Dot away!
Or chat. You know, whichever
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So, I have a ton of money (13,000) and am willing to spend some on patching gaps in the party's needs.
Ranalus is primarily a scout and support caster; he has excellent Perception, good speed (40'), and can see through doors. He can Disable mundane traps moderately well, and can fake Trap Spotter for short periods of time with Find Traps. He's not great at combat. He has a nice defensive ability from Feysworn, gaining DR 10/cold iron for up to 3 minutes per day. This is useful, because his AC is poor. He has good saves and a few immunities.
I could get a metamagic rod of Lesser Persistent Spell to use for Sound Burst, Hold Person, and Blindness. That would be 9,000. His DCs aren't optimized, but by targeting weak saves with Persistent you can do fairly well.
Or, adding Limning to his rapier might let him take advantage of his Blind-Fight feat, so that if he hits a foe who has concealment, he would then enable everyone else to hit it. That's 6,000. Can't do both that and the rod.
I could also get a few scrolls of generally-useful Clr4 and Clr5 spells, like Air Walk, Blessing of Fervor, Death Ward, Dimensional Anchor, Communal Spell Immunity, or Breath of Life.
I could try to boost his Disable if he is the only one capable of doing that, but it seems a poor choice because he can't do magic traps and can't cast Aram Zey's Focus. Will Toshi Andorson, our Rog/Wiz, have good Disable?
Any thoughts or suggestions?
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Hey everyone!
So Boros is an Archer Inquisitor. The more time he has to cast buff spells, the more deadly he is...
In general, Inquisitors tend to be a little more 'selfish' when it comes to overall party support, but I did try to make sure I took some spells to help out. My profile on here is a few levels behind so I will make sure to update that ASAP.
Boros can see invisibility once per day, so Ranalus you don't need to take that Limning weapon enhancement for me. It seems like it's usefulness is somewhat limited, and could probably be duplicated with much cheaper consumables.
IMO - the metamagic rod probably has a lot more usefulness, both for yourself and for the party. Save or Suck spells can generally suck to cast, but if you can up the odds that they succeed, it could really swing a battle or five. Just my .02 though, I say do whatever sounds the most FUN. :)
Anyways, Boros can cast Invisibility, Ghostbane Dirge, Brow Gasher, Weapon of Awe, Heroism, and Prayer on anyone in the party.
He will utilize most or all of you to help trigger his teamwork feats, and will try not to make it to uncomfortable when he is constantly in your personal space (Lookout feat)
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Boros is technically updated. I've got some more formatting work to do on his profile, plus the addition of an attack modifiers table. Inquisitors can have a ridiculous amount of modifications to rolls with buffs and abilities. Playing life, HeroLab makes life easy. On the boards, I don't want to have to rely on HeroLab to post.
There is a lot there, which is no surprise for a level 9 character. Let me know if you have questions.
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He will utilize most or all of you to help trigger his teamwork feats, and will try not to make it to uncomfortable when he is constantly in your personal space (Lookout feat)
I imagine Boros will want to stick next to Ranalus in particular. No problem. I actually had Lookout on my cavalier for many levels and retrained it away after finding there weren't nearly as many surprise rounds as I thought there would be. Scenario selection? Party tactics? GM variation? In any event, happy to help you get some use out of it.
Thanks for the tips, will go with the rod. I will also retrain my 4th-level ability increase from +1 Int (which was useful at the time) to +1 Wis to get 20 Wis. I guess this means I lose 8 skill points? So take off 3 from Disable Device, 3 from Stealth, and 2 from Survival. For 5 Prestige and 450 gp. Zoomba, is that correct?
Ranalus normally preps Dispel Magic, Fly (domain), Prayer, and Invisibility Purge as his 3rd-level spells; party buffs and utility. And he's got a scroll of Communal Resist Energy (x2).
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Okay, so Toshi isn't great at Disable Device and gave up Trapfinding. That means Ranalus is the best at Disable Device (still not very good for this level, but can boost it with a few spells) so retraining away the +1 Int and losing those skill ranks is a bad idea right now. And nobody can do magic traps, so Dispel Magic if it comes to that.
Can Toshi add Bestow Insight to his spellbook? Given his skill-heavy focus, it could be very useful. Ranalus will pick up a scroll for Toshi to use, but a spell cast by Toshi would give a +4 Insight bonus whereas a scroll would only give +2. Who knows what skills we might need in this scenario.
Not getting the rod after all. The Stone of Good Luck is just too tempting for a generalist with Fate's Favored.
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I can pick up the scroll, and if Zoomba allows it, make the attempts to learn it pre-game. It's been on my list of things to do - even printed out the page it was on to show a GM, then never got the chance at Gencon. And, if I'm reading it right, I could even cast it on myself, for the +4. A nice little bonus.
Hmm. Pick up 2 scrolls, just in case?
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Hi there, Thoriel is updated and ready but also has a bucketload of cash on hand if there are some purchases we'd like to make. She is theoretically saving up for some Celestial Armor but happy to dip into the coffer if needed.
She is a highly mobile, combat focussed magus. Her spelldancer archetype helps her boost her speed and defensive capablilities so she can get in quick, hopefully avoid AoOs and hit hard.
NB for the GM: I realise I incorrectly listed her as Level 9 in the recruitment thread, but she is still only Level 8. I think that will only be relevant when it comes to allocating appropriate gp rewards if/when we survive the scenario.
I would be fine with a pre-game learn attempt (and looking at your Spellcraft, I don't think you can fail the check, can you?)
As for the rest of purchases, feel free to make them now but I'll be kicking off later this afternoon. You're in Oppara, so plenty of shops about, and have been summoned there to assist with some important work from Lady Morilla...
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Start with this.
Dice Code looks like this: (Note, remove the * to get the code to parse correctly)
[*dice=(Roll you are making)]1dXX+YY[/dice] Where XX is the d8, d20, etc you are rolling and YY is the modifier.
For example:
[*dice=Basic Attack]1d20+12[/dice] for [*dice=Basic Damage]1d8+7[/dice]
Yields:
for
Some GMs like to see all of the individual modifiers for a roll.
For example:
[*dice=First Attack, PBS, Deadly Aim, Manyshot, Enfilading Fire]1d20+10+1-2+2[/dice] for [*dice=Damage]2d8+20+2+8[/dice]
for
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The link I shared above has several really good examples for formatting. That is kinda the gold standard for how to PbP, and how to use this site's formatting. This Page is from 2007, and has the very short list of tags you can use on these forums.
If you post that info in either the Race or Class/Levels field of the profile, it should spill out right under your name when posting.
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Letomo - I'll try to find the google doc that has the formatting for my tagline. It has become somewhat of a gold standard for taglines on the forums. I'm proud to say that one of my gaming partners is the creator of it. It is very effective and helpful for the GM, and doesn't take too much to keep it up to date for easy reference.
Also, as a side note, for Gen Con a couple years ago I had some artwork commissioned for Boros. It was the greatest and worst thing I've ever done. It was the worst because now I am totally hooked on commissioning art... it turned out so awesome. Which is why it is the greatest.
Anyways, with your permission GM, I'll post my character's picture on your google slide so everyone can see what I attempted to describe in my introduction post.
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Ok, I found the documents.
This *should* be required reading for anyone new or veteran to Play by Post.
Link here to the nuts and bolts of where to start, along with quintessential advice from Painlord on HOW to PbP.
Painlord has put together some fantastic guides that will make you not only a better poster, but a better gamer all around.
Here is a link to a google doc with statblock and tagline templates.
A question for each of you: Can you advise if this character of yours has played any of the following scenarios (I know a few of you have already mentionned your roles in one):
9-08 Birthright Betrayed
9-11 The Jarlsblood Witch Saga
5-11 Library of the Lion
1-55 The Infernal Vault
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Library of the Lion
Jarlsblood Witch Saga
Not of note here, but others I have done, so as to keep things in mind, in order:
5-11: Library of the Lion
5-12: Destiny in the Sands 1: Bitter Bargain
5-15: Destiny in the Sands 2: Race to Seeker's Folly
5-22: Scars of the 3rd Crusade
6-01: Trial by Machine
6-05: Slave Ships of Absalom
6-06: Hall of the Flesh Eaters.(Gloomspire)
6-08: The Segang Expedition
5-16: Destiny of the Sands 3: Sanctum of the Sages
6-19: Test of Kar Tuata
6-22: Out of Anarchy (Master of Secrets Boon)
7-21: Sun Orchid Scheme
7-15: Deepmarket Deception
8-07: From the Tome of Righteous Repose (Worthy Foe against Undead boon)
8-18: Champion's Chalice 1: Blazing Dangerous Trails
8-11: Forged in Flames 2: Cleansed with Fire
8-09: Forged in Flames 1: Cindersworn Pact
8-99: Solstice Scar V.C
9-09: Beyond the Halflight Path
9-19: Clash in Kaimuko Wood
9-11: Jarlsblood Witch Saga.
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Ranalus has not done any of those scenarios.
So what I am imagining here is an Episode III Palpatine situation. The Pathfinders hear of a plot by Stavian, they go to stop him, and he then uses their attack on him (or his allies) as the excuse to consolidate power -- doing so far more effectively and with less resistance than if he had been seen as the aggressor. And of course it happens in real life as well. That's the reason I'm hesitant to say "Let's go fight the foreigners." It could be part of Stavian's ploy.
Anyways, with your permission GM, I'll post my character's picture on your google slide so everyone can see what I attempted to describe in my introduction post.
Also, not a problem Boros. Add away, and feel free to use it for you marker once maps begin coming into play!
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Also, not a problem Boros. Add away, and feel free to use it for you marker once maps begin coming into play!
Anyways, with your permission GM, I'll post my character's picture on your google slide so everyone can see what I attempted to describe in my introduction post.
I've posted it! Thanks for indulging me. It cost me a pretty penny, and I am quite proud of how it turned out (though all I did was pay for it)
The artist is Dennis Darmody, in case it sparks anyone else's interest. I would be more than happy to put you in touch with him.
In case it matters, the image/artwork does belong to me. (yay copyright stuff!) I am happy for us to use it for the game!
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Heyo! So glad this is back, I hope it holds!
So Boros has a super-fun ability I've never gotten a chance to try called beast ride. Unfortunately it only lasts for 54 seconds (9 rounds) - but it might come in useful.
Any squirrels or mice in the area?
Let's see how this initial conversation goes, and what we might need to do in order to get into the compound.
So, the forums are up, for now.
However, given recent events I cannot guarantee they will continue to be consistently fixed. Therefore, in order to keep this adventure moving, I am proposing to set up a Google Hangout as a backup, so that that way we can continue to post and play even if the Paizo golem takes some more sick days.
To that end, please PM me your email addresses (or email them to me at wdonald@wesleyan.edu). I'll set up a hangout we can all work in if needed (though fingers crossed it won't be). Worst case, I then have the addresses to easily email you your chronicles later anyway.
Our first combat!
Given the format of PbP, to keep things moving along I am fine with characters acting slightly out of exact initiative order as long as their in the same 'block' (all going before the next enemy/hazard/thing. So if you're Bold in the initiative order, feel free to post your action even if other Bold people are above you.
If you have any other questions, or issues with the map, let me know!
Also, it appears Haul has left us, a casualty of the Great Forum Sleep of '18. Thus, the four-player adjustment will be in effect going forwards.
So sorry about that Haul: missed that PM and the token/info looked like it had been removed from the slides. Rolled you in!
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Since it might be important: When in a pit, you may attempt to climb out with a Climb roll- the basic pit is DC 25. Climbing uses 1/4 movement, so a full round movement would move them up the wall half their normal move action. Curiously, if they make it up and end their turn on the top, but no further, they have to make the reflex 17 roll again, while the pit is still there.
It lasts 8 rounds, and can't be dismissed.
If they fail their climb roll, it's up to the GM, but past ones have had them either hold position, or if they missed by either more than 5, or rolled a 1, to fall back, depending on the GM. If they fall more than 10 feet from that, they take 1d6 per full 10 feet fallen.
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So yea, first off, sorry if my super high damage bothers anyone. I'm not saying that condescendingly, I know that optimized characters can bother people. I enjoy Boros immensely for many different reasons, not just his damage output.
Boros is my second inquisitor. (played one through Reign of Winter) and my first archer of any kind. I had been itching to put one together for a long time, and finally decided to combine a class I had come to really enjoy playing and the concept of an archer. It turned out way more potent than I would have imagined.
And I haven't even buffed yet...
Anyways, I will do my best not to steal anyone's fun. If it is bothering you, please don't hesitate to let me know. There are other things I can do too.
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No worries on my end, Boros. It was just rather striking how high the potential damage was (although they didn't all hit, and it's usually going to be the case that they don't all hit).
Ranalus (my -1) is rather sub-optimal - he's a scout, a support caster, and has Door Sight. He's fun, and his lower damage output wasn't much of an issue at lower levels, but he evolved organically and has fallen behind the curve.
He started with a level of ranger because a low-level cleric with the Exploration subdomain can't actually explore very well skill-wise or spell-wise. He hasn't yet got around to retraining out the ranger level because the hit to the saves is daunting. He took Expertise thinking he might pick up Moonlight Stalker, but never did. He took variant channeling intending to be able to give the whole party darkvision, but then I thought Feysworn looked cool, so lost out on that channel ability and also lost another caster level. So, not exactly planned out (Feysworn didn't even exist when I created him). He'd be more potent as a straight Cleric of course, but he still has found ways to contribute even alongside an inquisitor and a magus (among his teammates for two runs of Solstice Scar).
I'm not unfamiliar with damage optimization, given that my -2 is an Order of the Sword cavalier. Hits like a truck and is well-rounded with great saves, skills, and defenses. Playing him in All for Immortality right now.
I will say that I generally don't enjoy rocket tag in ongoing APs. I like fights that go a few rounds so there are moves and counter-moves and, well, drama. Combat is not the opposite of RP or devoid of RP, so I don't see it as something to get over with as soon as possible - a cinematic combat can be enjoyable in its own right, and not merely a means to an end. Now, I do have more tolerance for rocket tag in PFS because of the limited time slots and some very long adventures I was in, when dishing out damage faster would have been helpful.
And given the board delays it is probably even more important that we finish fights quickly for people who are signed up for the second part of the Gameday.
So go ahead and do your thing. And appreciate that Bane is awesome.
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Love it :)
I've gotta run to a meeting or I would type a bit more. Short version, I love Role play as much as I love Roll play. Tactical is fun, but so is telling a good story. I love when characters evolve 'organically'. Sometime's its a bummer if it feels like it hamstrings you, but as long as its fun, nothing else even comes close to mattering.
I just want us all to have fun :) Thanks guys!
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Ranulus said it better than I could have or would have the time to, especially the bit about cinematic combat in APs. Some of my most memorable experiences with RPing have been exactly those sort of encounters, both as a player and as a GM.
In PFS it is occasionally nice to get a combat that takes on a life of its own but the time pressures are real, particularly in a GameDay. Thoriel is possibly one of my more optimised characters as well (although I've never seen anything that matches the archer inquisitor which seems on a whole different level) but I've tried to steer a little bit away from the optimised route with some of my later characters as they can be fun in a different way.
In short, go for it and do your thing! No problems here.
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Quick overview on Haste:
Increase movement by 30 feet per round, to a maximum of double normal speed.
+1 to attack, +1 dodge to AC, and +1 Reflex saves.
When making a full attack action, you may make an additional attack at full bonus with one natural attack, or manufactured weapon. Not cumulative with other effects that grant such a bonus, like Speed weapons or the like.
This lasts 8 rounds.
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I don't like OOC strategizing unless we have Telepathic Bond active. Probably shouldn't have even posted my thoughts. (At first, I was going to shout "We have no authority! Minimum bloodshed!" but that just sounded dumb, and Ranalus isn't one to tell others what to do.)
So Ranalus will have to act independently of Boros's OOC thoughts. He's not going to be on the same page as everybody, aside from what we could have reasonably anticipated and talked about on the way here - and we as players had that time to post and plan but didn't do so.
Feel free to shout out loud in character if you want Ranalus to do something.
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Just FYI - Boros has a few spells that could be helpful in this situation, depending on how this most recent round goes.
Communal Align weapon - to help overcome DR on the devils. Might be worth it to just hack away, I would have to give up a full round of shots. Happy to cast it if you guys want it though!
Ranalus - I thought about your suggestion, and probably should have delayed my attack to interrupt her spells. Then I got paranoid and figured I would just try to take her down if possible. With some damage already taken, I was hopeful even just a couple shots might be enough.
BTW - you guys are awesome. I'm having a ton of fun with this. Excellent work GM - your story and NPCs have been engaging and fun. I'm in a few games, but I always check this one first whenever I refresh my campaign list. (shhh, don't tell the other GMs)
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Boros - your full attack hopefully DOES do enough damage to drop her. Toshi's 5d6 Snowball, on the other hand, probably would not - but it would do enough to interrupt.
And you lose a lot more by Readying that Toshi would. So that wasn't really directed at you.
Although in another game I'm in, even a full attack from the optimized L14 archer didn't drop the caster, who teleported away, healed, and came back, so I told the archer to just ready a single shot to interrupt next time. It's always a situational decision.
I'm having a ton of fun with this too, and am not feeling under-powered or useless.
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You know, I totally forgot I can't ready a full attack, only a standard attack. Glad you said that... Thanks!
Yea, this story has been really fun. Visuals are great, and the NPC one-liners are fantastic. All of you PCs have been fun to banter with as well, and for a PUG we are a surprisingly very well balanced group.
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This fight could get ugly! Got a bit of pucker factor here for sure.
I also want a cavalier that rides a lion now... ha! :)
Just FYI - I will focus on the Allips first, unless someone beats me to it. Unfortunately it looks like we are going to have to take the brunt of will saves from all 3 of the Allips, which blows.
Starting to think maybe I should have done something different the first round to get a full attack off. A charging cavalier scared the poop out of me though.