsty wolfhounds and their sharp teeth."

She wobbles to her feet, using the sword in her hand as a cane. She looks down at it as she steadies herself and then lifts it to offer it to Maria. "Take this as a reward for my rescue. And this." She removes a small jewelry box from the desk and offers it also.

----

Holan-Ji looks through the ruined door and sees a hall with three jail cells and further to the left is a closed wooden door. One of the three jail cells are open, and he can see the sewer grate in the floor of that cell has been forced out of the floor for easy egress to or from the sewers.

Raising an eyebrow Maria is a bit caught off guard, but she quickly recovers. Accepting the sword and box she adds, ”Thank you, Your Honor.”.

She moves over to Holan Ji and inspects the two items while asking, ”What do we have? A good trail? Need it checked for traps or do you think there wasn’t enough time?”

The elf swigs two potions, the second of which is spit back into its vial.

Alchemical Allocation on Elixir of Vision, +10 Perc for 1 hr. If we take more time to buff, she has tons more. But we may also want to go quickly and only take a couple rounds.

"I won't assume there's no traps, but I kinda doubt they took time to set any. I'm thinkin' the blood-crazed werewolf ain't careful and calculatin' like a kobold."

He turns back towards the doorways and stares into the gray-scale darkness. "I can probably track 'im. Won't turn down any concoction you got that'd make my nose as sensitive as it is when I'm tiger-ing," he interrupts himself to laugh, "Is that a word, tiger-ing, wait, no don't answer."

Shan't we move and go pursuing the wreewolf? Asking for a friend.

The tight confines of the courthouse sewers eventually open into wider tunnels collecting effluence from the neighboring buildings. The putrid stink of human refuse mingles with a more natural stink of decomposition. Bubbles and ripples occasionally break the water’s surface, filling the chamber with a constant gurgle.

Stroll through the Sewers. Round 1. Bold may act.
Ambient Light: Darkness
Features: Water (brown squares) is difficult terrain and filthy.

Effie
???
Hep
Maria
Holan-Ji
Soddy
???

Holan-Ji dips a toe into the dirty water and immediately withdraws it as that small act stirs up an even fouler scent. "I think I'm done being Tyger for now. Too big and too furry," he says as he surveys the size of the tunnels. Shifting back to human/oni form, he rolls his shoulders, cracks his knuckles, and bends down to one knee to look at the walkway more closely and try to discern where the werewolf went.

Survival to Track : 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

The elf nods, "That's what my last roommate at the Grand Lodge was saying about fur. She was an interesting young catfolk."

Maria pulls a wand as she moves up off the sludgy swamp onto the path and taps herself with it. Her focus on the task narrows even more as she dials it in to eleven!

Heightened Awareness Cast, will not dismiss it for an initiative bonus. It's there for the bonus to knowledge checks.

Based on disruptions in the clumps of floating feces and swirls of oil and tan foam in the brown, scummy water, something must have passed to the east not too long ago.

Stroll through the Sewers. Round 1. Bold may act.
Ambient Light: Darkness
Features: Water (brown squares) is difficult terrain and filthy.[/ooc]

Effie
???
Hep
Maria (heightened awareness)
Holan-Ji
Soddy
???

Hepsubia casts light on the backside of Holan Ji

Didn't knew you could transform into a glowworm.

And she dares to chuckle too.

Holan-Ji glances back at his glowing pants. "Really? he says while shaking his head and glaring at Hep. "Let's hope I don't have to sneak up on anyone." But he does chuckle (inside) and waggles his butt at Hep.

Maria raises an eyebrow at the glowing slap and says wryly, ”You missed the opportunity to say ‘spanks’.”

and that's how a big Glow-worm Tiefling shifter got his spanking.

I'd report that. It's our Pathfinder 's duty

Effie? Soddy?

Hello and welcome! All OOC discussion and other chatter should happen here.

Some rapid-fire copypasta of relevant posts from the other discussion thread:

Something that I've been noodling around a bit since some discussion with some of the players on Hangouts *and* spurred by Lazarus making mention of going to Irrisen - it's a ways off but I would be willing to continue to run scenarios/modules for this group once we finish this trilogy, if enough people are interested.

The biggest issue would of course be trying to find scenarios that everyone can play, especially since I know GM Red (Brayden) is doing this very thing for a different group whose members overlap somewhat with this group. The level disparity between some of you might be another issue on down the line, but one that could probably be worked around with some care. Of course we could also do something like a 'restart' and start a long-term group with everyone playing characters that are a little closer together in level (not necessarily 'start a brand new PC' but 'bring a 1st or 2nd level PC').

Feel free to think it over (no rush) and let me know what you think, either here or privately. And it won't hurt my feelings if people prefer to go their separate ways after we finish the trilogy :)

Wow guys, thanks for the support and enthusiasm! That's five of you for certain so we'll definitely work on making this a more permanent thing, then. It never hurts to do some planning ahead so in case you don't already make use of it, it'd help immensely for everyone to track what they've played (and GMed) using the handy-dandy:

PFS Tracker

This will help make it easier to figure out what scenarios and/or modules everyone can play and get credit for. Dalen (should you wish to stick around too), I know you're basically good to play almost anything except for Portent's Peril but it's not a bad idea to track your played scenarios if you think doing Organized Play will be something you'd want to keep dabbling in :)

And I'm also happy to take requests if there are any particular scenarios/modules people would like to play *or* if there's a country/region you'd like to visit (some countries are the setting for way more scenarios than others, just a warning) - I can't promise anything but I'll do my best to be as accommodating as the group logistics allows me to be!

*cough* And on that note, I must head out to work. Updates later~~

As far as a regular group goes it looks like everyone is interested, so let's do it! While it would of course be fun to keep with the same characters the entire time, I also understand that it might work better for some, such as Lazarus, if we allow character-swapping. Maybe it's not so much that the same specific individuals always get called upon (such as with GM Red's Red Arm of Absalom group), but that there's a pool of several qualified agents that some of the Venture-Captains have started pulling from when forming a team. This is because I want people to play the characters they want to play and I'm not going to discourage a bit of character swapping if we happen to play a specific scenario that you really want to play Character B for instead of the Character A that you've largely been playing.

Another bit of business - another player that some of us know, Eric Swanson, has also expressed interest in getting in on this after we finish the Faithless & Forgotten trilogy. This would put us at 7 players. While I personally don't mind running for a table of 7 (because I know & trust you guys), I know that some players really prefer to stick to groups of 6 at the most. What say you?

(I made the joke that I could always form a separate, static CORE group since Eric seems to prefer more simplistic/old school gameplay but that's probably a terrible idea for my sanity, someone please talk me out of it.)

Meredith - thanks for the likes & dislikes, that does help! We can certainly add some fey/nature scenarios to the mix; I'm currently playing Down the Verdant Path and so far it seems like it'd be right up Meredith's alley. Any other themes anyone in particular would like to see? Or avoid? For example, I actually enjoy some horror in some of my gaming/GMing but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Okay, so! Word has gotten around a little bit and I've got enough potential players interested in playing that instead of having one big table (of 7) we can split it into two tables. If we end up going with two tables I'll take enough people to make two full groups of 6 and no more. Now we don't *have* to run with two groups of 6; running with two groups of 4 can be quite easily done. However, I'm sure there are other great players out there that we could invite to play - perhaps some I might know and others I might not. But if there's space, I'd like to fill it if everyone is amenable to it :)

The next question that comes when running two tables is the question of whether both should be Standard or one Standard and one Core table. If there's enough desire and interest for a Core table I'm happy to oblige but if people would prefer to go with two Standard tables then that will work just fine as well. If we end up doing one Standard and one Core and you *really* want to do both and can't choose between the two, I might allow for one or two of you to play at both tables if you so desire.

*edit* Nate, if you're reading this, the difference between Core and Standard is that Core is restricted down to just the Core Rulebook in regards to sources you can use for your characters while Standard allows you to utilize basically any Pathfinder product that has approved material.

Since we've got a range of players that spans from Larry, who has played quite a few things, to at least one potential player who's never done a Society game before, one table should probably start out at 1st/2nd level and the other can be a little more flexible and possibly continue rolling with characters that are slightly higher in level.

As I mentioned over in the F&F thread, I won't be looking to start this until those scenarios are finished. Though I'm trying to pick up the pace on that a bit, it'll likely be the middle/later part of summer before I'll really be ready to go. Hopefully this won't pose any issues for anyone; I'm aware that summer can be really busy for people so be sure to let me know if that tentative scheduling will be an issue for you.

So...here's where we talk shop and people figure out what table they might want to play at, figure out what character(s) they might want to play, suggest ideas/scenarios/modules/other stuff, etc. If there are any questions or concerns about any of this, please feel free to let me know either here or via PM!

Oh, it just occurred to me that a valid question that some of you might have for me would be:

Isn't this a pretty big commitment, even if it's not an AP? Especially with two tables? How will that work?

Definitely a fair question! I will definitely need to adjust my juggling of other games and other GM duties a bit if I'm going to take on two long-term tables. Mainly, it means I'll likely not offer to GM anything through the Flaxseed Lodge like I might otherwise do. When it comes to PbP conventions like PbP Gameday and OutPost, I might run *a* table for those in addition to the two steady tables but that'd be about it. And it means I'll probably be doing fewer games as a player, but that's okay because I've been lucky enough to get to play a lot in the past :)

I look forward to it. Count me in!

Count me in!

I am the aforementioned player with zero PFS experience, although I started playing a TT pathfinder game during the playtest and have been doing PbP here for a few years now. I’d probably be more interested in a standard game than a core one, and I’ll need some guidance on, like, registering a character or however that works. I haven’t had a chance to play something LL’s run yet, but I’ve played with her in a couple games (and am running one she’s in) and would really like to try one of her games.

A small hand plucks a muffin and a cup of cocoa from the snack table.

Nate - To register a character for Organized Play, I think you'll need to do the following (since the site layout has changed since I did this for myself):

(1) Click on 'Organized Play' up at the top of the page
(2) Click 'Create a Character' - which will prompt a sign-in to the website

I *think* that doing this for the first time will give you your own unique PFS ID# which is used for reporting purposes when you play games. The FAQ also has answers to a lot of common questions about registering characters, how wealth in PFS works, etc.

Another resource that is useful in helping determine if something is PFS legal or not is the Archives of Nethys. If you see a little symbol next to something that's meant to indicate that it's legal for use in PFS. *NOTE* - The website owner does his best to keep up with legality but occasionally stuff might be missed or it may take awhile for the website to be updated. So while AoN is a good starting point, when in doubt about the legality of something, you'll want to check the Additional Resources (which you'll find a link to by clicking on Organized Play).

Some other not-PFS links that I think make for good reading nonetheless:

Painlord's Guide to Play-by-Post
Painlord on Roleplaying within PFS
Painlord's What to Expect at a PFS Table
Painlord on How to Be a Better PFS Player
________

Hopefully the above helps and makes sense; I worked last night and so I may not be as clear with my writing this morning as I'd like!

As much as a long term Core game intrigues me, Frankie here would love to continue his exploration of the known world with Meredith and Denair.

IF for some reason you were keeping the core and normal games different and wanted a cranky old Dwarven fighter to go along with others, Ironshanks (LvL 3) would love to guide some young pups.

I'm good for Standard or Core.

I have a level 2 Core Fighter/Bard who can contribute there.

If Frankie wants to stick around with Meredith, she can oblige. Meredith would probably go on the slow track to let the other PCs catch up to her.

If you wish to wipe the slate clean and start over, I can switch to my level 2 Magus.

Definitely in. I'm unsure of which character it'll be but I'll probably rotate every few games. I only have one Core PC and haven't played him in 2 years, I'd really prefer Standard :)
Looking forward to it!

Core sounds interesting. I wouldn't mind playing there, but I can also play in a standard game with Dalen if I need to.

If I did core, I'd have to start a new character. I'll wait and see what else we have before really committing to a concept, though. As much as I would love to play the Barbarian I mentioned in the other thread, I am up for playing something else if there's a hole.

I have no PFS characters (nor GM credits) so I’d have to start at 1st... if people have higher level characters they want to continue playing I certainly won’t be offended, but if there’s a table starting over that’s the one I’d be looking to join.

Question- can I register a name/alias that I already have on the boards or do I have to start a new one?

You'll need to make a new alias. If you've made fewer than 10 posts, you can edit the alias's name.

Alas, yes, making a new Organized Play character means creating a new alias. You can see the difference if, for example, you were to click on my profile and look at all my aliases - Organized Play characters always show up first, at the top, and their names are colored in green when they post, like Meredith's is.
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Tentatively it looks like we've got the following expressions of interest:

Massee - Standard (sticking w/Frankie) or Core
chadius - Standard (sticking w/Meredith) or Core
Nate - Standard (brand new player)
Eric - Standard (but has expressed some interest in Core)
GM Red - Standard
Adam - Standard (w/Dalen or a new PC) or Core (new PC)

Larry is busy at PaizoCon and Jan hasn't specified but I'm going to assume for now that both of them will prefer to play Standard and would also prefer to stick to the same table as they (I believe) know each other IRL.

With everyone amenable to playing Standard but only a few expressing some interest in Core, it may be easiest to just do two Standard tables as I mentioned earlier - one for new/1st/2nd level PCs and the other for a group that's (overall) slightly higher in level. Assuming my above assumptions and assessments are correct, we currently have something that looks like this:

Group A (Established)
Massee
chadius
Larry
Jan
GM Red

Group B (Fresh Start)
Nate

With Eric and Adam's positions being a little more variable. Eric, you've got a PC that's almost 2nd, one that's 4th, and one that's 5th - you could fit in fairly well at either table. Adam, you could keep Dalen in the established group, play Dalen in the 'Fresh Start' group, or make a new PC for the 'Fresh Start' group. I'd rather not add too many new 1st level characters to Group A because even with the higher-level characters slow-tracking for people to catch up, we're likely to end up in a situation with 1st and 2nd level PCs having to play in the 4-5 subtier which can be dangerous.

Since it also looks like I'll need to see about inviting a couple more players to help round things out no matter which tables Eric and Adam decide to go with, does anyone have any suggestions for good, reliable players that I should ask? These are long-haul games so I want people at the table(s) that are fun to play with, can write decently, and actually act like they want to be at the table in the first place and show a little enthusiasm. I can think of a few but I also want to hear your suggestions as well!

If I’m the only reason you’re running a second table I can bow out... I’d like to play one of your games (and I am curious about society play), but you really don’t need to do a second table just for me!

Nope. Too late. You're in this for the long haul now.
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Seriously though, it's fine! While you *can* fit 7 players at a PFS table (which is what we would have if you decide to bow out) and it still be legal, it's not really the ideal as it adds more for the GM to keep up with and can also trivialize parts of scenarios - especially if multiple players have critter companions or someone wants to do summoning or the like. Most GMs and players usually prefer a 6-person table. I don't say that to make anyone feel like they're causing me an inconvenience - it's just usually how things tend to operate in Society play, as far as I've seen.

That being said, I'm super flattered and happy that my current players want to keep playing and other people want to give my GMing a try and want to give Society play a try and I want to accommodate as many of you all as I can reasonably commit to. There are always people looking for PFS games over in the Flaxseed Lodge and so it won't be much of a problem at all to find people to round out a second group - I'm just being a little more picky since everyone will (hopefully) be playing together for awhile and I want to avoid personality and expectation mismatches.

So...if you're sure about bowing out, that's perfectly fine but if you're curious about Society play and want to give my GMing a try then please, stay. It'll all come together with a little time and effort. And the nice thing about Society play is that most scenarios are little self-contained one-shots so if you play a couple and decide that Society play isn't for you, you can bow out without any issue and another player can be invited to fill the seat with much less hassle than it would be to replace a player in something like an AP :)

I'll go with the fresh start table. Even if I play Dalen, she'll only be 2nd level after finishing up the Faithless and Forgotten trilogy.

So there you go Nate, now she's not having to run a table just for you. :P

And Eric has expressed interest in sitting at the higher-level table so that just leaves filling a few more spots for Fresh Start! Does anyone (asking everyone not just the FS players) have any suggestions on people to hit up? Or know anyone that hasn't tried PFS/PbP/PFS PbP but would like to?

Also Adam & Nate - Arsith from our Shattered Star game has been consistently checking with me every so often to see if I'm running anything; shall I see if they're interested too? :)

I would. I'm not sure if he'd be interested in a PFS table, but it never hurts to ask. :)

Actually he does, because I've played in games with him before! I'll shoot him a PM when I get home :)

I’m not sure I know any other society players. I have one friend who I know is interested in finding a game but if I’m being completely honest he doesn’t have the best track record with posting regularly.

Hmm...yeah, I have to admit that I'd kinda like to stick to players who can/are willing to try and check in and post at least daily :\

It's no big deal though if you don't know anyone; I've got some ideas for other people to hit up if no one has any suggestions :)

Shieldbug has always been a fun person to play with. He also has his freshish vine leshy JGG.

I'm in!

Count me in, too!

I've played exactly three PFS games (and one SFS game), all at PaizoCon last weekend.

My experienced character is a human unchained rogue (L2), designed around feinting in combat. I also have three unplayed L1 characters that are registered: a Shoanti barbarian (going for Thunder and Fang), a Mwangi wizard (transmuter), and a Varisian cleric of Desna. I would be happy run the wizard or cleric in Core if people want to, but I'd prefer standard.

Nice to have y'all aboard! I'll wait to see what the rest of the Core table has in mind before picking something to play.

*psst* Adam...Fresh Start will also be a Standard table. There was definitely some interest in Core but nearly everyone is game for Standard - and alas, I've yet to win the lottery so I can't quit my job just yet to run all the games for all the people or I'd do a third Core group!

Howdy folks! Count me in. :)

I never have a shortage of character ideas, so I’m also willing to wait and see what other players want to do and then develop a character to fill gaps. Or, if there’s a lot of tentativeness I’ll just pick something to help others find a niche.

MUWAHAHAHAHA! I HAVE FOUND YOU AGAIN SHIELD BUG! Oh, and the rest of you I suppose :P I have arrived and now you will never get ride of me <3 I think at this rate, I'm in more games with the buginator than without!

I have several level 1-2 characters I could bring and am willing to just make a new one if they don't fit.

For reference:
Archer Inquisitor 2
Enchantment/Poison focused Sorcerer 2
Transmutation Wizard 1
Counterspell focusde Wizard 2
Swarm Monger Druid 1
Halcyon Druid 1
Animal Companion focused Inquisitor 1

Looking at the long haul, I'd prefer to play the Transmuter or the Halcyon Druid, but a happy table and players is most important to me!

*psst* Adam...Fresh Start will also be a Standard table. There was definitely some interest in Core but nearly everyone is game for Standard - and alas, I've yet to win the lottery so I can't quit my job just yet to run all the games for all the people or I'd do a third Core group!

Whoops. Sorry. I totally missed that.

No worries :)

And huzzah! We *might* have one more joining Fresh Start but I think we're just about ready to start figuring out characters and what to run.

Ah, I see I've jumped the gun a little. My bad!

Above, you mentioned geographic locations. I'd love to venture into the mwangi expanse and the world wound as often as possible. I'll second the naturey stuff in general too, especially if I am playing my druid :D

As far as planning what we play, I have a couple of replays floating around. Aren't our stars recharged annually as well?

I...think so? I've only recently gotten my first star so I'm still a little unclear on how recharging them works - guess I need to go read up on it!

And your suggestions/requests are noted, Gummy. I'll try my best to select things that would be appealing to as much of the group as possible based on faction choices, class, etc. And if you have multiple characters and really want to play Character B for a particular scenario instead of Character A, you can do that! I'd rather each of you play what *you* want to play instead of feeling forced to stick with the same PC for the sake of continuity - though I do hope that we'll eventually get to a point where the same general group of faces are quite used to working with each other :)

For those of you who have several scenarios under your belt already, I would greatly appreciate it if you could list them using this awesome:

PFS Session Tracker

If you already use it, please make sure your reporting information is up to date. It's got the functionality to let me form a group of players and then filter out all the scenarios that each person has played in order to narrow things down to what everyone can still play together :)

OMG I have a stalker!!! Hehe, howdy Gummy Bear. :)

My PFS Session Tracker is all up to date, and it tells me I've only played 24 out of the huge number available, so I should be good to play most games. Oh, and I should get my first star in a few months, so that'll help too. I haven't got any specific requests for themes or locations, except maybe the world wound if I play my Paladin.

I have three characters in range, and can always make a fresh one should it be needed:

Halfling Chosen One Paladin 1.1 who's pretty fun to play, and my top choice.
Leshy Plant Master Hunter 1.1 with a focus on feeding his pet Slithering Sundew.
Human Warpriest 1.2 who has a fun habit of using his bow as a club more than as a ranged weapon.

Checking in to the Fresh Start. I'll be bringing a Medium.

I'll get logged into the Tracker, but I also have a bunch of replays from a couple of sources.

Here's a list of scenarios that I have played but would definitely spend a replay to play:

Season 9
9-06 Shores of Heaven [Outer Planes] (I have been dying to spend a replay on this with a good GM. The one I played this with did his best...)
9-08 Birthright Betrayed [Taldor]

Season 8
8-01 Portent's Peril [Varisia] (Though I just started playing that with Ladile and she's doing a super job, she might not want to run it again and again)
8-05 Ungrounded but Unbroken [Outer Planes]
8-08 Tyranny of the Winds, Part I [Orsiron]
8-10 Tyranny of the Winds, Part II [Outer Planes]
8-14 To Seal the Shadow [Tian/Minata]

Season 5
5-11 Library of the Lion

There's more on that list than I have replays for, but basically, if it's on the list above, you don't need to ask me if I'm OK replaying it. :)

Hehe... I've played 87. Tracker info should be up to date. Like I said, I'll use whatever stars and replays I have to make it all work out. Especially if I'm the one holding us back on a desired scenario!

That's everyone checked in! We are full, closed, no vacancies remaining!

(Apologies for those hoping for more Core...I can't commit to a third long-term table but I'll try to offer more individual Core games in the future as bandwidth permits.)

So it looks like Blake will be playing a Medium for sure but otherwise it seems the sky's the limit on what everyone else wants to play :)

Okay, got my stuff in. I'm pretty sure that some stuff didn't get in, but hey, everything on the record's there.

Can't acceed to the PFS tracker from work, but will update it this week end.

I have some L1 characters (Elf Rogue and Halfling Cavalier), an l2 Bloodrager and a L3 Cleric.

I can create some new characters too

@Eschie - No worries, we've got plenty of time!

@Blake - I'd say we can definitely fit Shores of Heaven in there for sure. Truth be told I'd actually love to play it myself (haven't played or GMed it yet) with a good GM. Portent's Peril is one of my favorites (so far) but alas, Adam's already played that one - I know, because I was the GM for it heh. And speaking of Library of the Lion, didn't we play that one together for PbP Gameday last fall?

As far as characters go, it sounds like tentatively we've got the following so far:

Blake - Medium
ShieldBug - Prefer paladin
Gummy Bear - Prefer druid or wizard

If Adam decides to stick with Dalen that'll also give you guys a ranger.

I’d prefer not to play a skill monkey, I think (I already have an investigator I’ve been playing for a while). I wouldn’t mind a full-caster... Maybe if Gummy does a Wizard I’ll do a divine caster and if does the Druid I’ll make an arcane caster?

My Medium is going to be a Riventhun Spirit Channeler (or Spirit Dancer if I chicken out), which is a gimped Spirit Dancer with status removal abilities added in exchange. That means no continuous shared seance boon--only when I've activated my spirit in rounds/day increments.

Blake, as someone who hasn't looked at the medium before, what does that mean as far as the role you see your medium playing in a party?

Nate, if you're leaving it up to me, I'll play my druid!

Lol- it’s not just up to me, but you playing a Druid is fine with me! I have a couple different ideas for arcane casters but I’ll have to do some research on what’s PFS legal. I’m out of town right now for work, so I’ll have wait til I get home to find and download the society-approved list.

Glad to see you guys starting to hammer stuff out! And Blake, thanks for the additional information; I'm not very familiar with the Medium as a class so I'll have to do some research to get a better feel for how it works.

And for PFS it's not really 100% necessary to have a perfectly balanced group. There are times when it definitely helps but is still possible to complete the mission - you just might have to get creative and/or be a little more careful than other groups. But with 7 players I think you guys will be good to more or less play what you want and still have everything essential be covered :)

So, while I wait for the other lady to deliver so my wife can start pushing...

The base Medium can change his role on a daily basis. He isn’t especially good at any one thing except as a Striker.

The Spirit Dancer/Riventhun increases the versatility by allowing the spirit to change on the fly but at the cost of duration. The 24 hour bonus of the base Medium becomes N rounds per day.

As for my role, I see him as a back-up Striker with the ability to whip out a skill or spell on the fly as needed. Riventhun would allow me to be a status condition healer. I would probably also max UMD.