GM Shady--would it help if we all added generic combat actions to our character profiles, basically 'if we don't post within 24 hours, the GM should have our character do this'?
Good idea. I have Arkady, Tio and Ulok (or their players) in another campaign, and Adrien's player is GM'ing another, so I can see if there's a genuine fall-off of activity. They're all pretty good at communication, so if they are away for a few days I am fairly confident they will come back. I know Tio's player has some issues at the moment, so I'm hoping we can struggle through the next few days if necessary.
I'd prefer in combat that the GM should not bot the player, so you might also want to nominate someone to organise any moves on your behalf.
If it gets to later this evening I may request volunteers to bot the missing moves for that reason.
BTW (completely different subject) if anyone is interested in some PFS CORE campaign action I am currently recruiting here. PM me if you want a free pass.
Also, while I appreciate the respect you can call me Mark if you like :-).
I've written to Adrien's player as I can see him posting elsewhere.
Could someone please play Tio's move on her behalf and let's see if we can move this to at least another round of combat!
After this I'll bot Tio's non combat play until she returns.
My apologies for taking a while to post. Things have been... not great here, and I've had some stuff to deal with. I thought I was at least kind of keeping up with things, but evidently I was not.
"A belt pouch on the body’s hip is still intact and contains 42 gp, a silver unholy symbol of Zyphus and two water-tight potions of cure light wounds."
In terms of loot, we can probably split up the silvers between the 6 of us (assuming that Ozy doesn't require a share), and people can call dibs on who gets the first two potions and the silver unholy symbol - any unclaimed loot can be sold once we get back to the town and proceeds split between the group. That's the way my RL groups have done it, and it seems to work for the most part.
How do you all feel about loot stuff?
That makes sense to me. Ozzy doesn't need a share, Adrien just spends his funds on him when needed. We can sell the unholy symbol, and I'd vote melee people take the potions since they're the most likely to need them. Amongst them all, I'd have no preference as to who takes them, and Ozzy isn't in dire need of them because I have Rejuvinate Eidolon.
EDIT: As a side note, when we roll for concealment what would you like us to write for the concealment? For instance, with my post last combat I wrote what would have resulted in a miss, but if you'd rather we write down what hits I'm fine with that as well.
We should just be consistent. High rolls are always good. So a d100 roll of a 19 will miss a person with 20% concealment, while a 23 will hit.
Same with 50% concealment - a 50 or less misses, a 51 or higher hits.
I actually tend to play differently on percentiles (for 50%, 1-50 hits) hence the confusion. But it's just a question of consistency as you say, in terms of everyone knowing what works and using the same system. So let's rule per Onna that high rolls are good and use that.
I play similarly to Onna for percentile stuff - if it's a 20% miss chance, then a 1-20 will miss. Likewise if it's a 40% chance for an event to happen, then a 1-40 will cause the event to happen. So it's not necessarily a case where higher is better, but a case of the lower number is the chance that the specified event will occur :) but I'm good with whatever the consensus is.
My parties have always gone with the "Lower is better" thought for percentiles; Confusion, Encounter Tables and so on have influenced that - but I see no harm in seeing it reversed. It's only numbers and such :)
I've usualy do it like the GM and Tio, personally, but I noticed you run with it differently and didn't want to cause confusion. I honestly prefer going with lower, but that's just me. At my home table I always ask high or low, and whatever they say is the outcome that is favorable for them.
Okay, I'm back-back. Sorry. New office.
Note - on Sunday I am going on another trip and next week will be in Pacific Time. Quite a busy week but should be on-line at least once a day, hopefully.
Also:
I've been waiting for at least some posting since the slime moulds but will move things to the next scene today come what may.
I've added a fairly non-controversial section on GM policy to the campaign info. It's taken from one of my other campaigns (and mostly taken before that from one of the many advice threads on here).
I've moved the Roll20 link to the campaign header for easier access.
OK, right now we have two players unresponsive both in forum and on PM (they're both in two of my games, for extra difficulty points). I propose to do the following, to keep things moving along:
- I'll bot the players as necessary
- where we need a vote on direction, 2 votes will be enough
- if/when we get back to Torch after this particular delve, and there is no reappearance, I'll reopen recruitment to replace them
Hi - it doesn't feel like those two players are going to return any time soon. My suggest is that - if you accept Sef's offer - we complete the vermin removal and any actions arising, then return to the surface.
I will start looking for replacement players from my other campaigns, before throwing open recruitment.
Let me know on any thoughts you have on potential new recruits in terms of class and role.
I support getting new players who are as active as our current crop. I do think that we could move along faster if we didn't need a vote every time something came up.
I have one guy joining who is active in a couple of other campaigns - posts very regularly - as an Aasimar gunslinger (I need to check the character but it seems OK and pretty different, to say the least). Just advertised for a further replacement.
So we also now have a half elven rogue. I think I need a few days of back and forth but will ask them to come on the discussion thread when ready.
Sounds good - am sure they will both make a great addition to the group :)
Guys - I think the new players are nearly ready so if OK with everyone (just object in the next few hours) I will bring them on board more quickly. This involves not moving onto the vermin - they'll meet you at the cross roads where the group is currently congregated. OK?
No problems here.
Evening all.
May I introduce Preli, the gun-toting bird-gnome.
His Backstory etc is quite fast and loose at the moment, I'll tighten it up if needs be, but it's evolving at the moment. I should have caught up with the gameplay thread by tomorrow morning (I'm GMT btw).
If anyone has any thought or criticisms, throw them at me!
Looking forward to joining the fold.
P
Greetings! I am pleased to be invited to this group - been wanting to play Iron Gods since I saw it!
Kayla is, like most rogues, interested in finding treasure and staying alive to enjoy it. A burglar by trade and trial, she is known around Torch as "that crazy tomb-raider girl..." and when talking about Numerian treasure, she dreams of finding some thingamabob or whoseewhatsit from one of the ancient places buried under these lands!
The area of caves occupied by the "vermin" involves a set of tight, narrow corridors, so marching order becomes significant. I'll leave it to you guys to establish the order here, but once that's in place I'll reuse it if the situation occurs. Also, the person at the front gets to choose the direction.
BTW if you don't post on the subject by tomorrow afternoon you should accept the place in the order that someone else has suggested.
Onna would like to be near the front, probably... third. Arkady should be first, then Thum (they are the strongest at melee) then Onna.
I could also take up the rear, as I have excellent perception and am less likely to be surprised.
Adrien will stay near the back, with Ozymandias bringing up the rear. He's good at melee and Perception, so then we have someone who can do that on both ends of the group.
Note, once you have decided on order, you have the chance of going east or north, per the map.
As the resident trap finder and sneaky-type, Kayla should be near, or at, the front. Perhaps 20 feet ahead of the group, using her low-light vision, trap-finding skills, and stealth to scout out areas, then reporting back and letting Arkady and Thum lead the assault into occupied areas. If it's tight, and there is no way to swap places quickly, then Kayla would stay back and provide ranged support over the head of Preli. So, this would look like this for regular passages:
Kayla
-
-
Arkady
Thum
Onna
Preli
Adrien
Ozy
For tight squeezes and for occupied rooms (after Kayla returns to the group):
Arkady
Thum
Onna
Preli
Kayla
Adrien
Ozy
Thoughts?
I'd go with what Kayla suggests as good defaults.
P
Edit: Just a thought for y'all, as its going to be so cramped and we have two ways to enter, is it worth dividing to conquer? Just a thought, probably a bad one...
I like Kayla's suggestion. Let's go with that.
Oh your one of those "let's all stay alive" players are you... fair enough :P
Just note, and to be clear, within corridors whoever is at the front will be the person checking for traps.
Hmm... maybe Onna or Ozymandias should be towards the front then. Ozzy can also disarm traps to a degree, so it might be worth having him take up the front instead?
Just to let everyone know, I am leaving tomorrow for a 3-day pathfinder convention and will have very little time to check the forums, so I will most likely not be able to post during that time.
I'll see you all again on Monday!
Since Arkady has now posted that he is behind Onna and Kayla, I will assume, unless someone disagrees in the next few hours, that it's (from front to back):
Onna
Kayla
Arkady
Thum
Preli
Adrien
Ozy
These are relatively small tunnels, so someone in a middle rank has zero chance of spotting traps. If there's one to be disarmed, Kayla can move forward and do so, before resuming her place.
OK?
Suits me.
Yep!
We're waiting on Adrien, Arkady and OZ to post in the gameplay thread, otherwise we are stalled (again).
I'd also note that, in addition to Onna, I've had a note from Preli that he'll be out of pocket over the weekend; I've also got a long flight (London - San Francisco) tomorrow. So I think posting might be slow over the weekend, but as we restart can we try to up the posting rate a little please.
Note I'll be on Pacific time all next week.
I still can't move Preli's counter, any chance you could hook me up shady?
Fixed for Kayla and Preli - sorry about the delay on this.
No dramas!
Is there anything of not down the side passage Preli is watching?
No dramas!
Is there anything of not down the side passage Preli is watching?
The corridors are fairly dark, and run up and down, so it's fairly difficult to discern what lies beyond. I've revealed a little more, so you can see it narrows towards another tunnel pass, but that is basically it.
GM - recommend you start using your "creative license" and moving the action along. Using this torch issue as an example, perhaps you could have just stated what made the most sense and kept the action moving. If we disagreed strenuously we could update our actions. But some assumptions have to be made or we'll never get out of these tunnels.
In my mind, I saw the human or the robot carrying a torch and following Kayla at a distance. She would scout ahead at the edge of the light, using her low-light vision to see what was ahead and keep a sword in each hand in case that something found her first. This means, in the tunnels, she is only about 10-15 feet ahead of them...
Anyways - just my input to help us keep moving. If you want I'll write more of these assumptions for myself and other players in the game thread...
GM - recommend you start using your "creative license" and moving the action along. Using this torch issue as an example, perhaps you could have just stated what made the most sense and kept the action moving. If we disagreed strenuously we could update our actions. But some assumptions have to be made or we'll never get out of these tunnels.
In my mind, I saw the human or the robot carrying a torch and following Kayla at a distance. She would scout ahead at the edge of the light, using her low-light vision to see what was ahead and keep a sword in each hand in case that something found her first. This means, in the tunnels, she is only about 10-15 feet ahead of them...
Anyways - just my input to help us keep moving. If you want I'll write more of these assumptions for myself and other players in the game thread...
I think the issue remains one of sporadic posting, which kills progress during initiative rounds. If you want to agree rules that allow me to bot the characters (or for yourselves to bot the characters) in this case then great.
As regards the current situation, the tunnels are a network that forks into a series of chambers, some of which are occupied and some are trapped. In the occupied ones, the danger is of being surprised by creatures jumping from the dark. In the trapped ones, the danger is of missing the trap. Each one of you is taking choices as to which forks to take - which is fine - but posting at different rates.
My suggestion is that you organise into pairs to move around and I can bot the less active component of the pair.
Sorry about that, it's finals week here and I haven't had as much time to post as I would have liked. I keep sitting down and thinking I have the time, and then I remember another assignment that I need to do. I'm done by tomorrow night, but if you need to bot me for the sake of moving along, that's fine with me.
For my part if you don't hear from me for 24hours and im holding up play, whether in initiative or not, bot me or miss my turn, assume that I'm voting with the majority at that time.
Sorry about that, it's finals week here and I haven't had as much time to post as I would have liked. I keep sitting down and thinking I have the time, and then I remember another assignment that I need to do. I'm done by tomorrow night, but if you need to bot me for the sake of moving along, that's fine with me.
I've moved you and OZ in Roll20 to where I think you are.
So, as much as I am completely in love with this character, I really can't continue to be in six play-by-post games at once now that I have a full-time job, and some of them have to stop. This one is one of the two I've been involved in for the shortest time, so I'm going to have to drop out of the campaign.
If my schedule opens up again someday, I will check back in with you all. I'd appreciate it if you sent Onna back to the surface after the current fight.
Thanks for everything!
-Onna
By my calculation, I'm now botting half the party. If the remaining members want to continue, we will struggle through this set of encounters, which I'll try to expedite, then head back to the surface and replace those players who can't engage.
For my part, I would like to continue.
I do understand though that boting characters is not what you signed up for. Are the other characters giving you any sign that they're coming back? Is there a way to adapt the senario for half numbers?
P
As I've told you through PM, I'd like to continue as well. My posting rate should be significantly higher at this point.