Tried that with an assassin vine and a group of monkey goblins. They killed the vine and intimidated the goblins away. I look forward to the raid.
So I am having some issues with the game I am running. And if you are interested in reading the incoming text wall and sharing your thoughts I would appreciate it.
Once I got everyone together in person I was able to explain what that meant, cause texting is a lot and they are a meme heavy group. Andoran is backing a company. The Bountiful Trading Company which was created by two of the three big banking families in Andoran. This venture is with the blessing and aid of the Mordant Spire. The elves of the Spire are the guardians of Azlant and they defend it with extreme prejudice.
So with everyone already knowing what they wanted to play and there not being anyway for them to deal with traps I asked about having a Mordant Spire Elf in the party, an NPC. And everyone said that was totally fine. There are story reason I kinda need a Spire elf there but the players have not gotten that info yet.
The party consists of a tiefling haunted spiritualist who is trying to look human. The phantom is his ancestor and has been leapfrogging through time though his descendants. He is from Cheliax. His cousin is aasimar cleric of Iomedea, who is in Andoran.
Then there are the twins. A tiefling barbarian who is all impulse. She has a small child she adopted who she is planning on taking leadership for and the kid is going rouge / oracle but all about the healing. The an aasimar oracle seer. Which is great cause I can give info in fun ways. Also she has a bear animal companion who she loves so very much. They are here because they were exploring some ruins in Varisia, where they are from, and while there the oracle found this strange orb. She doesn’t remember anything from seeing the orb to signing paperwork in Andoran. Her sister watched her press the orb into her head, a bright flash, and then there was a bear cub. The oracle insisted they go to Andoran so they did.
And both duo's came up with being related and the tiefling and aasimar duality separate from each other.
There is a cavalier who is a former member of the Grey Maidens who had been magically enslaved into that group. She is all about aiding others. But I have no guarantee this character will still be here by that time. So it might be Wyrwood and no clue of the class but I know a Kineticist might be happening. But I am allowing some 3rd party stuff so a Machinesmith is very likely as well.
A conjuration wizard who is a ported over Alienist from 3.5. All about that Dark Tapestry. Also a aasimar and she is the only child of one of the banking families who very publicly volunteered as a show of faith in this mission.
And there is an NPC elf rouge from the Mordant Spire, who everyone said they were fine with being there. The Oracle and Wizard are quite attached to him at this point.
So four sessions ago they learned there were chokers under the colony and after a lot of bickering where the cleric just wanted the cap the well, which was how they were getting into town, and the rest of the players wanting to remove the threat before anyone died they went down into the well. Lots of narrow paths and chokers are ambush predators. Four young ones got the jump on the ones in the front, the cleric, spiritualist, and wizard. The wizard killed three of them, the cleric almost died, and the mama showed up and nearly killed the spiritualist. By this time the other players had made it into the open space. The barbarian slaughtered the mama choker and the one that nearly killed the cleric tried to flee. Everyone started arguing about if they kill it or let it go. The oracle, who does not like killing, made a swing and missed. So the rouge was next in initiative and he did not miss.
The next session the cleric tracked down the oracle who does not like killing and the war-scarred cavalier. So he could explain how the elfs action was dishonorable. These are both also the quieter players. Then he tracked down the rouge while he was alone. This was about half way though the month of downtime. No one knew that the oracle had apologized to the rouge for putting blood on his hands, her words not mine.
So the cleric explained that what he did, killing a fleeing combatant who was a child was dishonorable. The response was that child almost killed the cleric and it would either die of starvation or come back for revenge as its home had been invaded and its family slaughtered. No one could talk to it like they had been able to with other baddies. The rouge did not judge him for desecrating the corpse of monkey goblins. He accused the cleric of not understanding him or his culture. And said that is the ‘honor of your war Goddess not mine’.
But the rouge agreed he would let threats leave and that if they come back the blood of those that die is on the clerics hands. The clerics response was that he would not heal him anymore. The oracle said she still would. The rougue said you are consigning me to death and that he had made a mistake.
The rest of downtime happened, and the rouge withdrew all socializing. And the cleric was quiet proud of himself. Now the spiritualist was frustrated with the full 10 rounds it takes to manifest the phantom. So I let it be a move action but he had to provid a boar to the phantom and give up control of his body for one hour. He agreed so long as the phantom would come out quicker. This was all negotiated in game. It gave a good roleplay reason for the phantom’s new abilities. So once the hour is up he came to with the taste of blood in his mouth and was surrounded by carved bones and guts in a circle. He bolted.
The next day they all went exploring after the rouge called everyone together and said the colony leader wants them to start exploring the island, their job, and he wants to know what he is allowed to do. They all need to discuss so the choker thing doesn’t happen again. This was a mistake. And all everyone did was argue. And the cleric put his foot down and said fleeing combatants get to flee. Some of the other players are not happy about this.
Now in a separate discussion the spiritualist talked with the rouge alone. Told him that was not his place, he made things worse. Told him to be silent. And the rouge mentioned the clerics refusal to heal him and how that damned him. He could not die and go to the River of Souls. The spiritualist said the cleric would still heal him and the rouge response was ‘so he can threaten to take it away again?’ The rouge was told to be more political. And his response is he was brought here to explore not be political.
They went out for a few days and then came back. In the dead of night the spiritualist was woken up and brought to the dead boar by a guard. The rouge was there as was the leader of the colony. And he lied about knowing anything about it. So he was taken back to town. Then the cleric was brought in. He said to the rouge “find a kid?” Failed his checks but knew it was some kind of summoning and he told the guard that he thought they assumed it was one of the party on the way back. Then the wizard was brought there. She made the checks. This was an infernal summoning but only a temporary one.
The party left town again and while keeping watch the rouge gave the spiritualist a note says the leader of the colony knew he lied. A little later the rouge tried to speak up, said he had something he wanted to explain. But that was as far as he got since the cleric told him to shut up. Every other player said that it was wrong. And it spiraled into nearly an hours out of game discussion. And once we started again the player of the cleric was on his phone for quite a while.
Now out of game most of us have talked. Both the player and cleric character are done with the rouge. He is tired of the fights but he will not bend on the subject at all. The solution proposed to me was for the rouge to be temporarily moved out of the group and the cleric is going to do the same. So a temporary pc is gonna join the group.
Now they were going to get the explanation of why the Elf had to be with them and some other stuff like why he couldn’t go to the River of Souls but that didn’t happen. So there will be a different elf. They would have known another elf was coming, specifically to help with the colony.
Now one player had described the cleric as ‘my way or the highway and that is not fun.’ and the two players who run the wizard and oracle are not happy about this either.
It has been an at least out of game argument the last four sessions. Oh and the rouge has lied to the other players about what happened and has not told another person. But with the threats, the comments infront of a guard and the colony leader, and then shutting him down infront of the party he is rather done doing so.
Concerning the spiritualist demand that the rouge be political he can be but he doesn’t want to. But the former Chelaxian has striped a fellow
Andoran of his right to thought and speech. Along with lying to the leader, preforming a infernal summoning ritual, and he has a devil in his head. And the cleric, a healer, is refusing to heal someone because he did not apologize for killing a threat to the colony.
Now the cleric has asked for me to try to make him fall, so please keep that in mind. But I do not feel that I am having to try very hard. He said he is following Iomedea’s Paladin code, which is this.
• I will learn the weight of my sword. Without my heart to guide it, it is worthless—my strength is not in my sword, but in my heart. If I lose my sword, I have lost a tool. If I betray my heart, I have died.
• I will have faith in the Inheritor. I will channel her strength through my body. I will shine in her legion, and I will not tarnish her glory through base actions.
• I am the first into battle, and the last to leave it.
• I will not be taken prisoner by my free will. I will not surrender those under my command.
• I will never abandon a companion, though I will honor sacrifice freely given.
• I will guard the honor of my fellows, both in thought and deed, and I will have faith in them.
• When in doubt, I may force my enemies to surrender, but I am responsible for their lives.
• I will never refuse a challenge from an equal. I will give honor to worthy enemies, and contempt to the rest.
• I will suffer death before dishonor.
• I will be temperate in my actions and moderate in my behavior. I will strive to emulate Iomedae’s perfection.
And because I forgot to mention it. The cleric player was wanting a snarky relationship. But even the other players have said it is bullying.
And I am down for snarky. To date one of my favorite interactions wer between Amumd and Balthus in the conquest of the bloodsworn came game.
I will be temperate in my actions and moderate in my behavior. I will strive to emulate Iomedae’s perfection.
Already failed this one.
Yeah, nothing about that was snarky. I’d gather everyone for an actual talk and go over grievances and point out this isn’t fun and it’s not going to get fun.
Also was the Grey Maiden a Tiefling or Aasimar :3
The Grey Maiden is an ifrit who still thinks they are human, forgot to mention that. The plan is to gradually have the racial abilities awaken
Yes he failed on the emulating Iomedae’s perfection and in being moderate in his behavior, definitely the fail there. I have been thinking about reducing any of his healing cause Iomedae is all about working with a group. And they are all legally bound companions.
And yeah we have all talked and that is part of why the pc and the npc are taking a step back. Granted that is not what I want but if it will help I can deal. But if it doesn't fix it then I will be taking more drastic measures.
We have talked, more than once about all of this. The big issue I am happening is he is not willing to acknowledge he did wrong. And it is a cooperative game. You are supposed to bring characters people want to play with. Two players have said that.
And the fun part is he does not realize in game the rouge could destroy him socially. A priest who wont heal is not a priest people like. There there is the whole putting monsters above the settlement.
He wanted to take the choker back to town. Talked about building a dark room for it... That would have gone over very badly.
Well he doesn’t have to acknowledge he f#~$ed up (though that would help a lot), just tell him he’s making the game unfun. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing his character “right”.
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I love that website! It is saved on my bookmark bar. And that one seems familiar though there is a lot to sift though.
I have told him bending would be the way to go and we are gonna try the whole letting the character fade into the background for a little while and I plan to explain, hopefully in a way this player understands that the way he is running the character is not fun for everyone else at the table. I think I may have been a little to nice about it last time and will have to be much more blunt. I just don't want to do it over text.
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I'm back from the wedding! Everything went as planned: I didn't manage to drop the rings in between the church floorboards or anything similarly catastrophic. Still a bit wiped out from the celebrations, though—I'll try to get a post in tomorrow, and start wrapping things up.
Yay!
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My best friends wedding a few years ago, which I was the maid of honor for, left me so freaking tired! She wanted me to give a speech. I had two pages, cause former cause nerdy. No one told me to keep it short.
Sleep! You earned it!
Sorry, been a bit AFK! Plan to get back to things this week.
I just returned from a terrible convention experience for which I was forced to stay out of town for an extra day. I'll catch up when I can.
:(
*offers hugs*
Sorry. Busy night at work
Sysky is an exception, but then the Order of the Pike is an exception as well, since they got “adopted” as an official Order cause of how popular they were among the people while not causing any issues for the government.
Sorry to hear that, Khardir. Was it DragonCon? Obv don't have to answer if you'd rather not.
Nisany does not really know the difference.
Khardir sorry you got stuck.
Most people don’t :3
Swamped at work will get caught up in a bit.
Did the gnome confuse you Syksy?
"But I don't have to walk thing way.."
I don't know what that means. Was it supposed to a be a "this"?
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I'm pretty sure it was
*nods*
Adjusting to new sleep schedule, reasoning not at full capacity >_<
Sorry to hear that, Khardir. Was it DragonCon? Obv don't have to answer if you'd rather not.
Strategicon, in Los Angeles. Really bad run-in with toxic convention staff.
You are correct. Apparently auto correct still refuses to fix when I use the wrong word and only shows the red line when I fail to spell.
Will have something up in a bit.
Tricks: Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, Stay, Track
Sorry to hear that, Khardir. Was it DragonCon? Obv don't have to answer if you'd rather not.Strategicon, in Los Angeles. Really bad run-in with toxic convention staff.
*hugs*
Tricks: Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, Stay, Track
Do you want to double up on Attack? Dusk will refuse to attack certain creatures, otherwise.
GM, what sort of things could Bernard go for, here? I want to make this count, but am not sure about the scope of his possible actions/rolls.
(Fantastic posts, btw)
Thank you! In terms of scope, I think you have an opportunity here to influence an entire congregation of people at once: the Abadarans, the Shelynites, or the followers of the Green Faith—improving their towards the party by one step, and perhaps encouraging them towards a certain behaviour (say, "we should be nice to the kobolds" or "Abadarans and Shelynites should get along" or something to that effect). Social skills are the most obvious option here, but I'm open to creative solutions. Time to bust out that Perform (flute), throw a concert maybe? ;P
You can also get help from the others, if you'd like, and I'm open to cross-skill aiding here. I'm sure Khardir would be happy to lend a hand. On a related note, I already have some ideas about how your extracurricular efforts to improve on the townsfolks' lives will be rewarded later, within the confines of the adventure.
What do the rest of you guys say? I'm sure Bernard would check in with you all before making any kind of grand gesture or suggestion. Any specific courses of action leap to mind? Getting the Abadarns and Shelynites to be friendlier would be an obvious plus, ingratiating us to almost everyone.
Or we could just rouse a mob and run that evil smith out of town?
I have never been part of a mob before.. But making the two temples play nice is a great option.
But if you go the mob route you could play your flute while everything burns!
Or we could just rouse a mob and run that evil smith out of town?
That is certainly an option. :D
The get along thing is probably the best option, despite the mob sounding like fun.
Okay yeah I'd double down on attack and drop guard (defend is more important anyway) so stuff like undead or dragons wouldn't freak her out.
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I really wish I could talk to my roommates' dog. I could tell him, for example, that no, he is not about to die when we trim his nails, and that yes, when we leave the house, we do eventually come back. Also, would you please stop blowing your nose on the couch cushions?!
I to share that wish.
And if I seem incoherent or don't post for a bit it cause a box hit me in the head at work Friday and I am a little, well a lot, foggy headed. I get to go to the doc monday. At what I am sure is way to freaking early for me working nights
*offers gentle headwubs*
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I really wish I could talk to my roommates' dog. I could tell him, for example, that no, he is not about to die when we trim his nails, and that yes, when we leave the house, we do eventually come back. Also, would you please stop blowing your nose on the couch cushions?!
But you're gone forever! Every time! I counted! XD
Sorry for the lack of posts this week, work/family stuff. I'll get caught up and get a post in later tonight.
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Yay headwubs!
*wubs head*
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Aww sorry about the box. Double on the head rubs.
Okay, I think we're finally starting to get to the end of downtime, and only a week behind my planned schedule! I speak in jest, of course—as long as everyone has been having fun, everything is fine just the way it is. Now, if anyone has something they still want to do, please let me know. I'll be getting us back into the main plot tomorrow-ish, but we can still do a bit of retroactive downtime stuff as we move along. That's what spoilers are for, right?
@Bernard: Nice roll! Just to make sure, which faction are you targetting, primarily?
I've really enjoyed this downtime and our side quests. Really fun and surprisingly rewarding. Thank you, DM.
@DM: If I had to pick a target, it'd be the Shelynites. Only cause I think the Abadarans are already fond of Bernard, what with his being one of their number, and there being so few of the Green Faith.
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Yay head rubs!
And yes this downtime things was delightful and far more fun than I thought it would be
And I do not think I mentioned it before but I loved the lore you dug up for Nisany's vision. That was a blast and I have never heard of either entity and I rather love seeing new things.
And the brain fog is slowly clearing so I might be spotty for a bit but this is one of two games I always check in with first.
Just as a reminder: Lady Origena has offered to pay half the cost of anything you bid on and win in the auction, to a maximum total amount of 7,500 gp. You are free to pool your money if you so wish, though only one of you can do the actual bidding for each lot (more on that later).
To expedite the progress, I'll give you a list of the lots and their starting bids (see below). During the investigation of Hunclay's estate, you had a chance to appraise most of them, and here's where that becomes useful—you'll be able to know what the stuff you're bidding on is actually worth, and strategise accordingly. We'll only play out bidding for the lots you're interested in, and I'll narrate the rest of them in a more succinct manner.
THE LOTS AND THEIR STARTING BIDS:
1. Exotic birds – 50 gp
2. Kitchen lot – 100 gp
3. Parlor lot – 300 gp
4. Dining room lot – 200 gp
5. Library lot – 400 gp
6. Stuffed grizzly bear – 60 gp
7. Book of extended summoning – 550 gp
8. Flesh golem manual – 2,000 gp
9. Manual of war – 1,500 gp
10. Assorted potions (including all the potions found in the study) – 2,660 gp
11. Assorted scrolls (including all the scrolls found in the study) – 3,255 gp
12. Hunclay's spellbooks – 4,000 gp
13. Bedroom lot – 440 gp
14. Observatory lot – 1,000 gp
15. Storage lot – 500 gp
16. Clockwork lab lot – 1,000 gp
17. Summoning journal – 1,000 gp
18. Rare book lot (including the darkwood case and the papyri, but excluding the Secrets of the Dreaming Dark) – 425 gp
19. Dust of darkness (three pouches remaining) – 180 gp
20. Mithral scroll tube (including the scroll of permanency) – 300 gp
THE RULES OF BIDDING:
If a PC wishes to bid on a lot, we'll follow these steps to determine the winner:
Step 1: The interested PC gets to make the first bid. All bids must be made in multiples of the listed opening bid. The PC attempts a single Bluff or Intimidate check. For each multiple by which the PC exceeds the opening bid, the PC gains a +2 bonus on the check. For example, if a PC bids 100 gp for the exotic birds, they gain a +2 bonus on the check; if they bid 150 gp, they gain a +4 bonus. Allies can't aid another on this check. Competing NPC bidders have an outbid DC: if their DC is equal to or lower than the result of the PC's check, they give up. If the PC's bid equals or exceeds the listed winning bid, all of the competing NPC bidders immediately concede.
Step 2: The competing NPC bidders place their bids, causing the current bid for the lot to increase by an amount equal to the lot's starting bid. If there are multiple bidders remaining, the total bid will increase accordingly. After all of them have made their bid, control returns to the bidding PC.
Step 3: Once the PC has outbid the other bidders or bids above the lot's winning bid, they win the lot and must pay the final price.
Any questions?
Oh, and I've updated the NPC dispositions and your quest list, to reflect downtime events: all of the Shelynites are now Friendly or better towards the group of you (having risen by one each for Bernard's efforts), completing quest number 4. In addition, Bassy is Helpful (because Nisany's friends are her friends, as well), Belhaim Garrison and Devy Manor are Helpful (obviously), Sir Pelle is Friendly, and Otho Burr of Belhaim Commons is Friendly (you've never met the guy, but it makes sense—thanks to Khardir, his place of business got fixed without him having to pay for it). Of course, Bernard is still regarded one step higher by the Abadarans, and one step lower than the Shelynites—still a ways to go to get rid of that prejudice entirely.
Also, here is a link to magic items for sale in Belhaim, in case you'd rather use your money on them.
Did I miss out on some treasure? Because my total wealth, including all of my gear, is 707 gp.
Not that this would surprise me - the impression I get of this adventure is that you are doing work for the Baroness gratis, as a favor, and she actually takes everything and you get nothing.
I strictly leave tracking loot to the players, but the baroness has definitely been paying you, like the pious Abadaran she is: 50 pp for investigating the Witch Tower, 1,200 gp worth of amethysts for taking care of the kobolds, and most recently 600 pp for clearing the estate.