Kingmaker: The Varnhold Vanishing (Inactive)

Game Master wehrpig

I have already suggested we explore our way back. That is my vote.

Ditto.

I'm thinking clear the northwest corner of the map and then head back to Oleg's. How many more hexes are there for us to explore there though, as per our legal bounds? If only the hex northeast of us (NE of the Dead Trapper hex) remains, then I vote we explore it and then head east back to Oleg's. Otherwise, maybe head to the hex northwest instead and explore, then work our way through the remaining northwestern hexes saving the easternmost for last (for the shortest return trip).

The South Rostland Road serves as the southern boundary with Brevoy. So, the boundary is essentially the row of hexes above the hex containing Oleg's Trading Post. Everything below this row is part of your mandate.

It's actually been 23 days since you started training the original horses. So if you fail the first roll you can roll again (but it will extend the training period by a week and a half). If you make the first roll, the training is complete.

Seres's replacement horse began combat training nine days ago - close enough for you to attempt your handle animal check.

Exactly how many dead bodies are at the trade post, wehrpig? How many were soldiers, bandits, and others? I'm curious to know how big this assault force might have been, or how many they killed. Maybe Al can discern at least a good estimate in the tracks...

All, please welcome our two new players - Veronica and Larisa!

Hellooooo!

Your DM asked us to join to give you a little hand! I hope we can contribute to your enjoyment. :)

I am, obviously, playing a support cleric. I'm here to dispense loving heals and buffs!

Hi everybody, thank you to wherpig for the invitation. I too hope we can help with making this game fun. I'll be your designated reconnaissance sniper for this game, I'm sure we'll get along great.

Ah you sneaky b@$+@^d, wehrpig! Recruiting behind our backs. Excellent, we need all the help we can get, lol.

Welcome, Veronica and Larisa!

Cheers, I've been waiting to jump in for about a week now. All caught up and am looking forward to this quite eagerly.

Welcome Larisa and Veronica!

Am I correctly assuming these are the two survivors we just found? =P

EDIT: nevermind... I checked this tab before the game one!

Welcome to the team!

-Posted with Wayfinder

Welcome to both of you. 4 players was fun but felt like hard mode withevery fight. :)

Honestly, in some of the APs I'm not sure how a standard party of four on 15-point-buy is supposed to have any chance to survive!

In particular, the encounters in Kingmaker are tougher than normal because they expect only one per day while exploring. I think DM might be turning it up a notch too. ;)

I was thinking about some of the fights in Rise of the Runelords where a group of 4 3rd-level characters are supposed to take on stuff that's like, CR 7, after doing a whole dungeon without resting.

The sandbox nature allowed us to stumble on CR 4 encounters at level 1.

That entire mite dungeon (which was almost one running battle), we were one crit hit away from death.

-Posted with Wayfinder

With PbP my inclination is to consolidate the encounters in order to keep the game flowing, but this also of course increases the encounter risk - a couple of bad rolls can easily TPK a four player party. Six players should improve the odds of survival and will help with story flow. To help offset the required increases in XP I will be adding individual XP bonuses for role playing, skill checks, crits, etc. - more to come on that soon.

Having a dedicated healer should help, too. ;)

Role play bonus you say, *looks at posts* yup, looking good.

Now that we have a primary healer in the group, I am thinking of taking some wizard levels and eventually going for the mystic theurge prestige class. This will help us on the arcane end of things as well, as we have only one arcane caster. I've always wanted to play a mystic theurge since 3e, too, and actually planned Al for that possibility from the beginning (his back story includes a way to get that in, as well as his high Int as well as Wis).

Maybe we'll find some arcane inspiration (i.e. scrolls or tomes) and he'll "brush up" on his dormant arcane skills... *hint hint*

;D

Sounds sweet though will you wait for wild shape to come online?

If the DM is willing you might see about the arcane hierophant.

If the DM is willing you might see about the arcane heirophant.

I was just looking at this! It does look more appealing to me. Hmmm... what do you think, wehrpig?

Sounds sweet though will you wait for wild shape to come online?

Good question. I just might do that.

Then you could pick up the feat that let's you count four levels of non druid classes towards your wild shape

Yeah. Interestingly, I found this on the arcane hierophant too... it shows slightly different requirements and special abilities.

EDIT: Ok, the link I found is a Pathfinder import of the original 3e D&D arcane hierophant (V's link).

Yeah, that one does a crap job of dealing with the familiar/companion.

Sounds intriguing - go for it Aldarion. You can tailor the pathfinder version.

So we going to make this a philosophical debate on the nature of man?

Ehh, why waste the time? We got people to kill!

For Larisa and Veronica the Roll20 invite is here.

Concerning horses, the riderless horse that was seen as you initially approached Oleg's was Veronica's horse. We'll say you either recovered it there or it wandered back during the day.

Also, after your second battle with the will-o-wisp, you were able to recover one of the bandit's horses as you escaped. This horse may be given to Larisa.

Both rounds of handle animal checks failed, except for Sere's horse, whom will be combat trained after a further week and a half of training. Fresh combat training will begin now on the other four horses. Training dates are being tracked in the chronicle spreadsheet in the gameplay tab.

Note also that the charmed bandit dog from the last fight has joined you. The dog is trained in fighting, guarding and hunting. Anyone is welcome to take ownership of the dog. If you are interested, go ahead and name the dog and include stats for the dog in your profile. If no one is interested, the dog will remain with Jax.

Finally, you still have the two worg puppies. They are growing fast but will not be of much utility for several more months. Unless you instruct otherwise, I will assume they are traveling with you and are being taken care of by Seres and Ezekial.

Recommend Seres, Larissa, and Zeke take at least a point in Handle Animal so we can pile together aid others on training and rearing.

-Posted with Wayfinder

I have Handle Animal +3 (trained) and I can speak with animals as a domain ability, so I may be of some help here. I probably can't aid the current round of training as I just arrived, though.

Looking at the Kingmaker map is giving me some major Civ vibes

Also, when Veronica meets the worg puppies, it's suddenly like a squeaky teenager watching a YouTube video of cute and rambunctious puppies.

Starting now, individual XP awards will be given for the following events:

- Successful skill checks
- Confirmed critical hits
- Role playing dialogue with NPCs (the dialogue must advance the story in some way)

For each event, the award will be 20 x current PC level.

Who is keeping track of those things? You or each of us?

-Posted with Wayfinder

And what's the starting xp for us newbs?

There are separate rows on the XP tracker spreadsheet for each event category - I'll track it.

2000 XP Veronica.

wehrpig, is the dog male or female?

Hey Zeke, maybe you want the dog for a flanking partner? Larisa and Veronica seem more the more ranged fighter types... poor Zeke has no luck finding a flanking partner, lol.

Let's train the dog for light armor proficiency and get him or her some barding, in time. :)

So we going to make this a philosophical debate on the nature of man?

Aldarion always enjoys a good philosophical discussion. :D

Hi all.

Reporting back in. I am fine but now have a stint in my LAD artery. I had mild chest pain while exercising but it seemed to be getting worse so I had it checked out Friday. Did a stress test. Total blockage, but other arteries had stepped up to help so I had little or no damage. Moral of the story, if you have chest pain, get it checked out.

I spend 1 day in the hospital and am feeling pretty good. At work today but on light duty and not working full days for a week or so. I'll get a post on in a sec. Oh, and Zeke will indeed put a point in Handle Animal next level and would be glad to take the dog. He will even move a point of recently allocated level 3 skill points to Handle Animal if allowed.

Wow dude. Good call. I've heard too many stories on the other side. "Nah, doesn't hurt that much. Don't need to see the doc ..."

Glad you're back. Changing the diet?

-Posted with Wayfinder

Wow, close call. Docs put you on anything?

My diet is pretty good. My wife is the healthiest eater I know. Its hard to eat bad living with her. LOL. And my numbers are good. Blood pressure is 120/68. No cholesterol issues at all. Blood sugar is a little high. Need to drop a few pounds and will keep working on that, as soon as they let me get back into the gym. I had been hitting the gym hard 3 days a week for 2+ hours each day. Cardio and weights. My believe is that the 16 months of hard work (I never miss if I am in town) was what allowed my body to compensate and enlarge the other arteries of my heart to carry the blood lost from the growing blockage. It was only when the LAD became totally blocked that I began to feel the problem.

But it never hurt that much. Maybe a 2 on the 1 to 10 scale, and only then when I was running or doing the tread mill. So yea, I could have easily ignored it. My mother's father died at 49 from a heart attack so its likely hereditary.

I have to take a blood thinner for a year. Not fun, but no diet restrictions from the one they put me on. Some of those limit leafy greens and such. Might have to take a beta blocker for a while. Not sure Yet. I have a follow up in 2 weeks.

Well looks like you really got the best of a bad situation going, good stuff.

Glad to hear everything is ok Zeke. Sounds like you have a very healthy lifestyle, which is the best medicine.

Aldarion, the dog is female.

Zeke, you may shift your current skill points to provide a point in handle animal.

Done.

I dropped a point in Slight of Hand to do so. While trained, he is no where near good yet. :)

Ezekial had ordered a masterwork kukri. I guess there is no way to get the blade or his money back at this point?

Seems strange to be third level and have no masterwork weapons, no masterwork armor, and no potions at all. His only item he did not start with, other than the animals is those boots that help with stealth. We seem pretty under-geared for this coming fight...