GM OfAnything's Port Godless (Inactive)

Game Master terraleon

Boon?: 1d20 ⇒ 8

Not a problem. I'm happy to help out. Thank you for the reporting link.

Sorry for the slight delay on posting, folks. I'm helping out with my daughter's play, so this evening was the first time I got to post.

Tomorrow will be sketchy after 3pm EST, Saturday will be shot until 9pm, and Sunday is junk until 9pm. I will endeavor to give you quick updates when I can, but I'm going to be busy and/or restricted to a mobile device.

Monday will pick up as normal. I hope you're all at least enjoying the text, and finding the action tense.

-Ben.

I'm not sure that breath weapons are supposed to go around corners Ben.

Spread effects go around corners, but a cone is normally a burst or an emanation. A burst travels its normal distance, but walls and corners provide (improved) cover and the burst does not turn the corner.

See prd text: aiming a spell. There's no separate discussion in the prd about breath weapon area effects, so absent a specific ability in the bestiary description a breath weapon area of effect should follow the same rules as a spell area of effect.

Breath weapon prd entry.

I'd not quibble usually, but four reusable 6d6 damage effects in one encounter!

Reading the commentary in the thread where James Jacobs weighed in, I would concur. Turathal does not need to make the saves, I'll note it in the gameplay thread.

I think somewhere in the past I played several encounters with a shape-able breath weapon creature, and the habit just stuck.

I think that the reason for the nerf to tumour-protector familiars in Ultimate Wilderness is because some people have interpreted the combination as allowing the Shield Master ability to work whilst the familiar is "attached". I would agree that this is a bit broken, but it is not how I interpret the rules.

I've never played Nigel as being able to use Shield Master or Bodyguard whilst attached. Attached, to my mind, means merged, ie inside the host (the master). As such, an attached familiar is not targetable, but cannot take meaningful actions and only grants its standard familiar bonus (plus alertness, if that hasn't been traded away). It becomes "non-participatory" until the master uses a standard action to "detach". There is an exception to this in the feat "Die for Your Master".

As a standard action, the alchemist can have the tumor detach itself from his body as a separate creature vaguely resembling a kind of animal suitable for a familiar (bat, cat, and so on) and move about as if it were an independent creature.

A tumour familiar is only a separate creature when detached. When attached, it is part of the alchemist and therefore cannot be independently targeted.

(If a familiar inside a familiar pouch has total cover, a familiar that is a tumour inside the master's body must have total cover too, especially if the master is wearing heavy armour).

Shifting my post here on the tumor familiar

It is ambiguous, so for here I'll rule in favor of the familiar, and it can attach without standing up, and as an extraordinary ability, it would not provoke an AoO.

An attack made with Reach is treated as a ranged attack, so an attack from a larger daemon would be possible, if it provoked, but it doesn't.

That language doesn't say merge, though, it does say "attach," which would be a much different state. This would mean Nigel is connected to the Doctor, but not "inside" the him. I would say this gives him some form of cover (I'll say Partial Cover unless he climbs inside the previously mentioned hatch and gains Full Cover, which is fine if he wants to do that as his move action), which leaves him vulnerable to appropriate (Reach) melee and ranged attacks. Clearly, he cannot Aid Another or access the haversack from inside armor. EDIT:
Seeing how Nigel's player addresses the ambiguous "attached"
condition in the discussion thread, I'm content to say that if it is attached, it has Full Cover, with the understanding that it cannot affect anything outside of Drokk until it becomes detached.

Thanks Ben.

I agree the discovery is poorly worded.

Incidentally I made a thread about this subject very recently on the PFS General Discussion forum. linky.

It would be helpful to get a rules or campaign clarification from PFS Leadership before Ultimate Wilderness is added to the Additional Resources document, and I have proposed an alternative to banning tumour-protectors.

Good luck. If my experience with Living Greyhawk is any precedent, it is easier for them to simply ban an option rather than attempt to clarify it. I hope they sort it out in your favor, as I believe your interpretation is reasonable.

They already nerfed my alchemist's faerie dragon tumor familiar (SKR ruling from back in the day (2011, iirc) allowed Improved Familiar for tumor familiar, then last year in spring they said no.)

Honestly Riddywhipple was mostly flavor. His stealth did help avoid a couple of encounters (although could've used extracts for same result), but mostly he was RP sidekick. Male Gnome alchemist with bat wings whose mutagenic form was a female halfling with butterfly wings, and Riddywhipple liked the halfling form WAAAY better.

The real high point was when Crazy Hairy used Riddy as a centerpiece in a performance art piece at a Grand Convocation. Pure flavor, but the entire table was laughing their butts off...after a very long awkward pause while everyone parsed out just what I had described. (A combination of vomit swarm, self-immolation capped off with scraping a scabby hairy tumor off his neck and tossing it into the air as a fairy dragon that glitterdusted them both...).

Don't get me wrong, I'm okay with the ruling in principle, it's that they took it away FIVE YEARS AFTER THE FACT, nerfing one of my favorite PCs in the process.

Sorry for the rant (although this was the short version; I'll spare you the full rant). Guess it might still stick in my craw...

Ultimate Wilderness is doing a bit of a tidy up and step back in terms of power. Snowball is also being heavily reduced.

Reading the previous version of snowball, it was way too powerful for a 1st level conjuration-- escalating damage, staggered condition, no SR, all for a ranged touch? You write that one in pen on your sheet.

Yeap, I'm not too sad to see it reduced. The new one is more of a ranged shocking grasp.

Hadn't actually bought new PFS this year--SFS been eating that budget. Might want to get UW. Does it nerf Flurry of Snowballs as well? (I.e. SR now applies?)

Nope, but that is already evocation, so a little odd that it gives SR at all.

Hakaam, at this juncture might I suggest that one of us occupies the lesser daemon whilst the other goes to assist Turathal and Iso?

If I can I will.

To maintain continuity I think both Hakaam and Drokk should repost actions in the light of Turathal's actions. Drokk will act after Hakaam and Hakime, and I'll not be able to determine my actions until then.

sorry if I'm slow posting the last few days and the next few as well... We are suffering from high winds and surrounded by fires in all directions. Constant power outages from the winds and service outages from both power problems and the fires are playing hell with my connection. I will post as I can, but please bot me if necessary.. thanks.

Be safe Hakime!

Turathal, your Touch of Law domain power could be just what we need now. Drokk can 5' step towards you if you can't reach him, Drokk can us his fly speed to 5' step over the grease. You can ready the action.

Are we going to finish this game, or not?

We've been on the same round of combat for 2 weeks.

Ben, I love the idea of finishing this scenario with you at the helm but it doesn't look like it's happening.

I'm at a Convention on 15 January and I'd like my character back.

I see three ways forwards.

1. We finish the scenario. This needs a solid commitment from all of us. The Christmas holidays are almost upon us, and we'll want to spend time with families.
2. We call an end to the scenario now, and receive chronicle sheets. The chronicles should be complete (ie full rewards), because play has stopped for reasons beyond players' control.
3. We call an end to the scenario now, and do not take chronicle sheets at all, enabling us to play the scenario to a conclusion at another time.

Option 2 is my preference but I'll accept any consensus. If we agree option 2 it would be nice to get a synopsis of the rest of the scenario.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful, I just don't want to be stuck in this limbo any longer.

I second Drokk's suggestion.

I'll be awol from around new years eve for the first week of January. Although given Iso is unconscious that might not be a big factor.

We do seem to have had a bit of back luck with this scenario, which has been going for over five months now. Which while not a record, is certainly pushing the boundaries.

While I'd probably prefer to finish, and have no immediate plans for Iso outside of this, I understand others frustrations, especially with higher level characters and upcoming conventions. I'd be supportive of any of the options.

I kinda have to agree... have a convention coming up and might want Hakime back for that. Let's come to an agreeable solution and finish it one way or another.

I have the scenario available and could download and see if we are close to actually finishing.

I only have a couple of weeks before vanishing but we could get as far through it as possible and agree that we conclude at new years one way or another. That would ensure that others have characters available for convention.

This is not my preferred solution, but I offer it as a option 4, where the rest of you get a better chance of finishing it.

My general style in posting is pretty rapid, although that may slow down a little between Christmas and new years for obvious reasons.

I'm with you fellas...
While I've really enjoyed the scenario, it would be nice to wrap this up.
If we're going for a formal vote, I'd prefer option 2 on Drokk's list, but am willing to roll with whatever makes sense.

No harm, no foul, Ben. You stepped in when we were in need, and with the holidays nearly upon us, it'd be good to either power through or pull the plug.

Let us know your thoughts on the best way to wrap this up.

I'm here. You all are very close to done. Give me this week with a couple of posts and I'll walk you into closure. I apologise for the delay this week, but you'll be done very shortly. The lesser daemon is going to fall to the two action sets to it, and then you'll make fairly quick work of the last one. At that point, I'll scroll back, and give you an overview closure. I should have been better this week, but work and a swim meet overwhelmed me. You'll have a catch up post today, and then we'll roll forward.

-Ben.

Post up.

To confirm, and you can say yes by favoriting this post, "Do you want me to scroll back and text-walk you through the conclusion?"

Or, do you want me to run you through in real time? If you want me to run through in real time, post a reply. By "real time," I mean post by post as you explore the upper area, rather than a montage.

Details for Iso are in the first page of the discussion thread. I think the same is the case for the others too.

Thanks again for rescuing, Ben.

Could you list the contents of Sophini's captured spellbook please? There's a potential goal to be checked off on Dark Archive faction journals (as an alternative to recruiting Jodinaj), and there may be spells that Drokk and Hakaam can copy from it.

Thanks again for picking up this game, and finishing it for us... I do have one request - please issue my chronicle as a jpg or pdf please (my computer doesn't seem capable of printing a readable png file.. thanks

If you can do PDFs, they are best for me too.

I also wish to add my thanks for the game rescue, especially at a busy time of the year.

The rescue and the prose were pretty awesome, sorry it had to end so fast; thank you for helping out!

Is anyone *not* doing normal progression?

Her spellbook:

5th—hold person (DC 20), summon monster V, wall of force
4th—black tentacles, crushing despair (DC 19), dimension door, summon monster IV
3rd—dispel magic, heroism, invisibility sphere, spiked pit (DC 20), summon monster III
2nd—create pit (DC 19), glitterdust (DC 19), scorching ray, see invisibility, web (DC 19)
1st—grease (DC 18), mage armor, magic missile, protection from evil, protection from good, ray of enfeeblement (DC 16), shield
0 All

Plus: acid arrow, alarm,
burning hands, color spray, fly, summon monster I, summon
monster II, teleport, and vampiric touch

I apologize she wasn't a better challenge. I don't think her combat went as I would have played her.

Iso is Slow Progression as his day job lets him recover 1PP.

Normal progression for Bones

You can get your chronicles here. If we need something adjusted, let me know. I'll leave this in place for two weeks, and then mark it inactive. As soon as I find out the event ID, I'll get it reported.

And if you enjoyed the scenario, I always enjoy reviews. :) I'm happy to discuss concerns offline. (brickk@gmail.com)

thanks,

-Ben.

Boon: 1d20 ⇒ 16
in case: 1d4 ⇒ 3

:)

And submitted! I'll leave it for two weeks, and then mark it inactive.

-Ben.

If you wouldn't mind putting down how much XP I got, initialling it and circling the amount of gold I got for the subtier, that would be great!

This is a scenario I'd like to GM sometime.

I'm curious Ben, how would you run Sophini? She seems like a pretty well-built NPC.

She knows she's in her own place, she shouldn't be trying to go toe-to-toe versus a group, especially since she knows the place was recently raided.

She should have fallen back to a group of the daemons, pulled some of them into a group, buffed them, sent them in to attack and weaken you, and then hit you invisibly with a second wave she augmented with summons, keeping herself as out of the fray as possible and dividing up the battlefield as much as possible. At the level you were facing, she has like three pit spells, teleport and dimension door; she can do some awful things. He stayed right in the mix too much with her, and that wastes her potential. *shrug* Not terrible, but potential for a lot more.

I'll do that, Hakaam. Not an issue.

-Ben.

Hakaam: Done.

Iso happy for a rest. Was hoping nice GM would mark campaign as inactive.

Iso offers hugs!

I'd intended to leave it for a week, but that's fine.

And we're inactive. Again, if you'd be willing to take a moment and leave a review of the adventure, I would appreciate it.

Thanks and have fun with your later games.

-Ben.

I know the holidays can be crazy busy, but I'll throw one last reminder out there for you-- if you've got a few minutes, I always appreciate the feedback of a solid review. Please consider leaving one on the Port Godless page.

Thanks and I hope the new year treats you well,

-Ben.