Got a laugh out of the trait, Gilda.
And I'm not at all bothered one way or the other about the cloak (cloaks) or any other magical item. Especially when the discussion is completely pointless with the thing sitting in the shared loot tab, not providing any bonuses and being utterly useless.
Matiscio can actually use the Elven Cloak. Light armor or not, it still reduces the check and if he also has his shield out, the ACP adds up significantly. He also has decent saves (for now) so tada.
I'll claim it for now =)
No worries, Matiscio. I probably shouldn't have had the skeleton apes go already, but it looks like we're past that now.
And you're correct, Evander, you didn't take damage. Good guy (practical guy?) Gregor took it instead.
Thank you, Gregor! Once I can actually take Investigator talents, I'll pick up Infusion just for you.
Gregor would not have moved knowing they would have both gone for him. He moved for better tactical positioning. It may seem it was an act of kindness, but more an act of aggression. :)
Just realized Gilda has a lesser restoration. Doh!
Will fix that ability damage once we're out of combat.
S@#@. I've been cheating by adding an unwarranted +1 att/dmg all this time q_q
Think you've forgotten Gregor's inspire bonus too, so that evens out, right? Although I have no idea how you added a +6 damage modifier to your last unarmed attack, but then I don't know brawlers.
+3 STR, +2 PA, +1 Gregor's song makes for +6. Flurry doesn't drag the STR bonus down to 1/2 like TFW would. That's how =P
I guess we'll just have to replay this encounter from the start, to make sure the attack and damage modifiers are correct. Just kidding! Just something to be more careful with in the future. I don't think it would have actually made much of a difference in this case.
._.
Traveling for the week, but booked a place with wifi. So, as long as my laptop cooperates, I should be able to post regularly. More than usual, potentially, given I have nothing much else to do after work each day. :)
Thank you for the heads up, Gregor.
As a heads up myself, I'll be heading out of town on the 5th for a family vacation and will be coming back on the 10th. I *may* be able to post some, but can't promise I'll be able to do so daily, or at all, really. I'll post again when I'm actually heading out, but I wanted to go ahead and let y'all know. Hopefully we can leave things off in a way that you can do a bit of planning and/or roleplaying amongst yourselves while I'm gone.
Hey everyone,
Just a reminder that I'm heading out tomorrow on vacation and returning on the 10th. I really enjoy playing with y'all, so I hope to post some, but I'll have to see how it goes.
In the meantime, please proceed with the current scene.
Some other things you might consider doing:
Distributing loot - there's quite a bit of it in the shared tab still.
Deciding on future purchases - doesn't hurt to coordinate and plan ahead.
Devise a strategy - I'm perfectly fine if you want to say you all had an in-character (or out-of-character) conversation before heading down into the monastery.
Deciding how to deal with captives in the future - This was something Gilda mentioned.
Enjoy your vacation! May the Weather Gods smile upon ye :D
Perhaps it will be a good time to discuss character abilities, what we want to take/pick up as we level up, and how we can make it all work together as a group.
That wouldn't be a bad idea.
My general plan on leveling up at this point is straight Investigator, getting to my studied strike, eventually picking up combat inspiration so I can more effectively use inspiration in Combat. I'm also going to pick up Combat Reflexes so I can parry and riposte more often as needed.
Evander is basically going to step into the combat role we lost when Lia dropped. I was originally considering more switch-hitter, but since we lost one of our two front liners, I felt I would need to step up into that role - hence the swashbuckler dip. Only drawback is I'm going to be a little squishier - although with extracts I should hopefully be able to have more means of preventing myself from being hit.
I'd love to hear where everyone is taking their character, yeah. My plan is to keep picking up armor proficiencies to fulfill that oxymoronic dream of an arcane caster in fullplate, and then getting killed by a devil in solo combat trying to qualify for the hellknight prestige class. 'Cause no way is the sorc with delayed spell levels surviving in melee combat with a bearded devil.
Have a good one, Zek. Go recharge those batteries.
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Who said it had to be melee combat?
Have some fun reading this - and enjoy the ideas it presents.
If the wizards can do it, you can do it.
You know, I was gonna be all pessimistic and point out that even if Di floated outside of range with Levitate, the devil's resistances would limit my options for damage to Magic Missile (which would have to contend with their very respectable spell resistance) or Shocking Grasp (which would force me into melee).
But then I came across one of the players in the link using Telekinetic Volley. And yeah, that could totally work. Picking up spells (my very, very limited spells) solely for getting through the hellknight trial irks me, but couple that one with some silver arrows? Decent damage, no damage resistance, no spell resistance. Thanks, man. Think I might go with that one.
Looks like a good game, by the by. Love me some hellknights.
Ha. The Order of the Gate is awesome. Good thing Paizo has published so little info on them because a proper sourcebook on them would most likely kill the magic and the mystery.
I honestly got no idea yet what feats I'll pick up on Matiscio, as his class ability pretty much lets him acquire what he really needs on the fly. So, like I've been doing so far, I figured I'd pick up feat chain starters and save bonuses to bolster his defenses.
Yeah, passing the Order of the Gate trial was easy for my character - Warpriests are great at tanking up and then going toe-to-toe with a bearded devil. Swift action buffs are very useful.
There's also another option for you. Only the Order of the Gate actually calls bearded devils for the Trial as a means to show off their wealth and power. The other Orders just summon them ala summon monster. You could cast Protection from Evil on yourself, and then if it fails the will save, it can't touch you.
Matiscio, that's what I'm planning on doing with a Brawler I submitted to a Reign of Winter game. I was also thinking I'd do Jabbing Style on that character. Are there any Style feats that might work for your character?
While that might have been true for your game, I'm not sure that's the case 'canonically' for the Orders. I imagine they mostly use the spell specifically designed for their trials or even this thing, apparently also made for the purpose.
As for style feats, Outslug Style is hilarious. Don't know if Matiscio would find it useful, and it certainly can't compete with some other styles for raw damage, but the utility of 10' reach coupled with 10' step (as opposed to a 5' step) is crazy. Every attack is a full-round attack when you effectively threaten any enemy within 20 ft.
Did not know that was a spell. Well, then. Protection from Evil is out.
I'm sure you could find a use for Telekinetic Volley outside of just the trial, though. Fly tends to be universally beneficial as well.
Gilda's only a level away from her wandering hex, which means she can finally embrace the Slums. She would've started out as Slums, but mechanically I picked up Life since the group didn't have a ton of healing options at the time of generation.
While she's been primarily debuffing and crown control so far, she'll eventually reach into more buffing.
I had a 'current & future builds' document for Matiscio on my old pc, but then the hard drive died ...
So no, I don't know at the moment what style feats I'll be going for. I do recall reading up on them and having one I really liked, so I'll dig into that in the coming days. It is sort of my misplaced desire to crank up his AC so that he can keep enemies busy without needing a CLW wand rubbing him all over all the time.
I'm officially back from vacation now. While I had a good time, I definitely missed updating y'all more consistently. Hopefully we can get back into the swing of things fairly quickly. Working on a post now!
Didiana, you still have a while to think about how you want to complete your trial. You'll probably be able to find a scroll of Infernal Challenger somewhere when the time comes, if you happen to need it.
I wonder how everyone else will react when you try to give them something beneficial, Gilda...
Considering how many feats you'll be able to get for free, Matiscio, it's definitely a good plan to think about your build. Brawlers are crazy flexible.
Sorry, I had access, but it was very spotty, and wasn't reliable enough to not piss me off if I lost a post, not to mention I had less time that I thought. The combination of the two made my posting limited. Then, since my return, been busy catching up with work and plumbing issues at home.
oh, looking back on the planned progression, I know I'm taking Bard at 4th because I LOVE Versatile Performance, and adding my point to Str so I can upgrade to that bow.
Other than that, I'm going to be bouncing back and forth between Bard and Ranger as the mood strikes. I normally don't plan my PC's all that far out.
He will be switch-hitting buffer. Between Hunter's Bond: Companions and Inspire Courage. Grabbing Haste as a bard, having healing, etc. I actually love playing support roles, especially bards in that regard.
No worries, Gregor. I can't exactly complain much when I wasn't around either. Though I already knew it to some degree, my trip reinforced for me the importance of having a consistent GM for a pbp game. Being away is not something I intend to do again anytime soon. On the bright side, I don't think we ended up getting slowed down too terribly, so it could have been worse.
Also, I can't wait for the fourth part of Who Gets the Scrolls. I hear it's a real nail-biter.
Heeello and welcome back to Who Gets the Scrolls! I'm your host, Didiana Drost, and today we figure out...
*audience chimes in*
WHO! GETS! THE! SCROLLS!
That's right, everybody. Let's meet our lucky contestants. Contestant no.1 is the lovely Gilda Grabapple! Gilda enjoys raising rodent/canine abominations and is a divine caster. A shaman, ladies and gentlemen! Contestant no.2 is Gregor Ward. This ex-dottari is new to the casting game, but is raring to try out his brand spanking new bard level! Wish him the best of luck, folks! And our third and final contestant is... why, it's Didiana Drost! Di is a basket case in recovery and a sorcerer! They're known for a mighty fine spell list, but let's see how she does.
Now let's look at our prizes. What's that behind door number 1?
And behind door no.2?
Door! Number! Thrrrrree!
We're almost there, gentle viewer! Give us door number four!
Final door, folks! Door number five!
That's all we have for you tonight, folks, but we'll be back soon enough with another rousing round of Who Get's the Scrolls!
*Outro starts blaring...*
This is so exciting! I wonder which contestant will open which door. Maybe one will open multiple doors! Only time will tell.
Oh hey, it's me, the guy who can't do any sorta magic :(
Your martial flexibility is a kind of magic all its own, Matiscio.
Also, Didiana, you may have to make part 4 of your game show a two-episode affair. Either that, or your ratings were so high that audiences immediately demanded a part 5.
Ha, yeah we can sell a scroll of Doom with its whopping DC11 Will save. Or use it as kindling for a camp fire. Maybe we can talk Zek into a +1 circumstance bonus to morale saves if we burn it?
I'm fine selling the Cause Fear and Inflict scrolls too for the marginal gold earned.
As for Remove Fear, I'll add it to Gilda. With her +7 Will she's more likely to not run away than Gregor. Maybe she'll use it on Gregor!
Bleh. More scrolls. Not that I should be complaining. The whole reason I wanted to distribute them now is that I fear we're going to need every bullet in the chamber...
Alright, Doom and Inflict are kindling. You're right, Gilda. Damn spells aren't worth the papyrus they're written on. I'm gonna keep the Cause Fear though. Just to be on the safe side. Will toss it onto the sell pile as soon as we're out of the monastery, but I really want every advantage we can get right now.
Remove Fear goes to Gilda. As for the new-comers, Air Bubble and Identify don't have a whole lot of pertinence in our current situation, but they're by no means bad spells. I'm adding them to Di's inventory as she can use both. We'll find a use for them sooner or later. I was however shocked (shocked, I tell you!) when I saw that Silence isn't on the Sorc/Wiz list. Always thought it was. Gregor, as resident Bard it's all yours, even if its spell level is beyond you right now. I've taken the liberty of adding it to your inventory.
The scroll of Dispel Magic is still up in the air, but equip that Pear of Power ASAP, Gilda! Every bullet in the chamber! Besides, you're the only one of us who can use it. And would you look at that, the equivalent item for spontaneous casters is twice as costly. They're weren't kidding when they said 3.5 is alive and well. That legacy hate-boner for the Sorc is still going strong...
Yeah, opportune parry and riposte is great. There's a reason Inpsired blade swashbuckler is a very common dip for Investigators, especially in PFS. I wasn't going to go that route, originally, but then Lia dropped.
So, I don't see anything about it, but does drinking an extract provoke an attack of opportunity? I'm trying to figure out if I need to 5-foot step before I use it or not.
Also, doesn't making a melee attack around a corner give cover?
My name isn't GM Zek, but I found this: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2rh00&page=4?Does-an-Alchemist-drinking-an- extract-provoke#173
Extracts do apparently provoke AoO.
Okay. That's what I thought, but I couldn't find the exact wording.
Next question, did Di's magic missile take the Green guy down? Cause that will determine where I 5-foot step.
Also, I wish I'd drunk my shield extract before we started stealthing.
Yep, what Didiana said about extracts. That's a good link.
As for corners giving soft cover, that's something we should probably discuss, actually. Normally I consider corners 'soft' which basically (in my dictionary) just means you can five-foot step around one. But that also leaves the possibility that soft cover should apply. Mephiry's attack would have still hit, in the last case, but we probably should come up with a standard decision on the matter. My thoughts are that if you can 5-ft step around a corner, you shouldn't incur the penalty. Something like an actual doorway would probably be an example of where you would incur the penalty and couldn't 5-ft step.
Yes, the green guy will go down, but he's just unconscious since the first damage he took was non-lethal.
Okay, that makes sense. I'm all for using that interpretation, where a corner doesn't provide the cover, but a doorway does.
I just wanted to make sure the green guy was down, cause otherwise I was gonna 5-foot step back towards Didiana, and bunching us up for a breath weapon isn't good tactics.
Sounds good. Assuming others don't mind, we'll go with that interpretation then, to try keeping things consistent.
Isn't a good tactic? But grouping up means you can support each other better! ; )
If we had the Shake it Off Teamwork feat, then sure. We, however, do not.
Sorry, had some really crazy days at work. Will try to catch up later tonight or, failing that, first thing tomorrow.
Thank you for the heads up, Matiscio. Nothing major happened, just Evander getting knocked out and starting to bleed out. : )
Work deadline this week. Catching up tomorrow!
Thank you for the heads up!
How are we on ability damage? Gilda has a lesser restoration prepared.
Also, Gilda will happily don the headband for now... DC-based caster and abilities and all that.
Happily approve of Gilda taking the headband. She definitely gets the greatest benefit from it. And I believe Matiscio still suffers a -2 to Str. Which you should forcibly fix for the guy if necessary.
I added the headband to your section of the loot list, Gilda. Feel free to use lesser restoration on Matiscio. I doubt he'd attempt an actual will save even if you cast it on him when he's unwilling.