Yeeeaaah. Thankfully, Shadow Conjuration is good regardless.
Yeah, shadow conjuration is something I'm looking forward to in a couple levels. (Even though I'm limited to the 4th level version for the rest of my days.)
I also think it's worth pointing out that everyone who isn't Rodrigo or Eben has potentially heard the name 'Moreto' before.
Astraden is flung over the edge into the water.
Incidentally, today, my birthday, is the anniversary of Astraden being knocked into the water by the invisible stalkers. Two rounds later, her Copycat would be removed, and the next round, she would get hit for nearly max damage.
We're coming up on the third year of this PbP, so I thought I'd go back and see where we were a year ago. We've been going a while. Now, we're approaching the end of the sixth AP, which puts us roughly at the halfway point. A Gathering of Winds is meant to be something of a coming-of-age story for the adventurers—tombs like this just aren't what you're about anymore, and the Whispering Cairn is no longer relevant to your trials. Allustan isn't a mentor, he's a damsel to rescue. You, and the story itself, have both grown up.
I don't actually like this adventure that much, since, as you've noticed, it's sort of an intermission (with some related stuff towards the beginning and the end). After this installment, every one will have a very definite connection to the Age of Worms. The next one is particularly interesting.
Anyways, carry on carrying on your discourse with the spooky scary skeletons.
Happy Birthday, KC. :D
Happy Birthday!
Does having a birthday so close to Christmas mean you get double presents?
Happy birthday!
Good to know the next book is good. So many APs seem to peter out halfway through.
I feel that all we're missing is a bunch of rookie adventurers for us to get all nostalgic over. XD
Awww, killing a PC is the best gift a GM can receive. Sorry we don't have anything like that lined up for you (yet). Try and have a happy one regardless.
Happy Birthday! Yay us, we're all growed up!
You know, Danke, the night's still young. It's not too late for the sea serpent to come down the waterfall after you guys...
So everyone, Rynjin's been hit with some technical difficulties and isn't going to be able to post for at least a day or so, if not longer. I'll be NPCing him in the meantime.
I love that the most appropriate individual to do the heavy lifting and sweating over a hot forge that goes into this craft check is the frail undine with pipe-cleaner arms and cold resistance.
I'm starting to doubt the wisdom of the decision to have me craft the tuning fork.
Would a Craft (Alchemy) check cut it, or would I need to make a more general Craft roll?
It's probably Craft (blacksmithing) or something, though that's KC's call. But nobody else at all has ranks in a likely Craft skill, and you're the only one with a positive Int modifier. Like I laid out in my post, you make it on a Take 10, in spite of it seemingly being completely counter-intuitive. Nobody else can take 10 and get a guaranteed success.
So, needed to get a new account to continue my PbP games, so here it is. Farrukh lives! The other account does not (for now, anyway).
Anywho, if you really think about it, this is not complex blacksmithery, and your knowledge of chemical reactions carries over (that's really all this is. You know how hot metal needs to heat to be pliable, what chemical composition of iron you need to make good steel, and you're making a VERY simple shape).
Yeah, all the actual heavy pounding is likely carried out by Carina's puppet minion faithful companion Tanith, under her watchful eye.
Yeah, it's something like Craft (metalworking). So basically an Intelligence check for Carina.
I thought as much. I can't take 10 for Intelligence checks.
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Blacksmithing and metalworking are not "official" craft skills. Pathfinder Craft is pretty focused on the end product rather than the materials/techniques, for whatever reason.
But yeah it seems pretty simple and we don't have to worry about Carina failing anyway.
I didn't say it was literally an ability check. It's a skill check you don't have ranks in.
And thanks, Gark, but no "official" Craft skill is listed that applies, so does it really make a difference if we call it Craft (blacksmithing) or Craft (tuning fork)? It seems needlessly pedantic to me.
Ah.
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Leaning towards chaos hammer over confusion - the former has a chance to slow the spiders and does more damage, while the latter has a smaller radius and a lesser chance of actually hampering them (assuming they fail their saves, the slow is automatic while the unhelpful confusion effects are not). Robin is lawful-aligned but it's going to suck for him to be caught in either spell effect, so I can't really choose on that basis.
Happy New Year!
Does anyone recall if Flycatcher is in synch with every other denizen of this tomb in being completely immune to mind-affecting stuff? Illusions seem to work, which I wasn't sure about. It might be worth trying a fascinate/suggestion combo on him to get around his stubbornness. (Higher saving throw than it would take to disbelieve my major image if we handed over the illusion head.)
Everything else has been immune because they've been Constructs (or Outsiders with Construct traits anyway) or Elementals for the most part.
Flycatcher is just a more annoying version of the Phase Spider.
I Sundakan the same as Rynjin?
So, needed to get a new account to continue my PbP games, so here it is. Farrukh lives! The other account does not (for now, anyway).
=)
Hatelist:
Theldrick: Killed Carina. Tanith hated him.
Kyuss Worms: Ate Eben and Carina. Eben and Carina hate them.
Raknian: Ruined your buffs. Rodrigo hates him.
Grimlock Whirling Frenzy Barbarian: Managed to be effective with a non-Pathfinder archetype. Cuetzpalli hated her.
Korush: Implied a 5th level brawler couldn't win in the Games. Tanith hated him. I think he mostly got over it.
Allustan: Kind of stuffy. Astraden hates him.
Zyrxog: The big one that got away and ate Eligos. Not the most popular guy in the campaign so far.
Smenk: Was crazy uncivil. Everyone hated him.
Flycatcher: Made you guys go on a sidequest...
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Kidnapped our friend to make us go on a sidequest which, let's face it, was ultimately pointless (if interesting enough when exploring).
My only real gripe about this book is we basically have ZERO motivation to do any of this at this point. I've been struggling between my OOC "Ooh cool, I wonder what's through here?" and IC "THE WORLD IS ENDING WHY AREN'T WE DEALING WITH THAT INSTEAD OF FARTING AROUND HERE!?!?!"
If this had been book 3 or 4, happening before we knew exactly how high the stakes were, and how eminent the threats it probably would have worked better.
Flycatcher is basically stalling us on our epic quest to save the world from Kyuss (even more effectively than the people who INTENTIONALLY TRIED TO DO THAT), and since you threatened to have him follow us around if we didn't like him, it's better to end him now.
since you threatened to have him follow us around if we didn't like him
I don't remember this ever being indicated in-game. The only word I recall of it was a joke I made in the Discussion thread about Flycatcher being a Creator's Pet.
Eh, details. He's obnoxious enough that the mere hint of that possibility is worth offing him.
Killing him has always been an option. I just thought it would be fun to take a look at who the party has taken a real disliking to. Flycatcher isn't even the most unusual figure on that list.
Flycatcher is basically stalling us on our epic quest to save the world from Kyuss (even more effectively than the people who INTENTIONALLY TRIED TO DO THAT)
Flycatcher confirmed for the true danger. You guys are taking on the endboss way early.
Honestly, it seems like we actually hate more people than we like from that list.
True adventurers!
Honestly, 'coming to a peaceful settlement with the individual that kidnapped and threatened the party's friend' is a pretty far stretch goal for any NPC.
That's probably why it didn't happen. I'm guessing Baur was banking on the party's hatred for the undead trumping the party's hatred for webbing-covered railroads. :P
I gotta agree. I think it was a really weird choice to devote a whole book to digressions to show "how far we've come". Especially since a bunch of us died along the way.
Let's get back to the epic plotline ASAP!
The closest connection there is is if you see this adventure as a "stocking up" episode, which I honestly could have emphasized better. Since you guys were never really hurting for loot, though, even that wouldn't stand out too much.
On a meta-level, I would recommend you follow this adventure to the conclusion behind the secret gateway Astraden spotted in the falls. There's very little after it, and it provides some very important elements. That said, if it really seems like your characters are absolutely beyond giving a s#$@, feel free to just move on.
I was under the impression there was some important wind duke stuff to learn about down here but I've been too busy IRL to really push for it.
The wind dukes are connected, but not nearly as much as you'd expect. Which is kind of why the installment doesn't work too well as part of a high-stakes AP.
Hey, guys, on a wholly unrelated note, Villain Codex I is out! This is exciting to me, as it contains an NPC I wrote—my first-ever foray into game design.
Developed by Swords for Hire Development
Written by Authors: Andres Bermudez, Matthew Browett, Nik Geier, Scott Janke, Mikko Kallio, Luis Loza, J.T. McRoberts, Jacob W. Michaels, Michael Riter, Andrew Umphrey, and Christopher Wasko.
Hey, I know that guy!
I'll check it out after I shake this plague.
Hey, guys, on a wholly unrelated note, Villain Codex I is out! This is exciting to me, as it contains an NPC I wrote—my first-ever foray into game design.
Nice! Congrats KC.
What kind of NPC did you write?
A gnome sorcerer with a penchant for constructs and a major ego/intellect disparity. The build isn't very interesting (I'm pretty sure I worked entirely within core for it), but I enjoyed writing his summary and tactics, and can't wait to see the artist's rendering of him.
A post will go up when I get home. I'm assuming you guys head back to Diamond Lake to get some "ale and cushions"?
Is there any interest in roleplaying out the night before you head back for a peek at the sparkly waterfall passage, or should we just skip ahead? There could be some interactions to explore here in town, but I won't drag things down if you guys want to get back on the main questline ASAP.
I thought we were going to check out the sparkly waterfall now?
I'm always down for a RP interlude but I can't promise I'll be able to contribute a ton.