GM R0B0GEISHA's Carrion Crown

Game Master R0B0GEISHA

But we've got Esta, so we've still got that more optimistic/innocent worldview to work with. Not put any burden on Esta's shoulders, or anything :)

I think I can handle it. :)

* * * * * *

Rolling for HP.

1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Here is a list of all the loot in the adventure up to this point.

Let me know if I'm missing anything or if I have the count right. Feel free to edit!

Yay, level 4! Will do the build later.

Are we rolling for hit points? Thought it was half HD+1.

Need to look through loot list, work out what consumables we have left - think we used all the haunt siphons but still a couple of ghost touch arrows remaining.

Oh... I'm guessing that the Splatter Man's body is at the bottom of the Oubliette? Should probably go grab his magic items...

Level 4:

Stat increase: +1 Str
+1 BAB
+1 Fort save
+1 Will save
+1 Lvl 2 spell/day
+2 Lvl 2 spells known (Blistering Invective, Spiritual Weapon)
+8 hit points
2 judgements/day
6 skill points
1 Intimidate
1 Perception
1 Sense Motive
1 Knowledge (religion)
1 Knowledge (dungeoneering)
1 Knowledge (nature)

I know Aduard didn't use his siphon, and I believe they are a two use item?

I don't believe we ever went up onto the balcony.

We haven't been down the Oubilette yet.

We have a town hall meeting to get to right?

Yep

Brogol used his haunt siphon, a CLW and CMW potion, and a holy water. He has the mw thieves' tools, handaxe +1 on him.

I'll be bringing in an alchemist, by the way. 5th wheel character, a little melee, a little ranged, trapfinding, some limited buffing. Can pick up a +7 diplomacy mod or put those resources somewhere else.

I am looking to get diplomancy anyway - albeit at the cost of having to make Aduard a little bit less unlikable.

For the record I have turned the Blackboard into a wiki file. At the moment the link is read only, and very heavily biased to Aduard's point of view. Mostly I planned on using it during our next argument reasoned discussion ;P

Having just read over the whole game... wow. We're awesome.

Aduard: don't think that link works, although it sure sounds impressive!

@Dashil: thanks! It needs to be downloaded. Is it a permission issue?
@GM R0B0GEISHA: In character, what is Wakati's condition/fate?
Things still to do for Aduard
* 9am meeting with the councillors
* Send a message to Brogol's kin & protect the body from decay
* study the rest of the books
* put out the cold haunt in Harrowstone (this should be a day of Burning Hands)
* Look at Muricar's sheep-skinning problem.

Anything else anyone has?

Aduard: ah, right! Clicked the link from my phone, will try it from my PC later.

Anything else anyone has?

Dashil is feeling a powerful need to beat up on something until it stops moving. That 9 a.m. meeting with the council looks like it could fit the bill nicely.

Wife is in labor, will check in in a couple of days.

Good luck to you and your wife, Brogol!

@Aduard: Wakati is still blind and bedridden by the events from earlier in the campaign.

Stat Increase: Cha +1(to 12)
Favoured class: HP
+1 BAB
+1 Will
+1 1st level spell/day
+1 2nt level spell/day
+2 spells in spellbook (Bestow Insight, one other (see spoiler))
+5 HP (HD + favoured)
+2 hero points (to 5)
+7 skill points (+1 bluff, +3 diplomacy, +3 craft: written words)

-Posted with Wayfinder

In that case...

Stat Increase: Cha +1(to 12)
Favoured class: HP
+1 BAB
+1 Will
+1 1st level spell/day
+1 2nt level spell/day
+2 spells in spellbook (Bestow Insight, Eagle's Splendour)
+5 HP (HD + favoured)
+2 hero points (to 5)
+7 skill points (+1 bluff, +3 diplomacy, +1 spellcraft, +1 appraise, +1 perception)

Apologies on the lack of gameplay, guys. What is the plan? Are you going to loot the room? Or are you heading back to Ravengro immediately?

Now we know that it's not falling down, stay and loot the rest of the prison. Then home to mourn our losses.

Now we know that it's not falling down, stay and loot the rest of the prison. Then home to mourn our losses.

Insert making an appearance at the the town hall meeting

Not sure on the looting.
The player desperately wants to do it, and knows coming back is going to be hard.
I think Aduard cares more about getting Brogol back.
On the other hand getting Brogol up that makeshift-elevator isn't going to be fun, and we'll need to knock up a stretcher.
I suggest we split the party.
Aduard (Engineering) and Radag ('cos he's so strong) work on getting Brogol up.
Dashil (ordained, darkvision) and Esta (wise) look at starting to gather up the remains in a sack or something so we can bury the in sanctified ground. They can "find" the loot as we go.
I should probably post this IC, but Aduard doesn't really care about money (I do though!)

I think the town hall is the next big scene.
I foresee angry councillors, half the town, and a lot of social rolls.
@GM ROBO: If we have levelled, does that mean new spell slots and stuff exist?

Muricar still has a sheepsucker out there somewhere. We should probably deal with that;
@GM ROBO: did you want to wrap up Harrowstone?

Aduard would love to (A) read the tomes and (B) make some scrolls.

I think there's a scene around how and if Brogol gets a funeral.

Hope I haven't overstepped.

I think all of that sounds like a solid plan, actually.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Mechanically, is there time to get back and for Ady to spend 15 minutes filling new slots? And are the new slots even there, yet?
Figuring we're going to need some decent skill rolls to put a spin on this. Ady has spells to cheat at that.

Sorry all, I've managed to pick up the flu. I'm trying to keep going, but wording not so good now.

Did we want to do anything else before we go to the meeting? More corpse-finding? How long have we got before we risk missing the 9am start, given we'll be carrying Brogol?

I'm not super worried about the details of how and when the party gets back. I'd just like to wrap up the loose ends of the adventure so we can move on to Chapter 2.

If there are no objections, I'll move scenes to the meeting some time tonight.

Hope you feel better, Aduard.

No objections here! Hope you're on the mend, Aduard!

Think anyone would want a time share for Harrowstone? Be nice for a bump up on our party wealth?

No objections here! To moving forward OR a time share ;)
Frankly I'm hoping to get 15 minutes to memorise Bestow Insight, then use Spell Study to cast Chastise.
Use Dashil's patented frown to scare 'em, then try to convince them they're in REAL big trouble with the church and the crown for letting a bunch of undead terrorists free Ferramin. I'd talk him up a bit - I mean he was mind controlling members of the town and he was invading their dreams, and he said he controlled the other ghosts and they did start raising the dead in Harrowstone. He could have been a very powerful wizard sacrificing innocents for power, once he got powered up.
Skill wise;
Dashil's Intimidate to get them scared.
Bluff to convince them they're in trouble.
Profession (Advocate) to suggest how they might get out of trouble.
Diplomacy to be their best friend for showing them hope.
I'm inclined to try for Suggest Course of Action so they think it is their idea. The DCs are pretty heinous though. Even with spells Ady's bluff is just +16 (+7 base, +4 insight, +5 chastise) :/
After the -10 penalty, that's +6. Might have to blow a hero point on this, depending on how good their sense motives are likely to be.
the diplomacy check is likely to be 15+5 (complicated aid) + cha=20+cha. Again, not great odds with +12 to the roll, so if I can get any aids or anything it'd be good. Might have to drop the 'complicated aid' part.

The idea here is that OBVIOUSLY a bunch of heretical necromancers set this situation up and therefore suspicious behaviour like trying to shut it down ranges somewhere from criminal negligence through high treason to potentially necromany. Fortunately the council, in the person of Muricar, was already working to investigate this. When the inquisitors come the records should show they were hiring highly accreddited adventurers to go clear it up in a totally competent way. The adventurers were already underaking this - because it was so damn obviously about to go critical - while waiting for a formal contract which is what this meeting is about, right?.

Appealing to save their own skins (very Aduard).

Course of Action is (A) defuse Harrowstone by digging it out, burying the bodies (with precautions) putting up some monuments and giving it 'nice' energy (B) accolades and payment to the heroes who saved the town. (C) a very, very, very carefully written report to the crown and churches explaining what happened and why everyone was totally on the ball and not in fact acting like a drunk monkey around a nuclear reactor.

Alternatively he can just use straight diplomacy to improve relationships by being charming and then just ask 'em to do it. Bit more overhanded than I see Aduard being though.

Dashil; do you still have the cloak? I have a really irritating idea for a beat where Ad decides Dash would look more paladiny by repairing it, but I'd like to run that past you OOC first in case it messes with where you see your story, given you've been using the cloak as a subtle stand in for Dash's past as a Paladin.

Huh - rereading my first post I may still be in recovery. Bit hard to follow. Basically by analogy...

Okay local authorities, here are three ways this story goes.

One; necromancer isis rigged the old nuclear reactor you guys had to go critical. You didn't do anything about the reactor. You didn't notice them doing it. When a retired nuclear engineer died checking it out you didn't investigate. When a bunch of experts popped up you actively tried to stop them from fixing it before it wiped out the state. This is because you yourself are necromancer isis and should be killed.

Two; necromancer isis rigged the old nuclear reactor you guys had to go critical. You didn't do anything about the reactor. You didn't notice them doing it. When a retired nuclear engineer died checking it out you didn't investigate. When a bunch of experts popped up you actively tried to stop them from fixing it before it wiped out the state. This is because you yourself are so mindblowingly incompetent that the court's argument will be whether you should go to prison or an asylum.

Three; necromancer isis rigged the old nuclear reactor you guys had to go critical. You didn't do anything about the reactor, but kept an eye on it. You had a retired nuclear engineer regularly keep an eye on it. When he died you got suspicious, but knew (because of the will) that other experts were coming, and kept it quiet to prevent panic. You then offered to hire said experts - again, quietly, to prevent panic, to fix it. They fixed it moments before disaster and are following their recommended course to decommission the reactor once and for all despite the cost. You did everything that made sense, and the real question is how much of the decomissioning process should be paid by national. The answer is 110%.

Figure they're going to want the answer to be three.

Trick will be getting them to see it this way. They're going to want to blame us. So, going to Hype the heck out of credentials and connections. Also: "Oh, we would love to take this to court. But we're arguing for story one if that happens, and as we have the evidence that exonerates you we're pretty sure we can make sure that stick.

OOC yes, I realise this is needlessly aggressive. Aduard has a very, very dim view of people. If people wanted to talk him out of it first, I'd be happy with that.

Incidentally yes, he did believe Dashil's plan was to murder a bunch of villagers and burn them alive. This monstrosity is actually him trying to be nice.

I love this. I love ALL of it. DoublePlus favourited.

And yes, Dashil has the cloak, and yes, it's a symbol of her past, and yes, repairing it would be emblematic of her ongoing redemption (of the 2-steps-forward-1-step-back variety).

Dashil also has a dim view of people, so she'll have no issues with the plan. I think the only person who might have queried it is currently wearing a shroud, so we're good to go!

@GM R0B0GEISHA: I'm having an image of you head-desking with "I Just... Want... To Move.. Them On...". Tell me if this is irritating you. I'm also happy to do it in spoilers, or work something out in docs or something.
I see
* Sweet talk the villagers
* Kendra's decision
* Sell stuff
* Craft stuff
* Decomissioning Harrowstone
* Leave Town

Happening in the future. Not sure what you want as a scene, what as ooc, and what you want as just skill roll montage.

I'm going to refrain from putting a counter spin on the story options because I like this plan and don't want to give the gm any clever ideas.

^ Same. This is perfect.

GM ROBO: Do you mind if I ask if it is a closed session (just Councillors, maybe sherrif etc) or open to the villagers as well?

Sorry about the lack of posting. I've been completely slammed this last week.

The meeting will be open to the town.

The meeting will be open to the town.

Great - the more, the merrier!

(Don't worry Aduard, I kid, I kid)

...or do I? ;-)

Also, has Paizo.com been consistently logging people out for anybody else?

I've missed all the new posts, because I haven't got any notifications from being logged out.

Oh, don't get me started on paizo's manifest and grievous inadequacies (we've got an AP to wrap up, after all)...but no, it's not just you.

Aduard, f#~! yeah!

(sung to the tune of America, F+!$ Yeah! - NSFW, in case it needs to be said.)

Very well done Aduard and Dashil. I would give bonuses for the execution and teamwork on the delivery.

Thanks all :)
Once this scene is done I'm all good to ffwd to the next module. There's some downtime stuff, but that's not good scene material.
Does anyone else want to do something in the mantime?
Dash - are you planning on making a move on Kendra when the area is a bit less corpsified?

Heh. Unrequited angst is more Dashil's thing. It's more... Ustalav.

If memory serves, we have to stay for a month with Kendra to satisfy the terms of the will. She may decide we've caused enough death and destruction and kick us out sooner, of course.

We also need to bury Brogol.

And of course we need to wait for Brogol's successor to arrive - unless s/he is tied into the next module.

EDIT: also, we need to buy/sell/acquire loot. WBL for 4th level characters is 6,000 gp. No idea how much we have (did we do a loot sheet?) but I'm guessing it's not that much.

Spell Study and Focussed Spell lets Aduard cast a week long Gentle Repose on Brogol.
That means he can buy time while he tries to find a way to Raise Dead or Reincarnate poor master Stockl.
Assuming it wasn't a death effect of course - so some research first.

Potentially the will payout is part of the WBL for 4th level.

@Aduard - I didn't actually expect you to do the math/economics of the town!(Although I'm not sure why I didn't expect it from you, I probably should have :P)

As long as we get to something approaching WBL, I don't mind how!

Kendra accepts the news of Brogol's passing with a mute numbness. She nods through explanations, doing her best to remain stoic. She shoots a desperate look to Dashil, but the inquisitor's harsh gaze rebuffs her.

Ouch. Now I feel bad :(

EDIT: any word from Brogol's replacement?

EDIT: any word from Brogol's replacement?

I've got the PC mostly finished, am waffling between something thematically cool and mechanically wanting, or mechanically better but not as thematically cool.

I can jump in whenever, however.

Heh. Don't look for advice from me on this, Dashil's like the queen of unoptimised builds - a Dex 13 inquisitor firing arrows at the big bad!

I already died once, so... yeah nothing from me either. I kind of wish there were more traits and feats that had dying as a prerequisite.

I've spent three levels trying to get Ady into a wizard diplomancer. I'd kill for some class skills...

Not actually kill, Dashil! It's a figure of speech! ;P

Well that settles it! Underwhelming mechanics it is!

I already died once, so... yeah nothing from me either. I kind of wish there were more traits and feats that had dying as a prerequisite.

That would be cool. You could level up as a reincarnated medium!