Jimbles' Dead Suns

Game Master Jimbles the Mediocre

Stay safe! I was trying to come up with a helpful piece of advice, but as a native midwesterer I can only assist with tornadoes and blizzards.

Thanks y’all! My wife and I have evacuated from the coast and are settling into a hotel. I should have a chance to post tomorrow since it doesn’t look like I’ll have much else to do here.

GM. Did we ever get confirmation on the accuracy of the recorded loot? It feels like stuff is missing.

I'll take a look and let you know.

Okay, I've taken a quick look at the loot spreadsheet, and some things might be missing. I know I handed out some grenades (the goblins had a bunch), but I know that some, if not all, were used, so I'll let you divide that as you wish. There's also the garaggakal's generic loot pile, I'm not sure if that's counted anywhere. Otherwise, it looks good - you should split it six ways, since I portioned loot assuming Jehir would stick around. Clara's more than happy to escape with her life.

We can split it into six if that's what everyone else would like to do. I'd recommend splitting it into seven and creating a group account that we can utilize for miscellaneous needs.

I dug back through the gameplay forum, and it doesn't look like you actually listed out the value of Garry's 'art pile' or the trade goods anywhere that I could find. You also didn't list the price we could get from selling the 'old robot' which we did say we collected.

IF you want us to use the defaults from the book, that...

Going over the loot document and back through the book I also don't see...

It looks like, as we were going through the adventure, we mostly picked up the stuff we could immediately use or that was really light and just moved on. I did, at the end, say I grabbed everything I could carry (and asked for help carrying anything I couldn't) to get it on the ship before we left. However, as GM, I absolutely support your right to subtract, add, or modify anything on the list as you see fit. I'm honestly not sure we would have ultimately taken any of Clara's stuffs (though some of it may have gotten left on the ship in her haste to leave. And I don't know if the party would have disturbed Moriko's body much et cetera.

But I would also like to do my shopping so it's important to know what we ended up with before I move forward.

We can split it into six if that's what everyone else would like to do. I'd recommend splitting it into seven and creating a group account that we can utilize for miscellaneous needs.

I thought we were officially down to five players now? I'm not opposed to keeping a 'party share' for things like healing serums and the like that we'd all need/use. But wouldn't that be a six way split, and not seven? Or are we giving Jehir his cut even though he's gone for good?

I thought we were officially down to five players now? I'm not opposed to keeping a 'party share' for things like healing serums and the like that we'd all need/use. But wouldn't that be a six way split, and not seven? Or are we giving Jehir his cut even though he's gone for good?

I think that's the assumption. Diedre would certainly want Jehir to get his share.

As a note for the loot sheet regarding the equipment of Clara, there is only one set because we had given the surviving sister her equipment back on the asteroid.

It's still missing stuff (from the book), which may be intentional on the part of the GM, or may have just gotten missed in some post 17 pages back. That's part of why I brought it up.

I've run this a couple times now, and so there's stuff I expected to see in the loot but didn't. Which, if it's intentional is great, I'm all for homebrewing and mucking with stuff as much as the DM wants. I just wanted to be sure that's what was happening and not that we left a bunch of useful stuff behind because it got lost in a post somewhere.

Oh, and if the intent is for the 7th share to go to Jehir, I'm cool with that. It would also be something my character would want to do.

(Carried the conversation over to this tread.) This was actually discussed when Entiren was first bitten by the Akata, back at the end of last October. GM Jimbles put a post in this thread, link here.

As a note, I think that I can find a way to get through this that doesn't involve praying to the All-Powerful Dice-Gods. It would be making use of the Spellcasting Services rules to pay somebody to cast Remove Affliction, a 3rd Level spell, onto Entiren. This would cost at least 1,000 credits.

Alternatively, Entiren could purchase a Ring of Resistance and/or a +2 Personal Upgrade for Constitution, boosting his Fortitude Save. This would cost either 735/1400/2135 credits, depending on what was purchased.

In all honesty, this is exactly the type of thing the group share should be used for. Let's figure out what the shares are worth and we can use the group share to subsidize the cost of a third party spellcaster.

(Carried the conversation over to this tread.) This was actually discussed when Entiren was first bitten by the Akata, back at the end of last October. GM Jimbles put a post in this thread, link here.

As a note, I think that I can find a way to get through this that doesn't involve praying to the All-Powerful Dice-Gods. It would be making use of the Spellcasting Services rules to pay somebody to cast Remove Affliction, a 3rd Level spell, onto Entiren. This would cost at least 1,000 credits.

Alternatively, Entiren could purchase a Ring of Resistance and/or a +2 Personal Upgrade for Constitution, boosting his Fortitude Save. This would cost either 735/1400/2135 credits, depending on what was purchased.

As your friendly neighborhood GM, I would absolutely recommend finding a solution to your gross infection that doesn't involve days of lucky Fortitude checks. Third-party spellcasting is a solid option that will automatically succeed in a metropolis like Absalom Station, but there are other options as well. Most spellcasters would love to take your credits, but there are some that are just as willing to trade in favors. Entiren has cultivated good will with the Starfinder Society, the church of Desna, and a certain powerful ambassador. Any of those parties could provide spellcasting at a reduced cost or no cost at all, depending on the situation and what Entiren might do for them, today or in the future.

I really like the affliction rules in Starfinder for the sense of danger and tension they provide to dungeons and expeditions with limited access to resources, but it's my opinion that a 3rd-level character in a friendly major city shouldn't die a slow and frustrating death based on a few rolls or because they're short a few credits.

It's still missing stuff (from the book), which may be intentional on the part of the GM, or may have just gotten missed in some post 17 pages back. That's part of why I brought it up.

I've run this a couple times now, and so there's stuff I expected to see in the loot but didn't. Which, if it's intentional is great, I'm all for homebrewing and mucking with stuff as much as the DM wants. I just wanted to be sure that's what was happening and not that we left a bunch of useful stuff behind because it got lost in a post somewhere.

Yeah, I'm not running loot terribly by-the-book. Part of that is the fact that some of that loot just won't interest a party of this composition, part of it is readjusting for a party of six. Additionally, there are some items you never discovered in the first place (don't worry about that too much, you're still well ahead of WbL).

I had completely forgotten that you hauled the old robot with you - thanks for mentioning that. As for items like that and Garry's hoard of antiques - things that have a value known to the GM but unknown to the players - I'll let you resolve that in one of two ways. You can either sell the items to the Starfinder Society, who will always pay a fair, non-negotiable price, or you can take some time and try to seek out a private buyer and try to sell high. If that interests you, great! If not, you can just dump your goods and get your check as soon as you return to Absalom from your journeys.

Would everyone be willing to use some of the group fund to pay for a spellcasting service? If not, I would be perfectly fine using some of my own credits to do so.

@Gm Jimbles, I think that visiting the Absalom Station branch of the church of Desna might be a good place to go. That's probably what I'll do once Entiren wakes up in the morning.

I mentioned it in the first place, but just in case it wasn't clear, Diedre has no issues at all with Entiren using whatever the fund ends up containing for the curing of that nature.

Third-party spellcasting is a solid option that will automatically succeed in a metropolis like Absalom Station, but there are other options as well.

Is this a house rule you plan on sticking with and does it apply to player cast remove affliction spells (should we gain access to those later)? Or did you mean that we could automatically succeed in finding a spellcaster of appropriate level? I ask because normally the caster has to roll a caster level check vs the disease DC +4 to cure a disease. I ran into this in my AtAT game and house-ruled that the spell would remove one disease automatically but the second et al require the caster level check (the PC in that case had 3 on them and I was trying to be nice, because she was at comatose from filth fever when the party finally tried).

If finding a spellcaster with remove affliction will remove the disease, I'm 110% on board with finding one and will gladly contribute part of my share to pay for it if the 'party' share doesn't cover it.

Yeah, I'm not running loot terribly by-the-book. Part of that is the fact that some of that loot just won't interest a party of this composition, part of it is readjusting for a party of six. Additionally, there are some items you never discovered in the first place (don't worry about that too much, you're still well ahead of WbL).

I'm totally cool with you making whatever changes you want. In fact I prefer it as it both helps prevent me from metagaming and also makes up for the 6 player adjustment. I'm also cool with us running behind if that's the kind of game you want to run. I'm just wanting to know what my total is, and that that total is accurate, so I know what I can and can't afford to buy right now during our downtime.

I had completely forgotten that you hauled the old robot with you - thanks for mentioning that. As for items like that and Garry's hoard of antiques - things that have a value known to the GM but unknown to the players - I'll let you resolve that in one of two ways. You can either sell the items to the Starfinder Society, who will always pay a fair, non-negotiable price, or you can take some time and try to seek out a private buyer and try to sell high. If that interests you, great! If not, you can just dump your goods and get your check as soon as you return to Absalom from your journeys.

If she's the one doing the selling, anything my character could dump at the Lorespire Complex she would, as she's not versed enough in the language to do any real haggling.

GM Jimbles wrote:

Third-party spellcasting is a solid option that will automatically succeed in a metropolis like Absalom Station, but there are other options as well.

Is this a house rule you plan on sticking with and does it apply to player cast remove affliction spells (should we gain access to those later)? Or did you mean that we could automatically succeed in finding a spellcaster of appropriate level? I ask because normally the caster has to roll a caster level check vs the disease DC +4 to cure a disease.

Oh, good question. What I meant was that:

That makes sense, thanks.

Miraj is okay with spending what is needed to cure Entiren.

If others will need to make saves to completely recover, Miraj will treat them as he did Entiren. If the DC for the Akata parasites is 10, then he can't miss the medic check, so everyone can take the +4 bonus each time a save is made.

I'm still considering what to get, but options are limited. He'll pick up a medkit. If there's funds in the group account to boost this up to an advanced medkit (2600 to upgrade a standard to an advanced) it would be useful. I don't think Miraj can afford the advanced just yet.

I'll wait for Aureum to post before I move her and Diedre along, but since this is downtime, we can get a bit asynchronous. I know some of you want to go shopping and/or seek out healing for your really gross parasites; feel free to post your actions for this in-game evening or the next day. How long you stay in port is up to you, but I'm assuming you'll be here for at least another 24 hours.

I'll be out of town for about a week to do some camping; you probably won't see me again until the beginning of October.

*shudder*

Better you than me, mate. :/

I've officially done my last camping trip.

Diedre Lhashi wrote:

Hey! How did Miraj find a nice restaurant and Diedre and Auruem ended up with a storm drain? *pout*

What do you expect if you look for a restaurant in a part of town called "The Puddles"? ;)

Well, it's not like she said to herself what's a nice place in the Puddles district? That's just where it happened to be. She's still trying to figure out whether they're going to take the dive into the water or attempt something else.

She's not entirely opposed to the idea, but she's not sure what Aureum thinks.

It’s been a crazy week and I’ve barely been at home, I am working on a post tho. ;)

I'm back, with all my various appendages still intact. Jimbles Jr. was a big fan - he got to touch a tree, a rock, and another tree.

Better you than me, mate. :/

I've officially done my last camping trip.

I would say it was intense, but it was actually in an RV, complete with running water, a bathroom, heat/AC, and a stocked fridge. Living off the land miles from the nearest human is a fun experience, but glamping is, I think, the pinnacle.

-----

Looks like you guys were busy while I was gone! I'll try to catch up in the next day or two.

In my younger years, I made a bicycle trip across the country, camping wherever possible. I experienced sleeping with redwoods, hearing coyotes and wolves call each other, seeing night skies jam packed with stars, woke to see thunderstorms so far away along the horizon no thunder could be heard, saw pronghorn antelope grazing in the dawn light, and many other wonderful experiences.

My wife had only every had unpleasant camping experiences, so I'm proud that I've been able to make her an enthusiast, provided it is car camping near a beach.

As a youth, all my camping/outdoor experiences were ... less than pleasant.

With spouse and children, as a family, we've been going camping every year around the same time for about twenty years and it's improved to ... tolerable?

I'm old enough now, though, that I'm not really interested in spending my free time doing 'recreational activities' that don't bring me enjoyment.

I knew a woman who said, "My idea of roughing it is staying at a hotel without room service."

Hey, Aureum? If you'd like, just let me know and we can hand-wave the rest of the private dinner. No worries. :)

That’s probably best. I’d have liked to play it out but honestly I’ve been struggling with some pretty stubborn writer’s block these last few weeks. We can just say we got to know each other better and it was an overall success. :)

That's fine. I'll put up a bookend post to conclude it.

Hey all, sorry for the sudden drop in postings. Myself, the wife, and Jimbles Jr all came down with a really nasty bug all at the same time. It lasted for a couple weeks, and then we were running around like crazy trying to catch up with life. Finally close-ish to normal now, so hopefully I'll get this thing spooled up again in the next few days. There's so much adventure just around the corner!

(I gotta say, keeping up with PbP was so much easier when I was childless, unemployed, and owned no property, but all of those things have changed this year. Sorry for the roller coaster of content.)

Glad you're all feeling better, Jimbles.

Yeah, people say it all the time, but it doesn't really sink in until it happens; Kids change everything.

:)

6000/7 is 857cr each with the 'group' fund getting the extra 1 credit for 858.

Ready to hit Castrovel!

Has anyone else gotten their hands on the Character Operations Manual? I just received my pdf yesterday. In addition to all the goodies for character-building, there are two sets of additional rules - an expansion of the starship combat system, and a new set of downtime activities. On first read, I really like them both, and I'm planning to work them both into this campaign. Both rulesets are additions to the core rules, and they're structured in such a way that you don't lose out on anything as a character if you choose not to participate. It's not a change in the "power curve" as much as it's widening the available options.

The new starship rules include two new starship crew roles (chief mate and magic officer), new minor actions for the science officer role, and a collection of new "open crew actions" that anyone can take, regardless of current role. If you want a sneak peak, I've incorporated the new rules into the Moriko handout.

The new downtime activities seem to be geared mostly towards long starship voyages or wilderness treks, so if there's interest, we can introduce them right now. There's roughly 25 different options, but only a few are applicable to you at this point in time.

I've got a copy. I haven't read up extensively on the new roles in Starship combat. I'll have to take a closer look.

I'm still waiting on my shipment notification. But I'm fine with you introducing whatever you want to the campaign.

Just checking in to say I’m still around. Big stuff going on IRL, moving family out of state, etc. Feel free to move along and I’ll catch up when I can.

My work level has lightened a little but I'm still going to be very busy most of the time. I'm checking for new posts every day, but my posts may be perfunctory unless it's a weekend.

To be honest, I threw the concept of frequent posting out the window myself months ago. We'll take it at a relaxed pace, and everyone just post when you can. I'll try my best to keep good notes and summaries in the handout to make catching up easier.

Yeah I switched to a new higher tiered school this semester and the increased workload is kicking my butt. I appreciate a more relaxed pace.

I prefer a more steady pace when possible, but if more relaxed works for everyone, then more relaxed it should be. :) :)

I'm starting to have time to return to play by post. Ready when everyone else is to resume.

Ugh, has it really been two weeks since my last post? That is abysmal. Sorry, everyone. I had to take several days to rebuild my deck after it just kinda... fell apart.

Are there any downtime activities that can focus on combat, drilling with a particular weapon to get some perk?

Not really; all the perks are pretty minor. There's Coordinate, which grants benefits to covering fire and harrying fire, and there's Maintain Equipment, which can boost crit damage on your first crit, but it requires a tech lab.

Glad to hear from you, Jimbles. I'm ready to move forward when everyone else is.

Hey all, sorry once again for my long absence. The last few weeks have been rough for me, but I’m hoping to have time to catch up with my games this week.