Jade Regent, presented by DM Hamied - Campaign Thread

Game Master Hamied


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HP 45/45, AC- 18, Touch- 14, Flat- 14, CMD- 21, Fort- +6, Ref- +9, Will- +2, Percep- +7, Init- +4

Repost from recruitment thread with a little added. The avatar I picked was suitable for his head/face.

Appearance & Personality-

Alezandaru is a clean shaven youth that cultivates his looks carefully, resulting in him being mocked by his associates as a bit of a pretty boy. He keeps a small and neat ponytail and his hair is a dark brown, his eyes a similar colour. Behind an easy smile and apparent confidence lies self-doubt in social situations; but most of the time Alezandaru is firmly in control. Underneath his simply clothes and concealed within his long sleeves are two spring-loaded dagger sheaths and he never goes anywhere without these concealed weapons, or the studded leather armour he wears. When dressed to enforce or expecting trouble, Alezandaru straps a further four daggers into his belt sheaths along with two cestus. When travelling a finely crafted backpack is strapped to his upper body to contain his possessions, but his 'essential gear' is contained within a small belt pouch that also rarely leaves his side.

Alezandaru is cocky and over-confident in a fight, rushing in brashly with lightning reflexes to finish off his opponents as quickly as possible. He does not relish the few times hes had to get his knives bloody, but is unlikely to hold back for fear of being struck down himself. Despite his occupation he has a good heart and as a Varisian has almost inevitably inherited a sense of wanderlust from his parents. He is a young teenager becoming a man and is often rebellious when the hand of authority is placed upon him.


Almar:
We haven't seen you yet in the campaign thread, and I wasn't sure if you'd seen that I'd linked it above. Here it is again in case you missed it.


Wow, this is pretty fun. When I rolled her up (obviously not at that height, but being Ulfen, it says in the campaign setting guide they're larger than most humans) I didn't even consider the whole "a barbarian in New York" angle with Lisabett and other PCs/NPCs.

Raziel:

Hope her reaction doesn't phase you too much. I know you said you thought she meant to help, but she's got only average wisdom and no sense motive modifier, and she is, as you have pointed out, a giant amongst men, much less women.


Male Human (Varisian) Paladin of Shelyn (Warrior of the Holy Light) 3

I think I may have neglected to mention Sorin's appearance at all. Sorry about that.

He's 22 years old and stands about 6'2" tall. His hair is slightly wavy and a deep yellow blonde (as opposed to a bright yellow beach blonde). His skin has the usual Varisian duskiness. His eyes are golden; uncommon outside of Varisia. He proudly wears the symbol of Shelyn (a songbird with a multi-hued tail) at all times. In common clothes, this is usually in the form of a pendant. When in armor, the symbol is prominently displayed on his tabard and shield. the latter usually being strapped to his back as he prefers the glaive when forced to fight. He smiles frequently and considers it a bad day if he can't get someone else to do so at least once.


I know AK has sporadic internet access until mid September, but we've yet to see an in character post from Almar. Hope to have you in there soon enough. Awesome roleplaying so far, folks.

We will proceed with the adventure. I should be able to have everybody in place before the goblins light Lisabett, Raziel and Sorin on fire...


Male Human Gunslinger 03

I'm ashamed to say I didn't see the campaign post and was convinced you were setting up the campaign. I'm very sorry!


No worries. Glad to have you in now.


Raziel

In case her language has confused, Lisabett's plan is this:

Round up some fishermen that can tell us more about the marsh, its dangers and heck, even see if they might be willing to take us out there on their boats if we can negotiate it directly to this Warden Proudstump guy to get more information about the goblins.

But the key is information. And caution. She doesn't want to go out there knowing that these goblins have some beyond all mortal dread method of burning people alive. She really does not want anyone getting hurt. As it is the afternoon, she does not want to go slogging after these creatures at night, that gives them every advantage over the party.

I apologize for any misunderstanding.


Lisabett,

No problem, I understand. And I'm just engaging in a bit of role-play, because you do seem to have the attitude that we aren't quite as good.

Your comment here: I have been informed that one party is unaccounted for, and Brother Holheim's companions are in the process of forming another. Please tell me where my men might find these vile conscripts so that they may be disposed of before any more are added to the list of the likely dead.
makes it sound like I and my friends are going to be added to the list of likely dead.

So Raziel is going to fire a comment back at you, and we'll take it from there.

No hard feeling, I like Lisabett.


It's good stuff, just don't kill each other :)


Aaaah, I see where the confusion is. She meant conscripts as in the posters, not the party. The posters being the method of conscripting new sellswords. Maybe I used the term wrong, I was writing on less than 6 hours of sleep, and didn't check my definitions.

My fault.

She wanted to get her three guys to go tear down the posters before anyone else decided to do foolish stuff without proper preparation. Not to join the party.

And no, not looking to kill anyone.


I dunno about anybody else, but I tend to give my characters theme songs. And I have just identified this as Lisabett's.


DM Hamied:

I've been poking about recently, and discovered another game running here that's logged about 400 new posts in under a week, so I was curious and saw that each and every one of the players had essentially abandoned the cooperative nature of the AP and were posting personal actions in spoiler tags and carrying on with individual love affairs.

Now, I know that "romance" is supposed to be an object of this game, I've had Lisabett choose Sandru as the object of her affection, but she's not the sort of confident to actively and doggedly pursue anything more than a more clear understanding of each other at the moment, especially given how other PCs appear to be misinterpreting her intentions. That, and as a player, I never expect that an NPC is beholden to any PC simply because of a trait

I suppose my question is, how are we going to handle the mechanic in game so that it doesn't become a mess of personal agendas hidden behind spoiler tags?

Or am I worrying unnecessarily?


Lisabett:
I wouldn't worry about it too much. I expect some competition for Ameiko's affection between Alazandaru and Sorin, but I intend to tread carefully there. If I notice it (or any of the other relationships) becoming an issue, I will likely address it first through in game events. Nothing ruins an intimate moment like a shuriken in the back!

I very much like the interaction between Lisabett and Sandru that you have narrated in your backstory, and I hope to continue in a similar vein when the time is right. You don't need to throw posts at him to bring him around.

I don't want the game to devolve into a love sim. It's an adventure with a handful of fun options.


DM Hamied:

Yeah, thanks. I'm an old married lady, and thus satisfied in terms of my real life romantic entanglements. It isn't as though I would discourage others from more active pursuit, but when it becomes about a single character's dogged determination to get some tail, it sorta distracts from the story for me.

That said, I run a few characters in PbPs here with some folk that I am more familiar with that are romantic with each other, so I know how it can help to develop a character. I suppose that's why I chose the trait, to have a reason to show my "brick house" sorceress has a softer side to her than the abrupt leadership role she clings to.

Currently trying to figure out how she'll develop her relationship with Ameiko, but that is going to require more thought.


Male Human (Varisian) Paladin of Shelyn (Warrior of the Holy Light) 3

I ramble on a bit long here; sorry about that.

DM Hamied:
Two things.

First, I wanted to explain things like why Sorin suddenly had that conversation with Ameiko. I'm trying to roleply certain, let's call them flaws, in Sorin's charcter that Sorin himself isn't aware that he has, but I don't want to appear inconsistent either.

Sorin is guileless. That little white lie that Lisabett told after Ameko's song that actually made her sad, Sorin would never be able to do. The only way he knows to lie to people he considers friends is by omission. Lying just isn't in his nature.

He has a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve; especially if his mood is good or indifferent.

What he said to Ameiko was pretty much true but he greatly fears failure. Not so much in things like combat and physical tasks but rather in thigns like upholding his paladin code. He's hard on himself is this regard without being aware that he is. He already thinks he's failed to a point with Lisabett even though it would be highly unlikely to for her to open up to him after only a day. He thinks that Lisabett is holding her pain inside with he thinks is unhealthy but Sorin does the exact same thing. He just doesn't think about it in reference to himself. Ameiko's response has just made him feel worse. He thinks he's insulted her somehow. He wants to make the situation better but fears making it worse. And he keeps these fears and failures bottled up inside. The part of the code that he feels most keen about is "enriching the lives of others" and will feel failures here most keenly. Some of is immaturity. Sorin has lead a fairly sheltered and uneventful life and so he lacks context to help him deal with some of these issues. Even his affection for Ameiko lacks this. His only real love that he's had up until now has been for Shelyn herself which isn't particularly helpful in this regard.

I bring this up because, if we were playing around a table, most of this would already have come out before play or through small talk during play. I don't want you, as a DM, to wonder "What the hell is he doing?" in regards to my character or why Sorin does some of the things he does. And, of course, if you're ever unclear about where I'm going with something, just ask.

Second thing.

I didn't really think about this until Alazandaru did it but I'm not really keen on the Charisma check for Save bonus per day thing of the Childhood Crush trait. I realise that, for taking a trait, they're trying to provide some kind of mechanical bonus but it doesn't make much sense to me. The bonus doesn't, in my mind, really relate to what the character is actually trying to accomplish. Also, it seems fairly tedious to, every campaign day, call out a specific blurb of conversation (or whatever) to get a +1 to saves. Sorin is always trying to make Ameiko smile and I already get an attack and damage bonus for anyone threatening her. It's tedious to me, the benefit of the check is rather bizarre for what the character is actually trying to accomplish with it and, with three players potentially doing it, I would just as soon ignore it. If the others want to do it I certainly don't mind but unless you're secretly keeping track of how many successes we make or there's some other importance to it, I'd rather just keep it a story based thing for Sorin. Is that okay?


I enjoy playing a character that is not me as a player. As a player, I recognized that Sandru was making an effort to make Lisabett feel welcome and let her know she could power down, but Lisabett just doesn't feel comfortable with that idea. She has no off button, she just is.

Sorry if all the history and cultural stuff is a bit tedious to read, but having lived through two winters in Norway with creature comforts like heaters, television and computers to occupy the many hours of darkness per day, I can really get into how harsh things would be in the Land of the Linnorm Kings. There's days so cold you don't want to walk to the store to get stuff to eat for the next few days. I can't imagine what it must have been to be a leader type, basically surrounded by snow and have to say "Well, here me and my boys are for the winter, plus 200 people. We have x amount of grain and y fish and salted meats until snows let up in May and animals start coming back," and then add to that you're essentially holding between 15 and 40 trained warriors with few social skills against a community that isn't likely to know how to defend itself very well. And there's monsters.

I guess I just don't want to present Lisabett as a total hardass without as accurate a picture why as possible, in character and out. I think if I just limited it to her dialog, she might be a very unlikable character altogether. I'm actually quite excited to see how she and Raziel will get along in the future, having played a cleric of Sarenrae myself, I know how big the redemption angle is to them.


Male Human (Varisian) Paladin of Shelyn (Warrior of the Holy Light) 3
Lisabett Erikkson wrote:
I enjoy playing a character that is not me as a player.

I can understand that. Thought at 40, I long ago passed the desire to play "me".

I've been a DM far more than a player though. When TSR abandoned Greyhawk for the Realms in early 2E, I started work on a homebrew that I've largely used ever since so I was almost always the DM.

I was never actually a big fan of Paladins even when they were first introduced in OD&D supplement 1: Greyhawk (which actually has nothing to do with Greyhawk). And I really disliked them in 1E where you got XP for gold and by the time the Paladin had to make his "sacrifice" he had already earned the XP for it anyways. I always found it interesting that one of the condemnations of 1E was that it was all about killing monsters when, in fact, it was money that was far and away the biggest XP generator. Even when 3.0 came out the idea of the Paladin Code was always mentioned, usually in passing, but rarely enforced past "just be really LG", if even that.

I'm not a big splat book buyer, partially because I don't have much space, but when Faiths of Purity came out, I bought it immediately once I saw that it contained seperate codes for each good deity that could have paladins. I picked Shelyn because her code is about as far from what most people would think of as a typical paladin code as can be.

I really like the group we have; I think it's very interesting. I know some players have very strong opinions on posting styles but I'm not one of them. I like it when people have different methods and ideas for conveying their characters as I think it helps make up for some of the subtleties that are lost by not being able to play around a table.


Paladins of Shelyn are extremely rare. But then, so are sorcs who pose as warriors. She's the first arcane magician I have ever made that hasn't had the omnipresent Prestidigitation among her cantrips. I just did not see it being in her character to use magic for frivolous things like making water lukewarm or changing the flavor of food, etc.

Anyway, I am looking forward to progressing her as a character more than mechanics. But that's the way I am.


Male Human (Varisian) Paladin of Shelyn (Warrior of the Holy Light) 3

If anyone cares, here's a link to what Sorin's shield looks like:

Sorin's Shield


I love the way both of you are roleplaying. Your intent is coming through. Keep it up.

I'll kick around ideas for an alternative way to handle the DC 15 "smile". I think it less represents a smile and more a genuine, heart fluttering moment that only a crush can supply. I'll get back to you on this.


Yeah, reading that bit about the DC 15 thing, it seemed to me... too "roll-play." I don't think Lisabett would ever roll for that with Sandru. She'd much rather he'd acknowledge her efforts, and she'll be doing the same for his eventually. But then, as of yet no one is competing for Sandru's afffections.

I am really digging Sorin as well. He's turning out to be quite a natural foil for Lisabett.


Aaah, just want to say it's refreshing to have finally found a group that works like one from the start (Alazandaru's internet issues not withstanding).

It's been my obscenely bad luck to get in on games where there's no clear leadership, and planning and execution take forever and me throwing my character's concept completely out the window to assume it because no one is willing to say "alright, we're doing this now and no more discussion!"

Thanks for restoring my faith in the existence of cooperative parties outside my own games, fellows.


I agree. You guys are awesome. Keep it up!

Just a quick question, since I'm always trying to improve my players' experience, how is the pace?

Is there anything you'd like to see more of? Less of? I know it's early, but I am dedicated to running the game my players want (within my ability and the framework of the AP).

Also, a quick apology for those with the Crush trait...

I didn't give you a chance to get your +1 bonus today. Ameiko wasn't present, but I don't have a good excuse for Sandru. Because it was my mistake, I will award you the +1 bonus for today. Think of it as your characters reflecting of the approval they got from their respective crushes yesterday!

From now on, I will have everybody with the Crush trait roll their Charisma check at the beginning of the day. This will represent your chance to have a charming moment with Sandru/Ameiko on a given day. While I will make a point of roleplaying out this success at some point during that day, I won't have a failure preclude any positive interactions. It's not about making them laugh or smile, it's about those somewhat random, affirming and heart-fluttering moments that happen sometimes with a crush.

I think that's mechanically balanced and much less contrived than the active use of it that the Jade Regent Player's Guide calls for. What do you guys think?


Aaah, that sounds like an excellent compromise. It does not preclude human interaction or efforts to engage the object of affection in dialog, if we wish it, or... not.

I thought Sandru's cooking eggs scene was kinda cute, and forgetting about bringing plates and cups and things seemed like a very... male thing to do. It made me chuckle.

Pacing seems quite okay to me, actually. I do not feel as though we are dragging, at least. I feel like we get enough information to make intelligent, informed choices without it taking too long. But that's just my perspective. I hate brashly just rushing into things and assuming that everything is going to be okay.


Male Human (Varisian) Paladin of Shelyn (Warrior of the Holy Light) 3

Crush trait sounds good to me.

Also, I have no problems with the pacing and am very much enjoying the game. I've only been in a few PbP games and, so far, most of them have fizzled pretty early (usually because some players, or even the DM, just stopped posting).

One problem that came up in a couple of games I was, briefly, in was actually combat. Both games had six players and, in combat, players "B" and "C" were waiting for player "A" to go. By the time "A" and "B" finally went, player "C" didn't have any more time to check the Internet that day so it was a 12+ hour wait before he posted; and there were still three more players to go. It sometimes took 2½ days to get through one round. It wasn't always like that but it was a major drag when it happened; especially for player "F" waiting all that time just to get his first action. Sometimes too, player "D" and "E" would get tired of waiting and just post their actions saying, "I do this, but if "A" does such and such then I'll do that instead unless "B" is in the way in which case I'll go thusly..." making ther DM slog through a whole buch of IF...THEN statements trying to figure out what everyone wanted. I don't think that will be much of a problem for our group but it is something to keep in mind.


Looking forward to putting Lisabett through some combat. I've been working with this noble savage image in my head so long that I've forgotten that she's a sorceress. *laughs*

I actually had the crazy idea earlier of MTing her with Druid powers, which, if I had built her for from the start, might have been cool but with 10 wis... I dunno what I was thinking.

Roleplay heavy. Sheesh.


Lisabett:
I just read the bit you added to your profile about Lisabett's past with the mercenaries. I'm sorry I missed it before. If I'm reading your history correctly, the captain still lives, right? I'd like to incorporate him into the campaign.

A MT Druid/Sorcerer would be interesting, and I've been thinking about it: if you would like to tweak your ability scores to support this concept, I'm okay with it. I'm not advocating a total rebuild (I'm not sure that would be fair to everybody else), but I don't want to keep you from enjoying your rich character concept based on mechanical limitations you set during recruitment. Let me know if you decide to do this.


DM Hamied:

Yeah, he lives, is why she's wary about the fireworks being stolen. Coz he's the type of CE feminine hygiene product that would use every advantage he could get. I don't have a name for him, but I imagine he's Ulfen, and have previously stated he's from Irrisen. Probably something suitably identifiable with evil like Dimmu Borgir. (actually is just camp)

If I go for MT, I wouldn't tweak so much. As I recall, I sank Lisabett's human bonus into CHA for 17, so if I bring that down 2 points and sink them into wisdom, she'd be able to cast druid spells when she gets around to taking it, and it would not make all that much mechanical difference. Her 4th level stat bonus would go there so she could cast 3rd level spells. I will open it up to the group, however, right about...


Gentlemen, our DM Hamied has given me the okay to rework Lisabett a bit to go sorc/druid/MT. I recognize, however, that this will greatly diminish her effectiveness to the group as a whole, for the sake of character concept. Since this is a cooperative game, I bring it to you, sirs.

No real harsh mechanical reworking, and she'd be mostly self buffing and perhaps extra healing out of combat.


Throughout my years of DMing, I've generally been open to players tweaking a thing or two after they have had a chance to get a sense of their character's personality and to maybe fight in a few encounters. The only time I regretted this flexibility was a few years back, during a 3.5 Eberron campaign I was running, in which a player wanted to rebuild or reroll with every splat book that came out. I'm not getting the impression that such this is Hu5tru's intention, so I've given her my consent to rearrange Lisabett's ability scores so she can cast Druid spells (and thus go Mystic Theurge at level 7+).

But she's right. Going that path will diminish her effectiveness for a while. It's a good thing to talk about now, because you guys won't be 1st level for that much longer...


HP 45/45, AC- 18, Touch- 14, Flat- 14, CMD- 21, Fort- +6, Ref- +9, Will- +2, Percep- +7, Init- +4

Lisbett its early days yet, i'd say make the changes. To be an effective MT though you'll need to plan it very early on or it is really ineffective for a very long time.

I would recommend focusing on Druid over Sorceror, as it has more inherent class abilities that scale with level, as well as not having a slower spell progression (the 'level behind wizard' sorceror thing). So, a 7/3/10 progression total. The trait 'Magical Knack' is an absolute must for your weaker spellcasting half, and you should probably have something like 16/17 wisdom and 14/15 charisma.


Sound advice. I did not want to step on Raziel's divine casting toes, or yours and Sorin's in melee, or Alamar's ranged capabilities. I was thinking of having an animal companion to help with flanking and such, and damage dealing, and then having Lisabett take up a bow. We're really lacking on true ranged attacks.


HP 45/45, AC- 18, Touch- 14, Flat- 14, CMD- 21, Fort- +6, Ref- +9, Will- +2, Percep- +7, Init- +4

You may want the domain instead, as that will scale with your spellcasting. The animal companion will be fairly useless always being gimped by your Druid level (but wild shape will always be of some use to you).


Hmm. I will get my husband to help me with Lisabett the next few days, helping me plot out feat budget. I know that Boon Companion will help with the animal companion.

Time to do some research.

But, would DM Hamied be okay with such a drastic change to the stat block as making Wisdom and Charisma comparable, and changing out the desperate focus trait?

I won't give up Cosmopolitan, because it keeps Lisabett in social skills that I imagine her having, which Druid does not have, either.


Lisabett Sorc/Druid/MT tentative crunch?

As I recall, you had a different type of stat array based on Alignment. CG gave 22 points, but I do not recall what CN (requirement for druids) so I will go with the honor system and do 20 pt buy?

Str 12 (2)
Dex 13 (3)
Con 14 (5)
Int 12 (2)
Wis 15 (3) +2 human favored bonus
Cha 14 (5)

Traits - Childhood Crush (Sandru), Magical Knack

Feats - *Eschew Materials, (Hu)Spell Focus (Evocation), (1st)Cosmopolitan (Diplomacy & Sense Motive)

1st Level - Sorcerer (Boreal Bloodline) 1
Trained Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge Arcana, Knowledge Nature, Spellcraft

Spells the same, DCs lowered significantly, but... not as though that is a problem now.

Proposed Second Level - Sorcerer (Boreal Bloodline) 1/ Druid 1

Nature Bond: Weather Domain
Storm Burst (Sp): As a standard action, you can create a storm burst targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The storm burst deals 1d6 points of nonlethal damage + 1 point for every two cleric levels you possess. In addition, the target is buffeted by winds and rain, causing it to take a –2 penalty on attack rolls for 1 round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.

Trained Skills: [4+1(Int)+1(human) = 6]
Knowledge Arcana, Knowledge Religion, Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Survival

Languages: Druidic

Spells

Orisons: Flare, Stabilize, Mending
1st: Aspect of the Falcon, Feather Step

Proposed Level Progression

2nd Sorc 1/Druid 1
3rd Sorc 1/Druid 2
4th Sorc 1/Druid 3
5th Sorc 1/Druid 4
6th Sorc 2/Druid 4
7th Sorc 3/Druid 4
8th Sorc 3/Druid 5
9th Sorc 3/Druid 6
10th Sorc 3/Druid 7
11th Sorc 3/Druid 7/ MT 1
12 and Above + MT

Proposed Feat Budget

3rd Spell Focus (Conjuration)
5th Natural Spell
7th Augment Summoning
9th Greater Spell Focus (Evocation)

Proposed Stat Increases

4th level +1 to Wis (16)
8th level +1 to Cha (15)


Just read that it was 22 pt buy standard. Woohoo!

Str 12 (2)
Dex 13 (3)
Con 14 (5)
Int 12 (2)
Wis 15 (7)
Cha 15 (3) +2 human favored bonus


I have not problem with your stat adjustment and trait swap (as long as you keep your campaign trait, which you have).


okie. I am going to eat it on the original intent of the cosmopolitan with the survival, since I don't see Lisabett as being incredibly empathetic, although not in a bad way. Two classes that don't have the skill as part of their sctick, is kinda... yeah.

So will be trading kn. nature rank for the rank in survival at first, and she hasn't used kn. nature, as I recall so it is not game breaking.

If there is no objection from the others, I'll switch out her stats on the ready, and luckily none of the changes have any effect, because she has yet to hit and everything has made their saves.


I don't have any problem with the switch with Lisabett.
You don't really step on my toes at all (Druids make a good back-up healer, but do poorly as a main healer).
And as long as we don't lose all arcane support, that would be good.


My feat budget is not as tight as I thought it would be. I'm not asking for meta information, but how important is exploration and travel going to be to this adventure?

I am having the animal companion debate with myself. Yes, a domain and more spellcasting would be preferable, however, we're all humans and none of us have even low light vision. I have concerns about scouting (something I imagine that Lisabett would do) and keeping watch, all those mechanical things that we have not really had to deal with just yet.

Second question would be, what temperate zone is Sandpoint/Varisia for calling an animal companion?


Male Human (Varisian) Paladin of Shelyn (Warrior of the Holy Light) 3

It doesn't bother me. It's to everyone's benefit for you to play a character you like

Mechanically, I agree with Alazandaru, since Animal Companion scales with Druid level it's never really going to be of any use. Not to mention the tedium of having it always getting killed and having to get a new one all the time; it's just going to scale too slowly.

The only thing I know about this AP is what is described on the sales page. They make it seem like travel and exploration are huge, at least at certain parts, but how that actually translates into gameplay, who knows?


I don't think that's a meta question at all. People buy and play various APs because they are interested in a particular type of game.

The AP hasn't been released in its entirety, but based on the descriptions of the chapters, travel is a major part of at least 4 of the 6. I know, looking at the bits in The Brinewall Legacy, that the overland travel sections are pretty flexible; caravan play is largely what we make it as a group. I was planning on moving things pretty directly, but there will be some exploration.

Scouting will be very valuable, but you do already have Alazandaru. That's his specialty. Also, after the first part of the adventure, you will be building your caravan, complete with NPCs (some with darkvision, perhaps) that can help in that role. At the same time, nothing beats a bird's eye view.

I imagine that Varisia has variants of just about any animal, save dinosaurs. Apes would be rare, but workable if you really wanted to go that route. I would probably say no to a shark...

Did you have a particular animal in mind?


I was actually thinking of a bird, again, not for use in combat but to help with ranging. Would not an owl get dark vision? I thought it might... hmmm.

The whole non threatening in a combat way animal companion is good, since yes, obviously having a large, cumbersome beast that might be seen as a threat would be bad since it won't scale with my MT levels.

Plus I think Sandru might be a bit put off if his sweetheart returned to town with a tiger cub he'd have to compete with *laughs*


Okay, after thinking on it the better part of today, I am going to ditch the animal companion idea in favor of taking the Weather Domain as I initially proposed. To be an MT is already giving up a lot in terms of spell casting efficiency, but to rob myself of spells for a creature that isn't ever going to match up with, say, what I can summon at later levels is just plain silly and essentially crippling my character and the group for something I am not even certain is thematically appropriate.

If I give Lisabett Druid 1 next level and sink a rank into Survival she will have +9 to Survival, which would make Lisabett a pretty darn effective scout, if we need more on the caravan trail. If not, that's a separate pair of eyes that can identify trails pretty effectively, and that's never a bad thing.

If I give Lisabett Druid 1 next level, I'll be continuing in that vein until Druid 4 and get Wild Shape and Natural Spell at level 5, at which point I will resume Sorc for 3 levels, then go MT at 9th level.


I have no intent to make the paladin fall, but seriously, what are we going to do with this guy?

He's surrendered, so... I mean, do we trust that he doesn't try to kill us on the way back? Or try to escape? He's responsible for the raids of several caravans and murders...


I don't want to influence what you guys decide to do with him, nor do I presume to tell Sorin how to play his character, but I don't think you are bound to spare your new prisoner.

Sorin said that mercy was a possibility, not a fact. What's more, a swift death might be considered merciful. If Sorin had offered him life in turn for surrender, you'd have less wiggle room.

I know playing a paladin isn't about finding "wiggle room", and I don't want you guys seeking a loophole, but neither do I want Sir Jolt worrying about losing his paladin powers if the group doesn't feel they can spare Gutwad.

Then again, he might be of some further use to you alive...


Male Human (Varisian) Paladin of Shelyn (Warrior of the Holy Light) 3

First off, I want to say that no one has done anything, IC or OOC, that has bothered me in the slightest in this game.

I'll happily explain what my/Sorin's thought process was here (which, if we were playing around a table live, everyone would know anyways).

As we had the Chief cornered, I was still worried for the group. The Chief seemed to have a very high AC; Alazandaru missed with a 19. So I was afraid that one of us, at least, would be dead before we had enough top-notch rolls to take this guy down. I called for surrender mostly out of desperation, and I confess I paid little attention to the wording I used, as I honestly did not expect the Chief to actually surrender.

Since he he did though, I felt it was critical to keep him alive. Not only because he would have the most information regarding where the explosives came from but also because of his knowledge of the undead. Sorin was a little nervous about the undead track outside but when the Chief himself actually mentioned undead, the whole situation (at least in Sorin's mind) stopped being about just "the goblin problem".

My thought was to truss up the chief, interrogate him, and then haul him up to the Sheriff to see what he could get out of him. Now, all this was before I understood that the village was in the process of starting to burn down. When everything was resolved, I would have revealed much of this through roleplaying.

Lisabett's questions are completely valid. In retrospect, I should have made Sorin's intentions more clear as things were transpiring since context conveys poorly over the Internet. I take full fault for any confusion my lack of doing so has caused.


Yeah, I get that OOC. Lisabett, however, knows only that there's a little girl with burns all over her body back in sandpoint that's traumatized forever because of these monsters. And she's heard no plan as to what we're going to do with the survivors.

She's a wee bit confused.

When we're done trying to keep this place from burning down, we'll have this conversation, I am assuming. She has very realistic priorities.

Let me know when this, realistically, is possible.


HP 45/45, AC- 18, Touch- 14, Flat- 14, CMD- 21, Fort- +6, Ref- +9, Will- +2, Percep- +7, Init- +4

Any volunteers for handling loot? I'm pretty swamped with work lately and I do it for a few other games so i'd like to opt out of the role this game...


I can keep it in a googledoc spreadsheet with a link in my profile, if you like.

Lisabett has the least use for it, after all. She's not even going to be taking item crafting feats.

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