I'm pretty excited about the new spell!
First Spell Research I think I've ever done.
WOW Luca!
*Pats Luca's head*
I always knew she had it in her. XD
WOOT
Long term plans?
Tyrus needs to get to this other island. Time is limited, so he doesn't want to stay here long term; though he would be happy enough to come back later.
I really want this new spell ;)
OOC I think we were interested in another adventure much like the one we just had.
I'm not wedded to any particular plan, if there is a thing Kien or Luca want in particular.
Note: the "open gate to Avernus" is a potential motivator for the people he wants to fund his expedition.
I'm interested in basically anything that gets us experience. XD I have a lot of plans for 7th level, which is when this build gets interesting. Aside from that, I'm open to basically whatever. Fetching some new magic seems like a good way to pass forward.
I agree, but I am conscious that when we attempted Keldradt we barely got out alive.
@Kien: For the record the city we're in is basically a megadungeon itself.
A good half the city is overrun with undead of various sorts.
We came here overconfident, and one of our party (an NPC) was brutally killed. We all nearly died, and basically had to crawl back at incredibly reduced speed. We actually made a loss.
I'm interested in xp, and in gp, but I don't want to lose Tyrus. We need to make an assessment of how likely we are to survive.
That said, the current team actually seems to do pretty well. If the new spell adds "healing", then we might actually do alright in a tougher area.
GM, what would you think about Kien using some downtime to retrain feats? There's a certain build I want to get to and I think I've put too many feats down the wrong tree to get to it.
Retraining is absolutely available. I encourage the use of downtime because it makes the world jive better with my sense of internal consistency (taking years to gain high levels instead of weeks).
And megadungeon is definitely a suitable way to think about Keldradt. At the time, I thought "surely I'm throwing them enough warnings about this that they'll decide against it." But noooo... I honestly expected a couple party deaths or maybe even a full wipe there. Glad it didn't happen!
Well, you have been generous enough to let us grab a few healing abilities - that definitely helps. XD
Ohhh wait, I remember what's going on with Kien's build.
Originally I was planning on him being a "half-drow", which means he could pick up darkness as a spell-like ability with an alternate racial trait. That would have allowed Kien to make use of the various nightmare feats.
Nightmare Fist
Nightmare Weaver
I was planning on picking up those in addition to intimidating prowess, and perhaps some drow feats for more darkness spells per day, in order to be a supernatural darkness-inducing brawler of terror. But I think GM Mercy didn't like the alternate racial trait so I went with a much more vanilla build.
Would there be any way for me to get some darkness spells in order to make use of those feats and retrain for them? I always thought it would be a really fun and terrifying build.
Retraining is absolutely available. I encourage the use of downtime because it makes the world jive better with my sense of internal consistency (taking years to gain high levels instead of weeks).
And megadungeon is definitely a suitable way to think about Keldradt. At the time, I thought "surely I'm throwing them enough warnings about this that they'll decide against it." But noooo... I honestly expected a couple party deaths or maybe even a full wipe there. Glad it didn't happen!
There were a lot of warnings - but there always are. So many things call themselves epic and dangerous it starts to grey out. Also, certain party members were more into the 'heroic mindset' than others.
@Kien: it can be very hard for non-spellcasters to get spells. I'm happy to pick up some spells if it will make your build work, but I think those feats mean you have to be able to do it yourslf?
I mean, Luca can be very heroic when the only ones at risk are her summons. o wo~
Yes I believe I need to so it myself. I was planning on picking it up with drow traits and feats, but perhaps a magic item of sorts?
I'm fine with you picking up the abilities. No need to tie it to an item unless that's what you'd prefer - could just say it came down in the bloodline, like a version of sorcerous powers. Happens all the time, right? Either you can decide how exactly and let me know, or I'll make it up and let you know. :)
I think Kien is reworked and ready to go.
I've given him the drow-born alternate racial traits, which changes a number of things.
Loses low-light vision
Retains darkvision
Gains light blindness
Loses adaptability bonus feat (perception check goes down)
Treated as drow for any effects or prerequisites
Gains dancing lights, darkness, and faerie fire as SLAs 1/day
Retrained improved trip for nightmare fist
Retrained pummeling bully (which I realized I didn't actually have all the prerequisites for) to intimidating prowess
So this has made Kien's senses a little less sharp and he's not quite as naturally good at tripping, but 1/day he has a really neat trick where he can drop the entire area into darkness, intimidate everybody inside, and start beating the crap out of them. Unfortunately I don't have the charisma to qualify for noble drow feats that would give me more uses of darkness per day, but perhaps I can alleviate that by picking up some magic items?
As long as you qualify Tyrus should be able to help out with Darkness - though it means you will not be able to intimidate as well. Fortunately it is Evocation, rather than morally questionable Illusion ;P
Does this mean a fear type spell overlapped with the darkness works especially well for you?
I am conscious that a lot of the critters we fight have darkvision. We should probably look at moving towards some sort of contingent darkvision, or blindsight, or something? Might be helped here by the fact neither Tyrus not Luca are combatants; and I bet a ton of Luca's summons just love the dark. @Luca: do any of them have a Darkness ability?
Oooh. Shadowfade
Sadly, they're mostly blob/worm monsters at this point. XD Level 7 is where they really start to get interesting, which is why I picked it for Luca coming to grips with her abilities and gaining some self-confidence. (Nightgaunts, in particular, will be interesting. But also Rust Monsters and Vampiric Mists. XD)
Yes, darkness which overlaps with fear is a potent tool for Kien. Even if they can see in the darkness, he still gets buffs for it.
Once you have started down the feat road, if you definitely want to pursue getting the extra uses per day, magic items would probably be the route to go, yep.
Kien will start looking into getting those magic items than, especially once we acquire some money from pawning off this loot.
So we're heading back out?
I believe we're meeting with the order first to discuss their possible backing of us.
Not sure Tyrus can roll...
Remember also that we identified a periodically opening planar portal that we didn't wreck. Spun correctly that might boost the order's interest...
Great. An emotionally stunted soldier and a child with dark powers need to convince a group of investors to trust us.
This is the weirdest episode of Shark Tank I've ever seen.
Fortunately for you, this was really more of a re-cap episode.
-Snrk-
I mean, at least we have actual goods, not merely promises about what we could do.
Hang on - I'm pretty sure 1 gold sovereign = 100 silver.
not 560sp; 5600.
The price on the earlier page is in SP, as I recall.
@Mercy: am I right?
Edit: This is for us to help out, right? Not just for the stuff we have?
Yes, the conversion is 100 -> 1 for upgrading in currencies. Both copper to silver and silver to gold.
This is for the stuff you have. No more word has been mentioned about you coming back - they get the sense that is just what Horl expects.
I just remembered I never made Dante give any provision for keeping part of the proceeds, so it'll be up to you whether you want to count out any of your share of the coin to leave to a PC-turned-NPC.
Given how much time we've spent just trying to scrape some cash together? I'm willing to overlook that in the name of expediency. XD
I was thinking you might. As a reminder of the scale, in most decently settled places including mid-size cities, the average person lives on roughly a silver piece per day. This being your average faux medieval society in most places, the living standards for the 'average person' aren't very high, but still. It's a solid chunk of change.
@Mercy: That seems like a good line to close the day on. I can write a letter, though, if you like. Otherwise happy to have that happening in the background.
@Kien, @Luca: So; what's the plan?
Certainly. I admit I'm having difficulty moving you forward without any clear indications of what you want to do next in the immediate sense (I'm further having difficulty juggling the various things I've committed to do, but that's my own problem!).
So yes, you've got some cash, you've got a notion as to some solutions (or paths towards solutions) to Tyrus' problem. What will you be doing next? If you'd like, I'll let you know the most obvious path I've dangled in front of you (although I'd hope it would be.... well, obvious) and simply set you out upon it with one or two decisions on your part!
Personally, I think getting treatment for Tyrus is the most important thing. o wo We should have the money to pay a priest in any decent location, assuming we can find one. So... head out from this city and go explore more of the GM's world?
Also, get XP. XD My secondary goal is leveling up as soon as possible since I'm really looking forward to Luca's change.
You guys are literally teetering on the edge of your next level-up. Basically as soon as you decide on your next real course of action you'll be there. Let that motivate you!
*Immediately posts a course of action*
Get Tyrus better is Kien's highest priority.
The damn forums have eaten two attempts at this post, so it’ll be a bit more brief than originally intended. In effect, you have two mentioned possible destinations:
The temple in Athekor (north of you, across the mountains on this continent)
or
The college at Laquar (far to the east, across an ocean and then through a bit more land).
Overall travel possibilities, including cost and time:
To Athekor:
By Sea: Hire passage on the large merchant ship (leaving in a couple days from Keldradt) and wait until they dock at or near Athekor, than travel overland to the temple.
Cost: Not much (a few dozen silver all together).
Time: 12-18 days.
The other options involve some measure of travel over the mountains by way of the major dwarven holds and their roads, either directly from Keldradt or from a little ways down the coast. You might be able to get there a bit faster (maybe 10-14 days) but you’d need to buy mounts to move that quickly.
To Laquar:
Two basic routes:
1) Take the same merchant ship around and once you arrive back in the eastern part of the continent, check at the various ports for a ship heading to Kadesh. Then travel from whatever port you arrive in to the city (slightly inland, but along well-traveled routes).
Cost: Somewhere around half a gold per person traveling.
Time: Arrival at Laquar between 25-35 days, without major interruptions.
2) Wait until the supply galley arrives from Rivettia, book passage back to Gemny (the same city you left from) and get a ship there to Kadesh, which shouldn’t take that long.
Cost: higher (the captain of the galley has little room and charges passengers accordingly), Figure 1-2 gold per passenger total.
Time: 17-30 days, largely depending on when the galley arrives
I may post a map of the intended destinations/routes, especially if you guys think it will help the decision.
Luca doesn't really like sailing anymore, but I feel like a major temple is a pretty good place to try and find a solution. XD
Hmmm. How long does the merchant ship stay docked at Athekor?
Wondering if we could sail there, duck in to ask if they have leads, and if not then get back on the ship to continue until we find a ship headed to Laquar?
Luca; this is the temple of Luca's sister? We don't know (I mean at the moment T definitely doesn't) any details about that, right?
If you've got something in your background this would give a chance to expose for rp, I'm happy to vote for the temple as a longer destination.
I agree on the temple, highest priority is healing Tyrus.
I'm pretty sure it isn't? I'd have to doublecheck my notes, but I'm about eighty percent sure it's not. If it is, Luca may have blanked for a moment and would probably need to roll a will save between doing what she thinks is best for Tyrus and trying to avoid that particular place. XD
EDIT: Luca's sister follows Felathren, NG goddess of fertility and protection.
The temple is a couple days travel inland from the coast and ships don't tend to stay more than two or three days, so you wouldn't be able to get there and back before your ride left. However, Luca at least would know that the main port in Athekor is decently busy so you wouldn't have trouble booking passage on another ship before long.
Hmmm.
I feel like we're going to end up in Laquar before we find a cure, at a minimum, but given that's based on the law of narrative causality (OOC) it might make sense to try out the closer temple first; worst case we lose the travel time, but can continue looking for a ship in Athekor.
Tertius is quite averse to hard riding through mountainous terrain. He's pretty averse to gentle walking through hills, for that matter. He doesn't remember being taken by pirates; I have a feeling sailing will sound good to him. Easy travel, and he can study on the way. If we are taking the mountains, he'll definitely push for more comfortable travel.
If you want to raid the temple, I think it will take too long; it is not just around the corner. That said, if there is a cure in Athekor, we may be able to get it and come back before they set off. Expeditions to bring back structural archaeological materials through tropical jungles aren't going to be set up quickly, I should think.
As to your question Tyrus the ship is docked for another couple of days, leaving close to dawn on the morning after next (I really need to get that damn calendar up).
From an efficiency standpoint, the Athekor temple can certainly be thought of as 'on the way' to getting to Kadesh. And with your newfound wealth, I wouldn't imagine you guys would sweat the passage fee.
Kien certainly doesn't mind a ship journey. He can grab some ale and kick up his feet for once. Maybe even get a bit of a tan.
Sounds good to me. How do we go about managing that, just go to the docks and say "Hey whatup we want passage"?
Seems like we might be approaching a consensus.
So: Luca, are you okay to be talked into a sea voyage, or do you want to push for overland?