Emerald Spire (PFS) (Inactive)

Game Master Michael Hallet

I want to, at a minimum, finish this level but I'm keen to carry on as well.

I'm cool with continuing on. We could try rotating different level between different players, if we just want to keep it among the five of us and not try to find a new GM. As for finishing this level, I hope nobody minds spoilers, but I asked for someone to let me know how far we were in this level and if it was worth finding a backup or just scrapping the run of this level. Someone PMed me saying that once you make the 'sacrifice' to the god, the Troglodytes are appeased, and finish the tour, then unlock the doors to the next level and let us carry on. So we're pretty much done with this level, surprisingly.

I'm interested in keeping things going.

I checked through some of the GMs posts in other characters and it looks like he had something unexpected come up.

Maybe we should wait a little bit longer.

I'm down to keep going! I don't have the bandwidth to pick up GMing, though. At a minimum, it would be nice to finish this level.

I gm this twice for my face to face tables so I would really like to finish this on this character.

That's 5 of us at this count!
Hopefully someone can help or alternate GM runs.

I've talked to Mike Hallet a bit about this. He says if we want to continue the run, we should try to find a new GM and get them to report this level as part of the takeover process.

If we are not planning on continuing, he advised we request a VO report the session and make chronicles for us.

Do you want to wait for the GM a while longer or do you want a replacement GM. I could probably pick this up for you if you are keen to get moving and have a new GM step in.

I definitely want to keep going. I don't know if it's best to way a tad longer or not. I guess some of you have sent him a PM and not gotten a response. Probably time to move on.

Let's move on. If you are keen Mike, we are happy to have you.

Yea, it's been three weeks with no contact at all. Leta get moving. I understand life happens and dont bear Mofiddy and ill will, but I think we've waited long enough.

I'm game to have Mike pick it up.

Were you taking the suggestion of playing this level and the next with slow advancement so as not to level up too quickly?

I don’t recall discussing it.

How much XP does slow track grant?

If we are just finishing this level and not continuing then I’ll just go normal progression and end up at Level 6.

Slow track would grant 1.5 XP and 2 Prestige.

If you intend to continue then you will want to go slow as the next floor is also sanctioned for levels 3-5.

Since I'm currently level 4, then I can go regular, right?

I'd like to keep going if at all possible.

Thank you Mike for picking up this game. I am very grateful for it.

I have sent a PM to MoFiddy but no reply so I have to assume RL ate him up and not looking to give him back to us any time soon.

Recommended XP track

I'll follow the recommended XP track and take half on this level and next.

Arkolo is, I believe, already a level up. He should be careful about not accidentally leveling himself out of range for the next level of the dungeon.

I'm going to prepare the chronicles assuming you are following the recommendations. If you want a full speed chronicle, let me know and I will adjust.

Actually, never mind. I'm going to suggest you take normal speed for this one. The reason I say that is that the rewards are structured in such a way that you are essentially punished for pursuing a peaceful resolution and earn far less than full rewards. Then you wonder why the Pathfinders get a reputation for being murderhobos.

Anyone rolling a day job?

Arkolo, were you replaying this level? I got this message when I reported it.

Player has already played scenario at session # 8 of event # 45981 personwholives online games on October 20, 2017.

The session is reported by the way.

Cool, thanks! Any idea when you will be ready to get started on the next level? And want to keep going with this thread, or start a new one?

I asked to have the campaign transferred to me. In the meantime, you can fill out the new slides linked in my status line.

Ok. I'll go with full this level and then probably half next.

I don't have a day job.

Thanks for picking us up, Mike!

I'd like to follow the suggested track and take this level and the next Slow. That way I get half of the bad rewards. :)

Profession (Miner): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

Chronicles

If anyone still needs a day job added, just let me know.

As you only earned 1 XP for this level, you would only earn another 1.5 XP for the next level if you went slow, which means you still might not level, so you might consider going normal speed for the next floor to get 4 XP total.

I'm going to prepare the chronicles assuming you are following the recommendations. If you want a full speed chronicle, let me know and I will adjust.

Actually, never mind. I'm going to suggest you take normal speed for this one. The reason I say that is that the rewards are structured in such a way that you are essentially punished for pursuing a peaceful resolution and earn far less than full rewards. Then you wonder why the Pathfinders get a reputation for being murderhobos.

Ha ha ha ha . Yes I agree with this statement. One of my players brought a pacifist. Two levels down and he's now the one with the highest kill count.

Brand is getting Land rush. He will want land!

Thank you for picking up this game Mike.

Prof (Soldier): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

Guess we better just murder everything we encounter from now on.

Mike, one note on the marching order - I put myself up front because, as the trap finder, I am usually up front when generally exploring. When we get to the point where we are about to pop a door or go into an obvious combat situation, Aldy will typically move back and let Brand and Bree lead the way, while I hang out in the middle.

Feel free to make any between levels purchases. No need to feel rushed in that regard. I wanted to get you back into action since you've been waiting for a while.

Unless Brand does something by tomorrow morning, I'll assume he doesn't try to chase the mephit swimming away.

Brand can't swim. lol

Same, this should be interesting. At least I got it up to a +0 last level so I won't drown. Probably.

Arkolo?

You got a bit unlucky there.

The swarm was CR 4 and the elemental CR 3. With the terrain advantage I'd call it a CR 6 encounter all combined.

Yeah, that was tough! I'm glad we pulled through it. Ha, next time we'll be a little more careful!

Phew we got through it

Aldy, I just realized that we have not been playing the bodyguard feat correctly.

Benefit: When an adjacent ally is attacked, you may use an attack of opportunity to attempt the aid another action to improve your ally’s AC. You may not use the aid another action to improve your ally’s attack roll with this attack.

You have to be adjacent to your ally and the attacker has to be within reach of your weapon. You can't protect allies who are not adjacent to you.

Also, you are not able to use the whip at all unless you have the Improved Whip Mastery Feat

The whip is treated as a melee weapon with 15-foot reach, though you don’t threaten the area into which you can make an attack. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, you can use it against foes anywhere within your reach (including adjacent foes).

Benefit: While wielding a whip, you threaten the area of your natural reach plus 5 feet. You can also use a whip to grasp an unattended Small or Tiny object within your whip’s reach and pull that object into your square. To do so, you must hit AC 10 with a melee touch attack. Further, you can use the whip to grasp onto an object within your whip’s reach, using 5 feet of your whip as if it were a grappling hook, allowing you to use the rest of your whip to swing on like a rope. As a free action, you can release the object your whip is grasping, but you cannot use the whip to attack while the whip is grasping an object.

The Bodyguard feat says that I can spend one of my attacks of opportunity to aid another the AC of an adjacent ally, but it doesn’t say one way or the other whether this removes other restrictions on aid another? Particularly, do I need to threaten the attacking enemy? Also, has that enemy provoked an attack of opportunity from me?

You still need to fulfill all requirements of aid another, including threatening the attacking enemy. Bodyguard uses up one of your attacks of opportunity for the round, but the enemy hasn’t provoked an attack of opportunity from you, nor are you making one (which is relevant for abilities like Paired Opportunist).

Sorry about forgetting about the adjacent requirement of bodyguard - we've been pretty tightly grouped in most fights so far, so it hasn't been an issue. I will adjust my play accordingly in the future.

I believe that FAQ is incredibly poorly worded- there is no requirement in aid another that you threaten. It says you must 'be in position attack' (full rules quoted below). With a whip, I don't threaten, but I am in position to attack. I assume you're going to run it with the requirement to threaten, and I will assume as much unless you otherwise.

Aid Another
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you’re in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent’s next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.

You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when he is affected by a spell, or to assist another character’s skill check.

Yeah, and there seems to be a few schools of thought on this.

One is that the FAQ, whether intentionally or not, changed the rule for aid another and in PFS we have to treat this as such. It would mean ALL uses of aid another would require threatening.

Two is that aid another doesn't require threatening but Bodyguard does.

Three is that the FAQ is wrong and the rule for aid another hasn't actually changed.

So as not to completely invalidate your build we'll go with option 3, but do be aware as you are in a tight space and the creature has reach, that using you whip will be considered making an attack roll with your whip and thus provoke an AoO unless you get the Whip Mastery feat.

Busy few days at work. I will try to update this weekend.

No worries! Thanks for the update!

Sorry my posting rate has dropped. Have a serious deadline at work. I'm keeping up with the reading but no time to post yet.

Well, IRL it looks like we got our software release done so the deadline pressure is off. Trying to catch up on the thread this weekend.

Been on customer calls non-stop the past few days. Problems at month's end = no free time.

Sorry, everyone, I've been dealing with a customer crisis nonstop since Wednesday. I've been working almost every waking hour for the past 5 days. Hopefully things have started to calm down now.

Ouch , you need to catch up on some sleep.

Yea, real life comes first. I do greatly appreciate the 'Hey, I'm still here - just busy' quick update posts - I start getting a little nervous, as we have been abandoned by two GMs already. Hope things calm down for a bit!

Sorry. I haven't disappeared. The holidays kept me busy and I've also been sick. Expect an update later today.

Season's Greetings GM.

Welcome back.

Hi everyone,

I’m out of town on holiday with no wifi and now no data. Will be back online on the weekend... feel free to Bot me as necessary until then if required.

Thanks.

I'll have an inverted schedule this week, I'm fine the next two days but will be offline this weekend.

Six miles northeast of Fort Inevitable lies one of the deepest and strangest dungeons to be found anywhere in the lands of the Inner Sea—the Emerald Spire. Like an iceberg, this weird structure shows only a small portion of itself above the surface; level upon level of hidden vaults and mysterious crypts lie buried deep below the ground. Few of the people living in Fort Inevitable or the surrounding lands have even the slightest inkling of the dungeon’s true extent, let alone its astounding age.
Standing in a wide clearing within the Echo Wood, the Emerald Spire is the ruin of a large Azlanti tower that appears to be made of green glass harder than stone. The upper portions of the tower were destroyed long ago, leaving broken, half-melted glass blocks lying jumbled around the tower’s perimeter and the ground nearby. The site is well known to locals from both Fort Inevitable and Thornkeep, and many travellers passing through the Crusader Road area make the trek into the forest to look on the ruins—from a safe distance. The Spire’s ruins are known to be infested with dangerous monsters, and the surroundings attract an unhealthy number of bandits, raiders, and hungry predators.

I’m recruiting for a party to do at least the first floor of the Emerald Spire Superdungeon. There is potential to do more floors if the group wishes. This will be for PFS credit and the first floor is tier 1-2. If the group does more floors it’s possible to go on slow path so you do not level out of tier for further floors.

I have 2 spaces reserved so I’m looking for 4 people to join the group. I’ll put emphasis on picking a balanced party, but if there are multiple applications for the same role I’ll do a lottery for each role required. If there are a large enough number of applications I’ll consider running a full second group at the same time and with the same option to continue to other floors.

For players i'd like to see at least one post a day Monday through Thursday and at least one post on the weekend. If you're going to be busy or absent for an extended period of time, post in the discussion or message me privately. Botting instructions in your character profile are handy though not required.

As we’re heading into a big holiday period I’m going to delay game start until 2nd January. Application cut off is midnight UK Time 27th December. I’ll make final decisions on which characters are accepted on 28th of December and inform everyone who is accepted by the end of that day.

If you’re interested in joining please post below with character name, class and role(s) your character would fill (healer, damage, support, trap finder, etc). If you’re character does something crazy or unexpected now is the time to share!

Thank you!

Sounds fun! Do you know what kinds of PCs will be in the two reserved spots? Thanks!

Name: No. 201113
Class: Orc/Draconic Sorcerer
Role: Damage Dealer, Support, Occasional Comic Relief

No. 201113 looks down at the paper in his hands. App--lee-vacation? Well, I needed a vacation. Especially after helping that Blackros gal, he begins nervously looking around. A spot of ink catches his attention. SPORES!!!! he yells, before ducking underneath the table. Quietly, he begins....

Name: No 201113....

Interesting...I have a couple of low-level PCs. Let me look at them again when I get home and I'll post.

I'll apply with a 1st lv. Dwarven wizard...

Hey, got a new character in creation if your interested.

Name: Rom & Rem
Class: Unchained Twin Summoner
Role: Skill monkey's, Support team.

Rom and Rem are inseparable... which one is rom and which one is rem, and which one is the summon and the summoner, they are unlikely to divulge. They are always happy to help! The both of them work together the best advantage possible, giving assistance bonuses whenever they can, and setting up nasty flanking circles...

The two reserve characters:

Spellcaster, support, access to healing spells (though not specifically a healer).

Melee, rogue skills, dexterity based.

I have a few lower level characters that could come.

Hey I've not done a whole lot of PBP, but I'd really like to join up

Name: Hallbjorn Ka-Varn
Class: Fighter
Role: Damage Dealer

Would this PC be of use GM?

I have a 2nd level wizard (conjuror(, slayer, brawler that could go as well as a 1.2 mesmerist.

A little update to pull things together.

Thank you everyone for your interest in my game.

So far we have my two reserve players:

1 Spellcaster, support, access to healing spells (though not specifically a healer).
2 Melee, rogue skills, dexterity based.

Signed up here:

Kelian - interested
No. 201113 - sorcerer - spellcaster, damage dealer, support
MoFiddy - interested
Newmark - dwarven wizard
Rom & Rem - summoner (twin) - skills, support
Hallbjorn - fighter - damage dealer
Terevalis - various options

@Lady Alya De Qill

That character looks to be level 3. I'm afraid the first section of Emerald Spire is only tier 1-2. New characters are always welcome though :)

Sheet Overhaul. Went with a Kellid Viking Fighter.

Would you recommend a lvl 1 character for this?

As an adventure it is aimed at characters starting at level 1. I think it could be tough going for a brand new all level 1 party, but it's certainly doable.

The adventure is written for 4 players but when played for PFS credit it makes no allowance for 6 players, so it's naturally easier with more players too ;)

Ok. I think then that my mesmerist who is a 1.2 character might fit best.

I don't have any characters in (I'm new to PBP, but eager to try).

A number of melee and full-caster roles seem to be called already, so I think I'd run with a Warpriest of Erastil. A switch-hitter with access to casting and some extra healing for the group

Should be able to wear a few hats reasonably well despite the low level.

As we have a new character signed up and Terevalis has decided on playing a mesmerist i'll take this opportunity to update the list.

Reserve 1 Spellcaster, support, access to healing spells (though not specifically a healer).
Reserve 2 Melee, rogue skills, dexterity based.

Signed up here:

Kelian - interested
No. 201113 - sorcerer - spellcaster, damage dealer, support
MoFiddy - interested
Newmark - dwarven wizard
Rom & Rem - summoner (twin) - skills, support
Hallbjorn - fighter - damage dealer
Terevalis - Mesmerist
yiannisph - warpriest - switch-hitter, spells, access to healing

Almost enough people interested to run two full groups and it's only 21st!

I'll send messages out tonight to Kelian and MoFiddy to check they're still interested and give them a chance to reply before the holiday weekend.

I added an alias and sheet to get better acquainted with the board.

I can fill just about any role if needed, but the other submissions covered most roles so I picked something that could be secondary at a few things.

Hooray!

Am interested if there's still space.

Here she is.

I don't think she will be able to do all 3. I am thinking of making a witch or an Oracle or even a samurai.

Just a heads up that I'm experimenting with some other builds/classes, but will still preform the same roll as buffer/skill monkey for party breakdowns.

Mostly, waffling between a bard build and the twinned summoner build.

I think that this witch will be fun to play instead of my mesmerist.

Update

Reserve 1 Spellcaster, support, access to healing spells (though not specifically a healer).
Reserve 2 Melee, rogue skills, dexterity based.

Signed up here:

Kelian - interested (but currently travelling without access to character info)
No. 201113 - sorcerer - spellcaster, damage dealer, support
Newmark - dwarven wizard
Rom & Rem/Romulus Arrowdong - summoner (twin)/bard - skills, support
Hallbjorn - fighter - damage dealer
Terevalis/Heccuba - Mesmerist Witch
yiannisph - warpriest - switch-hitter, spells, access to healing
nightdeath - interested

10 on the list with a day to go.

I'm brand-new to PFS and very inexperienced with PbP, but I'd like to put my hat into the ring. I am registered with PFS and I can get a character built pretty quickly.

My thought is a Half Orc Paladin with the Divine Defender archetype, with the role of meat shield/tank.

Interesting...I have a couple of low-level PCs. Let me look at them again when I get home and I'll post.

Here is my submission!

Ganem is an elf who was raised by dwarves. Nothing tragic has happened in his life....he is just a bit odd.

Mechanically, he is an Oracle with the Ancient Lorekeeper archetype. He is not a melee type...more of a support caster.

I actually have a boon from the Pathfinder Online kickstarter that I'd like to apply to this character too. It is actually related the Emerald Spire.

Thanks!

Another Update!

Reserve 1 Spellcaster, support, access to healing spells (though not specifically a healer).
Reserve 2 Melee, rogue skills, dexterity based.

Signed up here:

Kelian - interested (but currently travelling without access to character info)
No. 201113 - sorcerer - spellcaster, damage dealer, support
MoFiddy/Ganem - Oracle - spellcaster, support Re-added as missed earlier due to GM failing a confusion roll :P
Newmark - dwarven wizard
Rom & Rem/Romulus Arrowdong - summoner (twin)/bard - skills, support
Hallbjorn - fighter - damage dealer
Terevalis/Heccuba - Mesmerist Witch
yiannisph - warpriest - switch-hitter, spells, access to healing
nightdeath - interested
Fobok - Paladin - meat shield

And now that's 12. We're a bit heavy on spellcasters but i think if split correctly we can balance out two groups. 1 day to go so we'll see if anyone else signs up between now and then!

I have to say, I once played in a group of all spellcasters- (1 Summoner, 1 Psychic, 2 Sorcerer's, and a Cleric) and it was actually a lot of fun. We really had to plan out every action we were going to take and made liberal use of the Summon Monster line of spells, but it we made it through and everyone had a blast. In conclusion- don't worry about being too heavy on the spellcasters, we'll just have more fun!

One tiny change, if that's alright, I'm switching my idea to Redeemer instead of Divine Defender. I only just discovered the Redeemer archetype, and I love the role-play opportunities in it. I had also already decided that Dasus (my Paladin) would be a Paladin of Apsu, and it fits so perfectly that he would be trying to bring monstrous creatures into the light for the final battle.

He'll be more of an aggressive meat shield than I'd originally planned, but still meat shield, but with some added diplomacy and intimidation abilities, and for play by post especially this seems more fun option.

I'll submit a Dwarven Fighter.
Will likely go a few levels of Inqusitor and fighter the rest.

Role: Would be front liner, Tactical Melee Warrior.

If I can still toss in, I'd like to throw in rebuilding this guy. So heavy on the damage dealing.

Leaning either on Barbarian Mad Dog or Ranger two handed with an animal companion.

I do have another concept that I threw out before on a different Campaign, it was a Dwarven Barbarian Exile who got drunk, took on a group of orcs by leading a rampaging group of oxen into them, and then stealing the Musk Ox, Corporal Moo who got promoted for killing the leader on his way out. His name is Fosead GreatBelly

She is built as a debuffer :)

And that's the cut off on sign ups!

Thank you everyone who has shown interest in my game(s). I've put the full list below which currently sits at my 2 reserves plus 11 sign ups.

Reserve 1 Spellcaster, support, access to healing spells (though not specifically a healer).
Reserve 2 Melee, rogue skills, dexterity based.

Kelian - interested (currently travelling. no access to character info)
No. 201113 - sorcerer - spellcaster, damage dealer, support
MoFiddy/Ganem - Oracle - spellcaster, support
Newmark - dwarven wizard
Rom & Rem/Romulus Arrowdong - summoner (twin)/bard - skills, support
Hallbjorn - fighter - damage dealer
Terevalis/Heccuba - Witch - spellcaster, debuffer
yiannisph - warpriest - switch-hitter, spells, access to healing
nightdeath - dwarf fighter/inquisitor - front line, tactical melee warrior
Fobok - Paladin - meat shield, some social slills
Bjorn - Melee heavy hitter, possibly with animal companion.

I'll review the applications and split them to balance out two parties. As there are 13 total players it does unfortunately mean that someone will not make the cut, but i'll keep that person informed in case anyone drops out.

I'll reply to this thread tomorrow and send messages to everyone once i've made my selections.

This should be fun. Good luck to us all.

Aha, I figured out this whole alias thing. I think.

Yeah, good luck everybody! Looks like some very interesting concepts here. :-)

Sounds good. Thanks!

For ease of access, I figured I should post here under my aliad as well.

Saw the post in recruitment, I've got a character I'd like to take if he fits. Tarbin here is an Unsummoner who covers a decent number of bases, but doesn't cover the trapfinding need.

He can cast Grease and Silent Image as SLA's in addition to the buffs usually reserved for the Eidolon (though he has 3 castings a day, so with his Eidolon Mage Armored the 2 castings of Enlarge Person are free to be divvied out). He himself is built around using Dirty Trick at reach with his Longspear (no bonus to CMD from Cover, so he uses it from behind his allies), so he doesn't relegate himself to cantrip/crossbow duty. Teeva is built as a decent Two-Handed Weapon Fighter and can hit pretty hard and accurately.

Flavor wise, it's a Gnome with his Kyton Eidolon. Here is his Eidolon, Teeva.

I can cover Heal Checks, Disable Device Checks, and UMD checks, but that's about the extent of my Skill Monkeying (Besides a +5 to Face Skills, which I don't see getting much use in a Superdungeon). There's also the bonus of being able to make 2 Perception Checks.

Only level 1 so there's only so much I could do. I'd love to tag along if the character would be a decent aid. If there's a better or more appropriate fit, I don't mind letting someone else in. Fresh at 0xp, so I don't have the advantage of coming in with wands or anything. I'm happy to play on Slow progression to play the proper floors.

I don't have any appropriate characters at the moment, but if you are still in tier 1 2, Is be happy to make a rogue or something to cover the traps base. Probably a tenth unclaimed rogue. If that's ok with you, I can be ready to go tomorrow around lunchtime CST.

OK that's 2 and one who can handle traps.

Recruitment closed!

Thank you all.