Welcome! Please dot in with a brief hello.
An update, I am working on familiarizing myself with Roll20 so that it can be utilized for combats. It won't be used for the first combat scenario, but hopefully after that I'll have it set up.
Thanks for the pick! Looking forward to the game.
BTW, I have never done this module, but I believe that Masks of the Living God is the sequel and I have played that as a stand-alone.
I don't mind doing it again if you want to keep going and I can "play ignorant" without too much difficulty.
EDIT: Do I really have the highest STR in the party??? I am tied with Fonzy. :)
dotting,
every time i get into one of these crypt games they fall apart. hopefully this one doesn't, i'm excited
@ Ashling:
Does your character carry a shield?
If you don't, maybe you should be the one to carry the lantern. I think everyone else needs two hands for things. Both Fonzy and Belasara use longbows, and I have a shield.
@ Ashling:
Does your character carry a shield?
If you don't, maybe you should be the one to carry the lantern. I think everyone else needs two hands for things. Both Fonzy and Belasara use longbows, and I have a shield.
The lantern is sturdy enough that it can be tied on to a pack for the journey to the tomb as well.
"Woof!"
:)
This is Sir Bleeparolo's animal companion.
no shield, but i the plan should it get that far is a dex based dueling sword build
Hi everyone! I'm Kat, and I'm looking forward to gaming with you all.
Thank you for the pick, GM!
And Bela will be happy to carry the lantern. I'll have a gameplay post up saying so as soon as I've had my tea.
Dot! Hello All! GM thanks for having us. This is going to be a great game.
Bleepy we both made it! Did you consider my offer? Fonzy is in need of a mentor, he's not exactly one to think things through and could use someone to help keep him from doing anything stupid.
If you want someone to keep you from doing dumb things, I don't know that Sir Bleeparolo is the best fit. After all, he's 3' tall and insists on charging enemies with the lance like a cavalier! And he wears a teapot on his head. :)
I have no problem with us having known each other a long time. In fact, the four of us probably have known each other a long time if we are all from the Kassen area.
The people of Kassen probably think Sir Bleeparolo is pretty odd. After all, he rides a wolf that he just "met" in the wild, and he seems to be followed around by harmless but slightly creepy poltergeists.
On top of that he insists that he is now a knight and that people call him "Sir." The people in town think that his father just made up the stories of the Knights of the Black Bough, and that Bleeparolo has become obsessed with the notion (as gnomes often do). I don't think people would see him as especially responsible (though he is honest to a fault).
But he is a healer. Your average townsfolk would respect that, most likely.
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So they do dumb things together! And I think their families have a mutual respect for each other from their history trading. Fonzy was drawn to Bleepy's oddness, excited every time their families were meeting. Probably somewhat annoying to Bleepy but at the same time always had a soft spot for him. Since this is supposed to be a somewhat safe adventure I don't think his parents would worry about being with a crazy gnome.
The other two I believe aren't native to the city limits. Ash being from somewhere cold on the outskirts and Bela migrating here recently. Perhaps they know Ash from trade, but not sure about Bela.
This is just me brainstorming here. Take what yall like from it and work with it. I'll roll with whatever yall think works.
Ash has been in the town in and out frequently enough with her father, recently she's been hanging around in a more permanent manner.
doing odd missions around town, dancing, singing, hunting .
Ash is likely to tell you not to do dumb things but probably won't stop you from actually doing them.
Belasara has lived in Kassen for nearly a year now. If anyone's character is religious, they would have likely seen her at the Church of Erastil. The official story Father Prasst would have told the congregation is that she was orphaned by the plague that stuck her town and was taken in as a ward of the church.
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So we can count on Ash to tell us when something may be a terrible idea :) And her and Fonzy have met in passing maybe?
Admiring her performances but too shy to introduce himself.
Fonzy isn't religious (until it comes to needing healed) but I figure Bela and Bleepy are familiar with each other then? Depending how close you two want to be.
I just like to get a decent grasp of where everyone stands with each other to help me imagine the group dynamic. Stop me if I'm annoyin yall.
So we can count on Ash to tell us when something may be a terrible idea :) And her and Fonzy have met in passing maybe?
Admiring her performances but too shy to introduce himself.Fonzy isn't religious (until it comes to needing healed) but I figure Bela and Bleepy are familiar with each other then? Depending how close you two want to be.
I just like to get a decent grasp of where everyone stands with each other to help me imagine the group dynamic. Stop me if I'm annoyin yall.
sounds like a good idead
religion wise Ashling carries a pendant of Ashava but she herself isn't religious.
I just like to get a decent grasp of where everyone stands with each other to help me imagine the group dynamic. Stop me if I'm annoyin yall.
Pas du tout. I think it's a good idea to figure things like that out before gameplay gets underway, especially if the setting is a fairly small town. I would have suggested the same if you hadn't beaten me to it.
As this is a relatively small town, it's entirely reasonable that you'd all at least recognize each other, abd likely know each other by name. You are all faurky unique individuals, and have probably heard of each other (such as Sir Bleeparolo's ideas of knighthood)
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So they have all at least heard of each other in some sense. Fonz and Bleepy have a long history. Ash and Fonzy have seen each other in the city but haven't held any conversation. Bela and Fonzy have heard of each other, but couldn't put the face wit the name. If that's all good...
Where do Ash and Bleepy stand? Ash and Bela, and Bela and Bleepy? That should hash all that out.
As this is a relatively small town, it's entirely reasonable that you'd all at least recognize each other, abd likely know each other by name. You are all faurky unique individuals, and have probably heard of each other (such as Sir Bleeparolo's ideas of knighthood)
Yeah, that's the thing about small towns. Everyone knows everyone. And even most of the "cities" of Golarion are small towns for us nowadays. Kassen is quite small.
That doesn't necessarily mean anyone is a close friend or anything, but we should all know who everyone is at least.
Bleeparolo is religious, but he worships Irori, a religion that is unlikely to have any other adherents in Kassen. He believes that his powers come from a transcendental harmony with the natural world. So most of his worship comes in the form of meditation.
A few Quirks about Sir Bleeparolo:
His primary attack is charging with the lance. This won't do tremendous damage, but decent (average of 11), and if he has divine favor going this jumps to ~15.
But, since the lance has reach, and Varkha (the wolf) does not, when Bleeparolo attacks with the lance Varkha cannot attack the same enemy. So Varkha will normally ready an attack for when the enemy closes.
Varkha is a bonded mount, but unlike most mounts he has an INT of 6. So he can understand language. Since he is kind of a nature spirit he understands Sylvan. This means I don't need handle animal to direct him - I can just tell him what I want him to do.
Bleeparolo first encountered Varkha when he freed Varkha from a leg-hold trap. So when he casts the spell barbed chains it manifests as a leg-hold trap springing from the ground. It's not a fantastic spell at 1st level but it works with the theme.
Bleeparolo has a sling, but has a -1 to hit targets at range. His DEX is 7. If he survives to 3rd level and we continue playing he will take a revelation that gives him his CHA to AC instead of DEX.
Despite his low DEX his stealth his half-decent (+4). I have a really bad ACP so when I get better armor this will improve.
The weird name for Varkha is because he was originally a Vaargr character for a Traveller game that died. So I am re-using the alias. :)
@ Belasara:
I have a suggestion for you.
Life oracles can be really powerful healers. In the home RotRL game I run one of the characters is a life oracle. And Life Link is a really useful ability. The oracle in my home game uses it a lot.
However, at first level I din't think it is worth taking. If you used it on two different creatures, and they both had 5 damage, you would have to cut one of them off or be reduced to 0 hp. You don't really have enough healing spells and hit points to make it fly.
IF the GM would be willing to allow you to make a last minute change, I would suggest holding off on Life Link until 3rd level. And instead, at this level get one of these:
1. Instead of the extra revelation feat, take the extra channel feat instead.
2. Take the Safe Curing revelation instead.
3. Take the Energy Body revelation instead. Energy body is really neat because in addition to a little healing and defense against undead it gives you the elemental subtype. That makes you immune to paralysis, poison, stun, bleed, sleep, critical hits, sneak attacks, and flanking. At 1st level it only lasts 1 round but it might be really handy.
Edit: realized your archetype takes away your revelations until 11th level. But I still think Life Link is not the best choice for you.
So, with the holiday weekend (for those of us in the US), here's an update on posting expectations. First off, you folks have been fantastic. I know it's only been a couple days, but still. Second, with combat I only expect one post per day, the weekend being an exception because...well, life. I'll do my best to cycle us through the combat as quickly as possible.
Have a safe and fun weekend, everyone!
The goal is to be using Roll20 for the crypt. I am hoping to have some time tomorrow and monday to play around with it so that I am comfortable in using it. :)
That said, I think I'll stick with Life Link for now. I would like for Bela to be somewhat effective as a secondary ranged combatant and take advantage of the longbow's range to keep well away from any enemies, and in my mind the ability to heal you or Ashling (only 1 bond can be active per level) at a range of 100+ ft. without using an action seems too good to pass up.
In the previous game Bela was in, I did pick up Energy Body instead of Life Link and it was a lot of fun when I got to use it. I didn't get much mileage out of it, though - admittedly, I would have gotten a bit more out of it if I had remembered the useful bit about the elemental subtype immunities - but I think that's my top choice for my next revelation.
Since this is a relatively short adventure with no guarantee that we'll reach level 3, I feel okay building Bela for short-term effectiveness rather than long-term. Otherwise I would likely wait to pick up Life Link at level 3 as a shaman hex rather than use a revelation.
But again, I really do appreciate your advice, and I hope my decision to be a little hardheaded right now doesn't dissuade you from offering up such advice in the future. =)
@GM and Friends I hope you all have a nice holiday weekend! The fiance and I are looking into getting our first puppy(!) so if I'm not able to keep up with your guys' exceptional posting rate this weekend, that'll be why. Sorry to hear you'll be working through the weekend, Fonzy. =/ Hope you at least get holiday pay or something.
Not a holiday here! Ours was last week. :)
Remember you can't just declare a life link in the middle of battle (well, you can but it's a waste of a turn). Activating it is a standard action. So you will normally have to decide who gets the link before a fight starts.
Life Link can make channels more useful in healing. If I take 9 damage and Life Link transfers 5 of that damage to you, then when you channel you will heal both of us instead of just me. The Combat Healer revelation (which you can get at 7th level) is also really good when you have Life Link.
The other thing about your build is that the Spirit Guide archetype takes away your revelations at 3rd and 7th level. So if you want more revelations you need to take the Extra Revelation feat to get them. This means that your archery probably will never be very good, because it takes a lot of feats to get good at that too. Typically:
Point-Blank Shot --> Precise Shot --> Deadly Aim --> Rapid Shot --> Manyshot --> etc.
Which means it is debatable whether it is worth it to use the longbow at all. If you used a light crossbow you could do the same damage as the longbow and still fire a shot every round. By 7th level when you can fire two shots per round with a longbow, your character will probably be throwing a spell almost every round anyway.
If you switched, you wouldn't need the heirloom weapon trait. There are a lot of good ones to choose from. Seeker comes to mind right off the bat. But there are plenty of good ones.
The Archives of Nethys is probably the best website to search for traits.
Anyway, that's my 2¢.
Activating Life Link before the fight began did cross my mind, but doing it right after we set out somehow seemed... I want to say "contrived". And if given the choice between what's efficient to do or what fits with the story, I'm usually in favor of the latter. But, going forward, now that she knows how dangerous the journey to the crypt will be, Life Linking will be one of the first things Bela does each morning. Most likely with Ashling.
I don't expect to ever be on par with rangers or anything like that, I'm just looking to add a bit of usefulness outside of healing. I've read that melee oriented oracles are more effective than ranged, but I thought I'd try it anyway.
Thematically, I liked the idea of using a longbow because of how widespread Erastil's faith is, and mechanically I prefer it to using a crossbow and having to use a move action to reload every round. So, a trait for proficiency with her father's longbow rather than adding Rapid Reload to that very long chain of ranged feats seemed the better choice to me.
And thanks! I am pretty familiar with the Archives. Since the d20PFSRD has been pulling up slower and slower for me lately, I tend to use that or Paizo's SRD to look up things.
Activating Life Link before the fight began did cross my mind, but doing it right after we set out somehow seemed... I want to say "contrived".
Well, the main thing that makes Life Link really good is that it has an unlimited duration. I assume it doesn't persist when you sleep but otherwise it just keeps going. So it makes sense to link someone up right away.
Life Linking will be one of the first things Bela does each morning. Most likely with Ashling.
For the record, Sir Bleeparolo has less HP and a lower AC than Ashling. That will change - at 3rd level Sir Bleeparolo will get to use CHA instead of DEX for his armor class. If we get that far.
I've read that melee oriented oracles are more effective than ranged, but I thought I'd try it anyway.
It's mainly because a STR-based melee build requires a lot less feats. Mostly you just need power attack and you are ready to go. Maybe weapon focus or furious focus. But some mysteries have abilities that support combat. The life mystery doesn't, really.
...adding Rapid Reload to that very long chain of ranged feats...
For the record, by the time Rapid Reload becomes worth getting (7th level), you will already have enough spells to do something magical just about every round, and probably won't be using a crossbow or longbow any more. The main issue is levels 1-3. At 4th level you get a sudden power boost because you get 2nd level spells. You will use the longbow a lot less then.
Another option is the thrown spear. Saves you a ton of money compared to the longbow. And assuming you keep 12 STR you will do 1d8+1 damage, or 1d8+2 within 30 feet.
Hi folks,
Hope you're enjoying the game so far.
Just wanted to move this conversation to the discussion page. As far as combat maps, what do you all prefer, Roll20 or Google Drawings? Sir Bleeparolo has indicated Google Drawings, and I want to make sure whatever we use will work for everyone.
Thanks!
Google drawings requires no sign-in, which is a plus in my mind. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it is not too hard to use.
I've only ever used Roll20 as a player, not a GM, so I'm not sure how difficult that is to use.
i'm not much a fan of roll 20, that about all i can say on the matter
Oh, I knew I forgot to weigh in on something. I'm not partial to either. I don't think I've ever used Google Drawings (I'm pretty sure one of the games I was in used Google Slides), but I think I could find my way around it. Roll20 works for me, too.
Like Fonzy said, whichever is easiest for you.
Hi folks. Sorry i didn't get anything up yesterday, currently i can only access the site through my phone. I'll try and have something up later today.
Sorry... I have had a real hard time getting onto the boards over the weekend. Could not log on at all yesterday - didn't even get the goblins.
Hi folks,
Let me know when you're all ready to move on. Not trying to cut the conversations short, and I'm loving the RP. :)
I'm ready to go.
ready
(moved from gameplay)
Probably best not to worry about shares of the loot until we get somewhere it can be spent. For now we can just give things to whoever can use them most.
Well, if the GM ends this at the end of the module, then we probably will never have the chance to spend the gold. :)
But yeah, we can keep track. I can make a spreadsheet if nobody else wants to do that.
"and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, ..."
"Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible for a character to take 10."
Moving this to discussion tab, since lots of text :)
Thanks for the clarification! You (Or Vharka, rather) can take 10 on the check.
As far as the reflex saves, the module provides a table to results, based on the reflex save made, and that was what I was using, and it varies from "nothing really happens" to "you tumble all the way down the ravine." If, while riding Vharka, a check was failed and he slipped, it was to give you a chance to throw yourself clear and avoid damage, or try and control the fall. At least, that was my thought process, and i probable worded it poorly, for which I apologize. In any event, it's rendered moot by Vharka being able to take 10. :)
Hi folks. Just checking in. Was having some weird issue where i could only check the boards if i was using my phone's data this weekend. Everyone still here? Sir Bleeparolo, everything ok regarding the climb checks?
As far as the reflex saves, the module provides a table to results, based on the reflex save made,
So did we have to make an acrobatics roll AND a reflex save? Or do we make a reflex save only if we fail the acrobatics roll? I didn't see a post with a DC for reflex saves.
Hi folks. Just checking in. Was having some weird issue where i could only check the boards if i was using my phone's data this weekend. Everyone still here?
Yep! I was dealing with the same troubles on my end, but I'm still here.