GM Rednal's Skull & Shackles (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

Like concentrating to use it while adjacent to an enemy or...something else..? o.o I feel I'm missing something crucial here.

Typically, to keep Alteration going, you have to either concentrate on it each round (makes it hard to attack) or spend a Spell Point to keep it going (for minutes/level). Fortunately, one point quickly becomes enough for most combats unless you're constantly changing forms - which, in fairness, some characters do - but it's important to know the rules for each kind of ability. XD

Typically, to keep Alteration going, you have to either concentrate on it each round (makes it hard to attack) or spend a Spell Point to keep it going (for minutes/level). Fortunately, one point quickly becomes enough for most combats unless you're constantly changing forms - which, in fairness, some characters do - but it's important to know the rules for each kind of ability. XD

Oh that part! Yeah, had me backtracking to make sure I subtracted/called out using a spell point for that..

Fortunately, I don't see multiple shapeshifts as a thing for Atsadi..still pleased the shark form even came up at all.

...You're playing Skull and Shackles.

I don't think there was much doubt. XD

I can see how a big-ass shark flopping around around Numeria might be a problem in Iron Gods, but here yeah, it kind of works. :D

Ships, of course. But combats that would actually be in the water and not on the ship? I thought it'd be useful for utility over combat.

Pleasantly surprised :P

Well, let's just say that putting points in Swim probably won't be something you'll regret...

Also, since Ambrose is doing that traveling thing, did you two want to bot him or wait for him to come back?

I think he was planning to stay by the wheel and guard it. There's no one up there, is there? if not, it's safe to say he keeps doing that until he comes back or conditions change.

Atsadi's going to try to make sure the three don't escape/get eaten by sharks with Lucas's cover.

*Looks at Lucas* o wo Waitin' on you.

And now I'm waitin' on something worth shooting.

Quick update, there is internet in Cameroon! I'll have a stable connection in a couple weeks at the longest.

Hooray!

Indeed, awesome news, man! Hope it's a good trip so far!

Atsadi is the only healer atm, so I think one potion should go to Lucas and one to Ambrose. This way if Atsadi bites it...one of you can pour it in his mouth XD. Or if he's not close enough to heal, you can save yourselves.

For the amulet...at this point we can all use that fairly equally. Shall we roll a d6 and whoever gets highest has dibs?

I'm a touch ahead of you two on AC; I'd even be okay with rolling a d8, me getting 2 pips and each of you getting 3. What say you?

I have a stable connection now! It's going to take me a day or two to get caught up with everything, but I'll be back in the action ASAP! Rednal, that goes for Caliphas Noir too, as long as you're still game.

In other news, it's been a great trip so far! Africa is a whole different world. I'll be posting a bit more in-depth on my blog, and I'll post the link to my games for people who might be interested in reading along. And if not, that's fine too!

Definitely still game for that. XD My investigator has a job she wants to do.

(Things here were pretty straightforward - you finished securing the boat, killed a few more people, and started the after-party... with opportunities to influence people and whatnot.)

Sorry, I never did reply to your question Lucas! I think that ideas fair enough.

I'll call 1-3, Ambros 4-6 and Lucas 7-8?
Loot Roll: 1d8 ⇒ 8

Lucas it is! You can have the Amulet for now, unless we think it's better elsewhere later.

Should we talk about loot allocation? The way I usually encourage it to be done is by a combination of who needs it and the wealth by level (WBL) charts. Generally figure mundane items and consumables that help the party (healing items, endure elements, etc) don't count toward WBL but utility potions/scrolls/wands and magic items do.

Idea is to try and keep the party loot balanced while also making sure the people who need the items are getting them. For stuff that anyone or multiple people can use, a roll makes sense while also keeping in mind WBL and stuff.

As an aside, what do you three think of the Automatic Bonus Progression rules from Unchained?

ABP is fun, but probably not appropriate for this game. It suggests the reduction of player wealth, and this is a pirate game - plunder and booty is one of the goals, y'know? XD

As a general rule I like ABP, but I get what Rednal's saying here, too. But, there's also a flipside to that, isn't there? If we're not focused on chasing gold for purposes of turning it into kewl magic loot, there's more opportunity for us to wallow around in giant Scrooge-McDuck-style pools of coins, isn't there?

I don't know, I could talk myself into either end of this. In the end I just need to know how much I can afford to blow on hats. :)

Should we talk to him about adding new abilities to magic items? I feel like we should do that...

I meant in a general way rather than making a suggestion for this game!

But with that said...I am a big fan of it. Items that give simple +'s to things are...boring when there are items like bracelets of stone or a spell-capturing stone. I always felt it saved a party money to spend on "weird" but still useful items.

Redblade and Hurley didn't get high enough level in the one game I ran for them to use it, but I actually thought ABP didn't go far enough...I was planning on giving the item enhancements it gives by default to their PC's rather than any specific item, letting them pick up any weapon/unarmed strike to get the enhancement bonus. That was a -very- different game from Skull & Shackles though.

In the general sense, yes, I am absolutely down with ABP. I'm sure we've all been in That Game, where the DM is, for whatever reason, just not giving you anything you can use.

(thinks about his paper & pencil 4e game, shudders, pours a big slug of Sambuca into his coffee before continuing)

Anyhoo, today I plan on digging into that Path of War errata that just dropped, seeing what changes it makes for Lucas.

That was indeed a different game. But it was an effing sweet game nonetheless.

In general (and I'd like to stress that these thoughts don't necessarily pertain to this game), I'm a big fan of ABP. To echo Raven, there's nothing exciting about a +3 longsword. Now, description goes a long way to selling that, but one of my biggest gripes with d20 systems is the way they make magic items uninteresting by dint of requiring them for proper advancement.

Another part of it is that I hate Ye Olde Magick Shoppe. Mass availability of whatever shiny item I want out of the book makes me very sad. And when that's the paradigm, it becomes less important that loot received is loot usable or appropriate. I'm all about using whatever happens to come our way, but the system as is doesn't really support that. Structurally, you have to specialize, or you get hosed.

Specifically for Ambrose, I'd eventually like to be able to have custom enchantments placed on items. For example, I like the idea of crafting buttons for his coat with different enchantments. Or getting his gloves enchanted. Stuff like that. And lordy am I excited about meeting a Mwangi sorcerer like Tia Dalma! There's just so much cool-factor in a pseudo-Caribbean pirate setting!

Buttons would probably still be part of your... chest item, I think I'd say. It's totally possible to get things like that, though, especially if you're making them yourselves.

Is this the long-awaited errata that nerfs the crazy damage in some schools and buffs a few others?

Well, they didn't errata everything... one part of that is apparently not done yet.

Not that part yet, Raven, just general rules stuff in this one.

And now if you'll pardon me, I have to taunt your better half with another trip to Natale's. :)

More thoughts on gear later, including The One Thing That's Driven Felix Bananas All These Years.

Lucas! your turn for night actions!

Wow, Rednal I just found your Northlands Saga thread and the campaign tab makes that game look wicked. I'd never heard of the adventure before. Is it a third party AP or just a singular adventure? I'll be bookmarking the game to read through at some point.

Third-Party AP, published by Frog God Games. I have a physical version of the book in question. XD It was originally just four modules, I think, but they expanded it into one of the larger individual books in the game. Mind you, this is Frog God Games we're talking about. I'm pretty sure they have repeatedly set, and then broken, the record for the largest Pathfinder books. They're likely to be doing that again with The Blight, an upcoming book I backed on Kickstarter.

Raven, you out there?

The fight aboard the Man's Promise revealed an important truth: I hate being The Pirate Archer. It's not like I'm averse to carrying a bow and using it in times of need, but this is a pirate story, and I feel like a knob being The Archery Guy In A Pirate Story. Any chance there might be a point in the future where I could retrain feats/maneuvers to a more melee bent? (Doesn't have to be right now, but sooner beats later.)

If only firearm rules were easy to use.

No kidding. It's nice that we have rules for them at all, but I sincerely feel that different kinds of campaigns ought to have different kinds of rules for things, instead of trying to make a single ruleset for all options all the time. GURPS does an alright job with this, depending on the supplement.

20-year-old me thought GURPS was frickin awesome. 47-year-old me would probably be driven to drink by GURPS. :-)

20-year-old me thought GURPS was frickin awesome. 47-year-old me would probably be driven to drink by GURPS. :-)

Agreed. The math and complexity in GURPS makes Pathfinder look like an amateur.

I think you'll find that I'm willing to be quite flexible about retraining - especially since we're still near the start of the game, and honestly, there haven't even been that many battles to try things out with. Sometimes the first idea you had just doesn't end up working...

So, uh, go ahead and write up the retraining you'd like to do, and after I give it a look-over, we can just say you took lessons during that party or something.

Sometimes the first idea you had just doesn't end up working...

I think it was gonna work mechanically, but once I got it in my head that it didn't suit the concept, well, we've probably all been there when you tug that thread and the whole thing comes apart. :)

I appreciate the willingness to let me change this. It will break down like this.

Feats: both get replaced with Weapon Finesse and Deadly Agility.

Other class features: the Pinhole Gambit to be replaced with Acrobatic Gambit*.

Skills: the ranks currently in Sleight of Hand and UMD will both get moved to Heal, which is needed for...

Maneuvers known: Solar Wind and Tempest Gale are out, to be replaced with Steel Serpent and a smattering of Golden Lion and Thrashing Dragon.

Gear: I'll be picking up a gladius to go with my other weapons (that I figure would be paid for out of pocket).

Feedback?

Thanks again, and GL with the move.

*Gambits and several other things got slight tweaks in the PoW errata, which came out a few weeks ago. Have we all seen that?

PoW errata in general should be used, and those bits of retraining should be fine. ^^/ Feel free to update yourself anytime.

Indeed, I'll go over Lucas' page as I go and make sure everything is in accord with the errata. Thanks, and everyone have a good holiday.

Slight mod to the above: I'll be emphasizing Thrashing Dragon maneuvers instead of Steel Serpent. Feats will be tighter, but SS uses a skill keyed off a dump stat, and I wouldn't want more than a few ranks of Heal skill anyway. Plus, it just looks cool to lay into guys with a sword and a boarding axe, y'know?

Well, pirates do seem like the type to enjoy axes... XD For cutting ropes if nothing else.

See? I'm feeling eight times more piratanical* already.

Oh, and I'm ready for a new day if the other guys are.

Rebuild of Lucas' character page will proceed.

As a random aside, I've been playing the soundtrack from Moana so much and I can not stop thinking of Atsadi as a Pirate Maui.

I've been meaning to tell you, we finally watched Moana this weekend. My older boy flipped over it, and they all watched it again without me while I was at work this week. Every time I saw Maui, all I could think was,

"YES! I know him! He's a friend from work!"

EDIT: typing that just made me watch the trailer for Ragnarok again.

That's hilarious. Have I done my Moana spiel on here yet? I can't remember. How Far I'll Go and We Know the Way really got to me.

Felix, I just want to say that I'm so glad you're back. I was having a small moment for a bit with adjusting over here, but your discussion comments made my day, even if Ambrose would berate the Nine Hells out of you for saying piratanical.

Thanks. Natually, I'm glad I came back. :)

Here's to eventually kicking Plugg's ass!

I just realized I never reset my Readied Maneuvers; that's done now.

Rednal, what’s your take on what I’ll call “yellow alert” use of martial stances? A stance by definition only takes a swift action to initiate and they can be started and maintained out of combat; RAW, Lucas could wake up in the morning, go into Inner Sphere Stance, and keep it going all day. It would seem prudent, if he was walking into a situation that could potentially turn hostile, to have these things active. Could we note one such ability as our "yellow alert" option or something?

I have no problem with keeping a stance "on" throughout the day, since as you say, they have no automatic shut-off. ^^ Rather, I feel like that's how they're meant to be used, since that's otherwise a pretty big thing for the development team to have not noticed and errata'd by this point...