GM Tektite's PFS #05-05 The Elven Entanglement (Inactive)

Game Master Hawkwen Agricola

I did slow track on one PC, but only did it for a level and learned much the same thing that Glaurung says above.

That said, I will probably go slow track for my halfling mounted charger once he gets to 8th level, cos at 8th his animal companion grows to size Large and is quite impractical for dungeon delves...and he is so much darned fun to play.

But that's a very specific case.

Animal companions have the option of staying the same size, but get a paltry +2 dex and Str (I think.)

It's +2 Dex and +2 Con. Good for some critters.

Especially if you want to ride them in dungeons.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Ooh, need a link to that please. (Can't tell it's my first-ever PFS druid, can ya? LOL)

EDIT: found it. Worth considering. Thanks!

Well I personally have enough PCs and few enough mods I can play that I don't feel the need to slow track.

Getting ready to leave within the half hour, to head out for a five hour drive to the in-laws. I will "hopefully" post an update this evening.

No worries, my in-laws are coming in this afternoon (and staying with us), but I'll try not to let it get in the way of posting, haha.

I'm probably the biggest hindrance to moving the game along, if only by virtue of being myself and having prepared ALL the wrong spells, but no worries here either.

Honestly, my interest in this character has waned so hardcore after playing a Healing Domain Pharasmin in a local Jade Regent campaign due to their grotesque power differences that I might just AP cred this character to Seeker and call it a day. My only qualm is the fact that Toshi still has no obvious faction to take, and that's scheduled to happen once Amira retires. Depending on what they do with the Investigator, that class may be a moderately okay fit. I'm still leaning towards Fighter (Lore Warden), though...

Heck, the only character I'm (more than) 100% pleased with is Ernest; he's doing PRECISELY what I intended for him, plus picked up a lot of weird traits I didn't have to ad-hoc into his personality that are great to play.

You're keeping people alive, that's all we can ask. It's not like you've been reduced to doing 5-10 points of damage a round b/c of ability damage.

Amira is fine as a character. Healing Domain Clerics are really good, but Amira does a great job on her own keeping us alive.

Oh, that's far less the issue; I'm just easily bored, and with the loss of Faction Missions, a lot of my characters lost their zazz.

Yeah, this mission has been rough for Glau. Her DCs aren't that great so her magic is only moderately effective and in melee her attacks are low so she has trouble hitting in the first place. This ability damage is really hurting her.

Although after this game she'll level up to 10 due to some pending GM credit. I don't think she gains anything fantastic but hey! level 10!

One thing's for sure, I'm finally getting adaptive put on this damned bow, haha. Also, I realized recently the mistake I made preparing Cat's Grace when I have a Belt of Incredible Dexterity. The bonuses don't stack. Thankfully, though, I think we have one round or so left of Str damage. Then it's fewer penalties and more damage!

Bored? I sense you need a certain bull back in your life then. :)

And did I mention DR nerfs Gannus pretty hard?

You could always hit Gannus with it; it might get him up to his preq stat needed to TWF (not sure how Temp Enhancement bonuses work anymore, with the most recent FAQ about temp ability damage and whatnot...)

Yeah, that's why I purposefully bought a Belt of Con for Glau and use Bull's Strength to buff if I have time. She puts out decent damage when she hits but I need to work on getting her attack bonus higher. Won't be able to afford that +3 for a bit and I'll hopefully get Furious Focus at 11th.

Yea, if you had that cat's grace lying around, it would get me to enough dex to TWF again. I think as long as I have the dex score to qualify for my feats, I can use them.

@Glau - Learn Heroism and upgrade your weapon to Courageous when you can.

*smacks head* Of course! Not a personal spell. I'll fly down next round and hit you with it.

Yay for accidentally prepping the right spell!

I'm very sorry I didn't think of it sooner! I'm an idiot, haha.

You're keeping people alive, that's all we can ask. It's not like you've been reduced to doing 5-10 points of damage a round b/c of ability damage.

*raises hand*

Of course, that's 5-10 points of damage a round when I hit for me, cos I don't have the lovely benefits of raging to help offset the ability damage.

And Samhain, Hawthorne's bow is adaptive and it's so very worth the cost.

Ability damage still hurts. I was afraid this thing had DR 10 which meant I was nigh useless in this fight.

You have 3-1 PA and 1 1/2 strength to damage which apparently on the boards is the end-all be-all and people aren't viable unless they do as much damage.

Yeah, I've read a lot of those threads too.

I often get the impression that those people play a different game than I play, and on some occasions maybe don't play with other people at all anymore after talking to others face to face the way they talk on the boards.

Numbers matter, of course; the game's based on math, after all. But seriously, if I wanted to play a game that's nothing but number-crunching I'd play Accountants and Actuaries, you know?

But now I sound elitist too, honestly. And I don't wanna be like that.

Nope, I feel the same way. And I think most players would agree. There are a small percentage of power players that focus entirely on the numbers and only build characters to put out the most DPS or whatever terminology the kids are using these days. I prefer to just work with an interested character concept and then try to make my character effective within those parameters.

The thing is that actual play has the variability of human decision, which can only be simulated so much. When it comes to mere statistics, discussion comes easier being that it's maximizing static numbers, which fosters that mentality.

The Advice and Rules forums should precisely be that attitude; if every thread can be answered with "play what you want," what's the point of them?

Any sensed hostility in the above text really only stems from people posting "Well, I don't care what X says. In my games, I'll houserule X to..." That's not the point of the Rules forum; take it to Suggestions and Homebrew.

-Posted with Wayfinder

I don't have any problem with the threads that ask questions like "my concept is this, how do I make it work?" That's tantamount to brainstorming, which I believe is healthy and should be encouraged. I don't see a reason to not make a mechanically sound character, after all.

I get upset, though, when someone in those threads intentionally says something derogatory about someone's concept. Or when someone derails them into another spellslinger/melee debate thread. What does that do but deliberately hurt someone's feelings? How does that contribute positively to the discussion?

Well I mention that as they make it seem like matching it is the only way to be viable. I've been reading the playtest threads so I'm a little miffed right now due to the cries of Med BAB not being viable and whatnot.

And somehow swashbucklers getting level to damage on every attack all the time is okay. Someone explain that to me.

Well, if we ever kill this demon, here are some 7-11 games I can play in:

No preferences my way.

Again, building off Glaurung's list

I think I'll be playing 02-14 The Chasm of Screams this week IRL so let's narrow it down a little more:

How about Forbidden Furnace. I know Glaurung will be running it in Jan, and I know Amira hasn't played it, not sure about Hawthorne and Gannus.

I can run any of those except for the last one obviously.

Sounds good. And yes, I should be running it this January at CommonCon.

Sounds fun. May save the Echoes series for another character.

He is indeed conventioning this weekend. (This is where, in my games, the kids usually get a little crazy and roleplay all sorts of things and I have to come back and shake my cane and tell them to GET OFF MY LAWN!)

Plus, I came down with a cold Wednesday evening.

And wound up pinch-hitting as GM in slot 2 Saturday, as well as slots 1 & 3 for which I was scheduled. So I have almost no voice right now.

And I can't sleep cos my last slot was GMing 5-09 and it's freaking terrific and probably my new favorite scenario.

Play this one in person, all, if you can, with a GM you trust. Try not to read it first.

If any of y'all can make Winter War 2014 in Champaign, IL this January, I'm gonna ask Bob Jonquet if I can run it; I'd be happy to run it for ya then, even if it winds up being off the regular schedule.

Suggestion noted. I'm playing that one next Monday night locally. I don't recognize the GM's name, sadly, but I'll try him out anyway. It sounds like a fun scenario from the blurb and I'm doing my best to not read through it as a GM. (Currently on hiatus anyway, so NO READING FOR ME!)

All that said, get feeling better soon!

Yep, I'm GMing that one tomorrow night. Looks pretty good.

How about Forbidden Furnace. I know Glaurung will be running it in Jan, and I know Amira hasn't played it, not sure about Hawthorne and Gannus.

Assuming we survive this, Hawthorne will be at 12. (w00t!) My only other high-tier guy is locked right now, sadly.

That leaves me with Rosham (Mgs8) or a 7 pregen.

This might be more 1s than Tektite rolled with his Gunslinger in Devil We Know pt 4. That's impressive.

Lol, I don't think that records been broke yet.

And on a gunslinger no less. Ugh.

Lol, I don't think that records been broke yet.

Don't worry, I am (obviously) on the case.

Rhyster needs an Axe Musket, so that when his gun jams for the fourth time in a scenario, he can take his rage out on all the bads instead of crying. Fortunately, we were in a Season 1 and won Init, so it was a 2-rounder combat, but still. T'was amusing as my Jerk Ninja/Fighter shuriken hose.

Ryster does have pistol whip, and I did consider using it a few times.

Was curious, so I went through the game.

Combined, the GM has rolled a Nat1 on 12 attack rolls and 14 damage rolls.
Combined, the players have rolled a Nat1 on 13 attack rolls and 17 damage rolls (not counting saves or cure amounts or multi-dice damage rolls).

Not counting all of the low rolls we've been shelling out en masse, hahaha.

Tektite Fun Fact: When we started this encounter, we were exactly three weeks into the game. This battle has taken almost as long....

Seriously? Doesn't feel like that long.

Thanksgiving likely helped shorten that feel.

-Posted with Wayfinder

For you all, maybe. I was looking for an escape so bad I checked wayyyy more often than I should have.

Ha, same here. Slow week for me. I finished two other games though because I was on almost all day.