Getting well is more important than gaming. Take all the time that you need
FYI, I'm gonna be travelling for the next week or so. I hope to check in at least once a day, but you never know when you'll have internet on the road. GM, go ahead and bot me if needed (I hope to find enough time to get in on this boozy soul-bearing before I hop on a plane, it's quite enjoyable).
Some procedural stuff:
Even though she has no real need for sustenance,
FYI Dawn: I'm not sure if you meant generally or at that moment, but so you are aware, Androids do need to eat and drink. They are flesh and blood and not robots. Essentially they are artificially built human beings; their bodies are manufactured through the use of nanobots instead of growing naturally but are still made of the same stuff.
Stell: Sadly, no. Once there was a pressing need to flee the scene I watched carefully for anyone mentioning what they were grabbing. Had you not had to run I would normally assume you would collect everything of value.
Bluff, skill expertise: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + 7 + (3) = 22
Guys: If you are in a conversation with your fellow party members and something comes up that your character would not let on to but that develops your character like this, I'd prefer that you just take 10.
I was in a game where we had a bard with a shady past who would periodically drop spoilers with hints about his character based on a sense motive roll. But because he was a bard his bluff skill was really high and he would make rolls to set the DC. Which ended up meaning that most of the time the little character details he would drop (which ultimately are MEANT to be read) would have a sense motive DC that was unattainable my anyone in the party.
So only roll for Bluff if your character is actively trying to fool someone.
The Instrument Stell wants to get eventually
...
Hmmm...
Stell: Professional tools cost 20 credits and grant a +4 to a specific profession check, and since the game system doesn't really distinguish between one profession and another I would normally consider instruments to count as such tools for a musician.
It really depends on how detailed you want to get into how performing works. I can see a lot of ways in which rules could be developed but I'd rather not spend too much time on that.
Presumably as with artworks you could spend as much as you want on one. As to mechanical benefits though we would have to figure that out.
Note that things like tools and clothing will not count for using a profession skill to recall knowledge.
Understood regarding bluff checks. Actually, I wasn't so much trying to play her as hiding something as a reflex to pretend to drink more than she does, just because her mother trained her to never get drunk when in a social event where others are drinking freely. Not sure about the skill expertise part of the roll, but if that's left out, her result would have been a 17 for someone to notice her habit.
As for the instrument, I would imagine the "musician's tool kit" if one exists would include a reasonably good quality instrument. Since I've been playing her with an instrument, I'll pay that cost and start adding the bonus when she is performing, if that is appropriate.
The special instrument she wants down the road would be something along the lines of a masterwork instrument in Pathfinder, which would give an additional bonus in performance, but that's not a big deal and would mostly affect down time rolls to further her career. She'll probably get a datajack eventually just to facilitate the programming that she has to do just to self-publish her music on the Internet.
The Icon theme assumes with additional levels comes increasing celebrity, by which point, a better instrument would be normal for a famous instrumentalist. I'm just roleplaying things during downtime that would contribute incrementally to her becoming more famous with time.
If it's not going to affect your character's mechanical abilities then I'm happy handwaving the whole thing. We can assume that your musical "brand" increases as you level but anything that the side career earns is reinvested into better musical equipment.
BTW guys I did pick up the Pact Worlds book on Friday. I have no problem using material from that book in the game. If there's something you think that is actually broken in that book, let me know, but nothing there really stands out as a problem to me.
Sure, that item is fine.
Sorry to hear that! Glad to hear that you're out and back.
I will be on vacation from tomorrow until Monday, April 16th. I will try to post when I can, but updates will be sporadic until I return. GM, please bot me if necessary.
Whew! Back in the land of the internet. Sorry I was gone so long - I thought I would be able to check in at some point, but no luck there.
Hey, all. Sometime in the next week, I'm going to launch a recruitment thread for my own Dead Suns PbP. I know that most of you may have played it or at least read through part of the adventure, but if you haven't (or if you're great at partitioning your mind and want to get more Starfinder in your life), let me know. There's a free seat waiting for any/all of you. If you want in (or if you have any questions) just send me a message.
Yeah, I'd be up for that. It's the only AP out there right now. I'm in one game playing a mystic and we are about to head to the Acreon. I wouldn't mind if you changed up some things.
BTW, I am re-doing the map for this encounter. So give me a bit more time.
I'd be interested. I'm not getting much chance to play at local PFS or SFS events, so I wouldn't mind a chance to explore a different character arc.
Thanks for the offer but I'm already in too many PBP games :-(
In my games, I have a houserule that anything you might use in a battle can be attached in some handy way so it is accessible the same way a weapon may be drawn from a holster or scabbard. I once had a PFS GM insist that a wizard could not draw a wand like a weapon unless the character had purchased a wrist sheath which specifically stated that a wand could be drawn like a weapon. Never mind that a sheath for a wand could be fashioned out of simple fabric so the wand can be quickly drawn. I figure potions, scrolls, etc. could be put in similar handy little pockets, hooks, or what have you.
You mentioned the serum injector gun: that sounds like something that already exists for dispensing medication, so I would expect that could be done. It would have to be used at point blank range, I would think. I expect one could buy something that looks like a wrist watch and which when activated (standard action) injects whatever serum or medicine is stored in it directly into the wearer. For extra cost, it might have a convenient trigger that makes it a move or a swift action to activate.
The needler pistol description suggests it could be used to dispense a healing potion, although that seems counterproductive. However, it also suggests using it to inject poison or some such, which I would do if there were better options. How about some kind of drug that would have the potential to put someone to sleep if a save were not successful?
At present the only affordable, available poison for low level characters is id moss, which is not an injectable poison (ingestion), so it can't be used with a needler gun.
I'm thinking of a weaker version of Blue Whinnis, maybe with a DC of 12.
Blue Whinnis (weak)
Type poison (injury); Save Fortitude DC 12
Track Constitution (special); Frequency 1/round for 2 rounds
Effect progression track is Healthy—Weakened—Unconscious; no end state.
Cure 1 save
If this were available, there would probably be an antidote, some kind of stimulant.
Maybe there could be similar low level poisons that would reduce strength or dexterity or cloud one's mind, making thought difficult. They would have low saves and limited effect, maybe just one or two progressions down the appropriate track.
I agree that there ought to be some things you can put into a needler gun that cost less than the needler gun. I always thought poison was overpriced in Pathfinder too.
We'll look at that later.
What I do will depend on what Dawn does. This has probably been discussed before but I can't recall how the GM is moderating situations . When there are blocks,
[such as at the moment:
Block 3: Dawn (-4), Thuldas (-5)
Round 6 Initiative:
Block 1: Iolas (-4), Stell (-7), Wint ]
should Iolas, Stell, and Wint wait to post until Dawn and Thuldas have posted?
For what it's worth, in the games I GM, I post the exact initiative order and even if players post out of that order, I resolve the results of the actions assuming the actions occur in normal initiative order unless someone uses the ready action or delay option. Personally, I prefer this because I think it is part of the fun of the tactics of melee looking ahead and planning actions around the standard initiative order. In a game around the table, this is the standard, while in PBP, it is recognized that waiting for other players to post can slow the game down. Still, it can matter whether actions unfold in initiative order or in the order posts are made.
In this case, for the sake of speed, the whole party acts as a block. Posts are resolved in the order posted unless the character specifies they want to wait for another character to do something. If you were originally ahead of someone but post later, it is assumed that you have delayed until just after their action resolved.
Free actions are resolved at any time, and those include speech, so feel free to have Stell tell Dawn what Stell wants her to do.
BTW, I was looking at drugs for needler weapons, and it looks like the cheapest one is a sedative medicinal, a level 1 version costs 150 cr and does 1d4 nonlethal (subject to a Fort save).
Hey, GM: how many credsticks did we just pick up? For bookkeeping purposes.
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Hey, GM: how many credsticks did we just pick up? For bookkeeping purposes.
Total loot from the encounter:
Four credsticks with 200 creditsSix credsticks with no money on them
Four Azimuth Laser Pistols
Four suits of Flight Suit Stationwear
Three Assault Hammers
Datapad
...and...
Five Antitoxin Plant Bulbs
So that is 800 from the 4 credsticks + 140 for the 4 laser psitols + 38 for the four flight suits + 28.5 for the 3 hammers + 7.5 for the datapad computer. Total = 1014, which is 202.8 credits per PC.
This is assuming we sold all equipment at the 10% rate. I'd suggest if anyone wants to keep one of the items for personal use, just subtract that resale value from the 202.8. For example, Stell wants one of the pistols, so that would reduce her share to 167.8. That keeps the math simple and everyone gets an even share. If no one else wants the Datapad, Stell would keep it, since it would cost about 75 credits new. But if one of the people with more ranks in computers wants it, you could get better use out of it than Stell.
FYI you can also pull the batteries out of any of the pistols if you want. This reduces the sale price since the cost of the pistol includes 1 battery.
If anyone uses small arms and doesn't have a laser pistol, you might as well take one.
So that is 800 from the 4 credsticks + 140 for the 4 laser psitols + 38 for the four flight suits + 28.5 for the 3 hammers + 7.5 for the datapad computer. Total = 1014, which is 202.8 credits per PC.
If we split it six ways (to maintain our party fund), that's 169 credits per PC, and brings the party fund net worth to 334 credits.
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Hey! We've got a starship! To celebrate this momentous occasion, I threw together a digital starship sheet for the Calico Wanderer.
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Okay guys, I've been thinking about the rules of starship combat and I'm going to make a few changes.
The most significant one is that I am going to cut the speed of all starships by half.
My experience so far is that the current rules require a very large hex grid, most of which is unused, to provide enough space to play out a space combat. Furthermore, even a ship with turn 2 maneuverability still has the movement to come virtually full circle each round and always point its nose at the enemy, which ends up meaning that whoever wins initiative has a huge advantage over the enemy. Having only half the movement means that each combat round will allow more limited positioning, which makes the various pilot stunts worth doing.
This also means ranges need to be shortened. Short range will be 3 hexes, medium 6 hexes, and long range will be 12 hexes.
I am also going to assign damage types to weapons (Fire, Piercing, and Radiation) and add a science action to optimize shields against a particular type of weapon.
If a missile has not reached its target in a single round then it gets placed on the map like a ship. Any weapon will be able to target the missile, though they are hard to hit and weapons with the Point property get a bonus to hit missiles.
Huh, interesting. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
I admit to not loving the current Starfinder ship combat rules so I'm good with trying alternatives.
I've only run through about half a dozen ship combats or so, so I'm not solidified in my opinions. I'd like to see if things become more tactical, however.
Speaking of tactical, I also noticed that our ship has no turret-mounted or aft-mounted weapon. We'll really need to be on our toes to keep our foes in our sights.
GM - you've cut the speed of starships by 50% and the range of weapons by 40%. What about the speed of tracking weapons? Our light plasma torpedoes have a vanilla speed of 14 hexes.
Guys, do we have a consensus on starship roles?
You can change roles within a combat, but I would like to know what your "starting" configuration will be.
Dawn: Computers +5, Diplomacy +6, Intimidate +4, Gunnery +2
Iolas: Piloting +10, Engineering +9, Computers +7, Gunnery +4
Stell: Piloting +6, Computers +5, Bluff +7+1d6, Diplomacy +7, Intimidate +7, Gunnery +3
Thuldas: Computers +7, Engineering +7, Gunnery +0
Wint: Piloting +10, Gunnery +5
Iolas is the best engineer.
If Iolas is the engineer, Wint is the best Pilot and Thuldas is the best science officer.
Stell has the best skills for the Captain's chair.
Note that only Pilot is mandatory.
Dawn is pretty lackluster for starship combat across the board. She would either be science officer or a gunner.
GM - you've cut the speed of starships by 50% and the range of weapons by 40%. What about the speed of tracking weapons? Our light plasma torpedoes have a vanilla speed of 14 hexes.
Yes, projectiles will also have their speed halved. they still travel faster than ships to generally.
I was going to halve the weapon ranges too but then there was a question of rounding for short range.
For a "default" configuration, I think Thuldas will take science officer, as he makes nearly the worst gunner possible.
Just for fun, I think the most tanky, evasive, and defensive crew configuration would be
- Stell as Captain
- Iolas & Thuldas as Engineers
- Wint as Pilot
- Dawn as Science Officer
- No Gunners - instead, Iolas takes snap shots as a minor crew action
Conversely, I think the most glass-cannon offensive crew configuration would be
- No Captain
- Thuldas as Engineer
- Stell as Pilot
- No Science Officer
- Dawn, Thuldas & Wint as Gunners
I don't know if we would ever want to run either of those configurations, but I'm pretty sure every useful combination lies on a spectrum between the two.
I'm happy to run Stell as the default captain, with an eye toward flexibility. She can shift to any other role as needed, since captain is not essential. I'd suggest having our best at the pilot, engineer, and science officer positions, since we are not a warship and are (as far as we know) facing a disabled or partly disabled ship that is also not a warship. If we encounter any surprises, we are in a position to be flexible.
My experience has been that the science officer is not that important over all and after you have decent scans of the ship the science officer can switch to gunnery. However, Thuldas is the worst gunner in the party. So if you're going to do a switcheroo then Thuldas should switch to engineering and Iolas to gunnery.
You can have multiple engineers, but they can't both take the same action. So only one can Divert Power in any given turn. Usually you want to Divert Power to shields unless your shields are strong, but the other actions only matter if you have critical damage.
A lot depends on how many guns you have available. The Calico Wanderer can fire two weapons forward, port, or starboard (but none to aft). So you will never need more than two gunners (at least until you make some upgrades), and one gunner could fire both weapons with a Fire at Will action.
It's also worth mentioning that the engineering checks are usually fairly easy. The DC of Divert and Patch will only be 13. Science checks are usually pretty easy too.
So an "aggressive" layout might be:
Pilot: Iolas (+10)
Engineer: Thuldas (+7)
Science: Dawn (+5)
Gunners: Wint (+5), Stell (+3)
If there is no Science to do then Dawn could switch to gunnery and then Stell goes to the captain's chair.
The main thing though is that I need to know what positions you will start at. The next encounter is space combat so we need that before we can begin.
I will start as a gunner.
Stell is fine with starting at Gunner with an eye toward moving to the Captain's chair. It can be a good tactic to use the Taunt (Captain action) during the initial gunnery phase if we act before the other ship. This can reduce their attack rolls for up to 4 rounds. After it is used once, it cannot be used against the same ship, so unless there are multiple ships, that can't be used again.
After that, the captain mainly aids others, which will be most effective aiding gunners or the pilot.
Can we make the decision on the fly to change functions? Or do we have to change before the new round starts?
The most recently proposed layout seems fine to me. I've never done piloting before so I might need a little help, but otherwise it looks good.
I am also going to assign damage types to weapons (Fire, Piercing, and Radiation) and add a science action to optimize shields against a particular type of weapon.
Hey GM, can we get some more details on this? Sounds like it may be useful in a few rounds.
I looked it up, and the rules say that any change in ship role must occur prior to the engineering phase of the new round. Stell is prepared to move to a gunnery station if we think we'll be in a position to fire two guns in the same round. I think we can do that if we can keep the enemy in our forward section.
So default assumption is that prior to next round Stell will move to the gyrolaser gunnery station and let Wint handle the torpedos, since they do more damage and she is the better shot.
Do we have a limited number of torpedoes?
If the pilot thinks we won't be able to keep the enemy in front of us, try to give Stell and Wint a heads up so Wint can move to one of the other gunnery stations (port or starboard) and Stell can return to the Captain role to offer encouragement.
Don't forget we get computer bonuses to two checks in the upcoming round. I'd recommend piloting and Gunnery. The ship gives the pilot an additional +1 as well.
In case the enemy ship is in the port or starboard arc after its movement, Dawn will shoot the light laser cannon instead of the gyrolaser. Here's the damage roll for i.
[dice=Laser Cannon Damage]2d4
In case the enemy ship is in the port or starboard arc after its movement, Dawn will shoot the light laser cannon instead of the gyrolaser. Here's the damage roll for i.
The gyrolaser can fire to port and starboard. Are you saying you want Iolas to fire the Gyrolaser in this case?
In your main post you mentioned "18 if firing from side arc," so I just went ahead and assumed that Iolas would fire the light laser.
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New Houserule Alert!
Guys, I am getting sick of looking up the ranges for space weapons all the time. I'm sure I would eventually memorize them but part of the problem is that the weapon ranges are completely arbitrary.
So we are going to go with a simple fix:
All projectile weapons which fire matter at less than the speed of light (including coilguns, railguns, flak throwers, plasma cannons) have short range.
All energy weapons that fire a beam at the speed of light (including lasers, particle beams, EMP cannons, gravity guns) have medium range.
All tracking weapons that home in on an enemy vessel (including missiles and torpedoes) have long range.
These changes will go into effect in the next space battle. We'll finish the current one as-is.
GM, my earlier post in this thread was from last week, several rounds ago. But you interpreted my intent to fire the gyrolaser for this round correctly. :)
My wife and I are expecting the birth of our second daughter any time between now and her due date of July 13th. When that occurs, I will likely be incommunicado for a few days. I will also be taking a month off from work, and since I usually do most of my posting from there, my posts will be sporadic and infrequent during that time. Things should get back to normal when I return to work though.
GM, feel free to bot me during this time when necessary.
Best of luck to you and yours!
As reasons for delayed posting go, that is a pretty good one :-)
Good luck!
Fingers crossed for healthy delivery. Don't worry about the game until things settle down.
Dawn: No worries, and congratulations.
FYI I'm going out to the country for the weekend (for my brother's wedding) and probably won't have net access. I should be back on track Monday.
Hey all, I'll be camping without much, if any signal. Please bot me if I'm playing in a game, or if I'm GMing, just sit tight for a few days until I'm back.