Library of the Lion (Inactive)

Game Master Netopalis

Welcome to Library of the Lion! Please feel free to go ahead and discuss things amongst yourselves before we get started.

Baron Rysalius Starnon, reporting for duty! Online profile should be up to date, spoilers at the end include copies of the additional resources I'm using for this character.

PFS #76446-2
Taldor

As for tactics, I'm usually set as a support frontliner. Skills, performances (inspire courage +2), heavy armor and melee combatant.

Shel is here.

She's the skillful party member. She likes to provide flanking and slice and dice with her kukri, although she doesn't do much dAmage.

She's got a bit of a Napoleon complex going on and sees herself as the team leader.

Tamerius, cleric of Asmodeus, medevian crusader report for duty.

I don't channel positive but negative and I'm focused on summoning and extermining demon and see through their disguise.

I have some knowledges but my main focus is demonology.

If needed I could play my Aroden cleric but she can't channel at all

PFS #113331-10

Hessiel Linger elven Investigator reporting for duty, he's also a skill based character and uses his bow in combat - falling back on his wand of true strike if an opponent seems particularly tough to hit.

He should be able to aid Shel on disable device checks so long as he does not roll a 1.

Otherwise he'll be the new guy in back with his head down!

Could not resist this scenario with my lion shaman. He can provide a front liner if need and some minor healing or outdoor skills in a pinch.

Fendahl has a lion (medium) companion but not sure if it will fit if this is a city adventure.

He finished the final mission with the Lantern Lodge. Upon being released from his duties to his faction, he took up with the Qadirian's.

So if I followed correctly, we ended up with 5+5+4+4+3+2 = 23/6 = 3.8 ish? Does not seem too overpowered if combat-light. If so I have the archer that traveled with Rysalius last mission.

I am a 1st not a 2nd, though I don't imagine it makes much difference.

Didn't get to see, did I get in? >.< Judging by Rysalius' reaction in recruitment, I thought maybe I did. :p

Didn't get to see, did I get in? >.< Judging by Rysalius' reaction in recruitment, I thought maybe I did. :p

Yep, you're playing.

Would you mind putting the gameplay thread up so we can dot - I go dot and delete so it does not look messy myself - Netopalis?

Woohoo! Haven't played Haldan for a while and never online! I will get him all put in later this week!

Sorry Hessiel, I thought maybe with your GM credits you leveled. My misunderstanding. But, you are right, it does not change things on the tiers.

I am excited to play this mod...we are looking like a well balanced group.

Tamerius is now 4th level :)

And after his experiences in The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment, I look forward to challenging his faith yet again.

He he :)

Haldan is ready to go! ^_^

We'll be starting on Monday night after I play. I had planned to play today, but due to a funeral, I wasn't able to - the GM has graciously offered to run it for me tomorrow so that I can do that before I run it for you folks. Sorry about that!

No worries. I am good with starting tomorrow night.

As an aside, APL calculates to 3.8, which rounds up to 4 - we will be playing in Tier 4-5.

Just a note, Shel can be a bit snarky sometimes. She really does have a Napoleonic complex. She sees herself as the natural leader of any group, and her dreams are either to be a Venture Captain, or a head of a thieves guild one day...maybe both.

So if she gets barky, and bothers someone, let me know and I'll pull her back. Some scenarios she's been perfect, and others have equired more forceful leadership from her, lol.

Believe it or not, I actually am rather familiar with Shel. I read Chris Mortika's run of Severing Ties front to back in hopes of improving my GMming when I first started. Severing Ties was one of my earliest scenarios, and it really helped to go back and look at how another GM handled some of the issues presented, then compare it to how I handled it.

Awesome. She wasn't quite as fleshed out personality wise back then, but that was quite an adventure! Severing Ties is brutal for a first level party. She was lucky to have gotten out of that one alive.

I also remember Shel quite well because we played the Blakros Matrimony together (I was playing Kynrac, the elven oracle). I appreciated your roleplaying then!

Was that when I was playing Fung? Can't remember when I was playing alongside Shel... :)

I remember Kynrac well! This PbP community is so incestuous, lol. We've all ran a game or two together, whether we realize it or not, I bet!

Netopalis, congrats on making the final 32! Great job. Good luck the rest of the way!

Oh, wow, yeah great job! Keep it up, I had missed that you got through, I'll have to go check out your item.

Thanks! Quite excited. Also: Quite overwhelmed with so much to do today, so sorry for any delays!

Congrats! No worries...

Congratulations Netopalis! For what it's worth, I have upvoted the Charlatan's symbol (I encountered it twice or thrice) because I think it has great possibilities for scenarios (PC and NPC). It's very much like the Razmiran Priest archetype, but for any class, any false religion, which is even better.

Just to be clear, I am playing Haldan as non-meta as possible. My position on this is that the complex does not seem to be huge, by description, and we are on the clock. Now, it is fine that they have detailed a mechanic for searching the library, but as players we shouldn't even really know that. I am approaching this library as I would normally. By looking at a few books, you can get a sense of the organization of the collection. Since this collection of books is separate from the main library, and in an office of sorts with a portrait of the Grand Prince, I would venture to guess that some of what we are looking for might be in here somewhere.

Now, it seems to me that you are telling me that my idea is a waste of time. If that is the case, I am a little disappointed.

As for combat, like I said, based on description, it does not seem like this place is huge. If it is, I apologize, I did not get that feeling. I figure that if something happens (such as combat) they can call for help, and I can be there in little time.

Sorry if it sounds like I am coming across as a prick. I am just a little frustrated. It might not even be your fault, maybe that is just how the scenario is written.

It is my personal issue with the whole "never split up the group" rule in RPGs nowadays probably, but couple that with going against my natural instinct to accomplish the mission by "clearing the map" and I guess I am getting grumpy. ;p

Please don't take it personally. ^_^

Oh, I don't take it personally at all. Trust me, the mechanic feels a bit odd. I just am trying to help you folks avoid a situation where you run out of time before getting to the juicy roleplaying stuff, or where you end up facing some ridiculous monster with only half of the party. I'm not saying that your idea is a waste, I'm just saying that due to the mechanics involved, it's likely not a very good use of your time for entirely artificial reasons.

This comes off as less weird in a live-action game, because people are more used to rolling as a group.

If it helps, you might want to consider this adventure somewhat similar to the diplomacy mechanic in Blakros Matrimony or Hellknight's Feast.

If it helps, you might want to consider this adventure somewhat similar to the diplomacy mechanic in Blakros Matrimony or Hellknight's Feast.

Say no more. :-)

Netopalis you've said that searching together is quicker, could you tell us whether it is quicker than us all searching separately for all the rooms? So say there are 4 people making checks, would the total time for searching all four rooms be faster if they searched them one at a time? Or quicker if one searched each room?

So far all I am sure is that searching one room would be quicker with more people.

It would be faster if everybody were to search the same room than if each person were to search one room. This simulates your ability to coordinate - "Did any of you see 'Taldor: A Glorious History'?" "Oh, yeah, I just saw it, it was over next to 'The Opparan Operative'!"

Going to be out of commission on Saturday, folks. Flying to Oahu for the Warrior Dash. GM has permission to autopilot me...

It's OK - I'm also going to be at a convention this weekend, although I imagine I'll still be able to check in every now and then. I'm going to have to, given the pace of my Diamond City table.

So it seems that we have a hint now!

The six lions are each in different poses.

1) One crouches as if preparing to ambush its prey.

2) The second is roaring as it leaps at prey.

3) The third wears a yoke that is chained to a large block that the lion strains to pull.

4) The fourth wears a tiny pair of spectacles and reads from an ornate scroll.

5) The fifth is draped in the flag of Taldor.

6) The sixth sits erect and wears a crown.

"In the end, loyalty is its own reward." -> "in the end" suggests the last (fourth) slot, whereas the mention of loyalty would suggest the statue with the flag or the crown. However, the crown could be linked to the "monarch's virtue" (see below), so I'd be more inclined towards the flag-wrapped statue.

"A cunning lie is never told twice." -> Twice = second position? Cunning suggests the first statue (the ambush)

"Our monarch's virtues are our own." -> The sixth statue wearing a crown? But in which position?

Any thoughts?

Edit: the first two hints in the list above come from portraits of Stavian III, whereas the third comes from another riddle. We should first check the rooms for other portraits of the ruler. If there are four portraits total, it would suggest the third clue above could apply to another riddle or secret... Thoughts?

I agree on both of your suggestions. I think the clues to this riddle are from the portraits. I not sure what the third clue above refers to.

The third sentence don't came from a portrait, may be it's the key to understand the riddles ?

Agreed with the clues and positioning as well (ambush=2nd, flag=last)

Monarch would indicate 1st to me.

I think if the first phrase is an int that we must find all virtue of Taldor's monarch (ie Stavian) then make them our own.

So we must find all the Stavian's portrait (I believed four as the fourth lion's statues we must place) to resolve it.

Tamerius, I completely agree with you. It didn't strike me at first but it makes sense.

Actually, I was trying to find the DC of knowing what the king/ruler of a country looks like. Best I found was DC10. Seems it would be easier than that for a local?

I do not think you can take-10 on an untrained KN: check. So 50/50 chance for a citizen/subject to know what the king looks like. Seems low to me, but maybe they are out making candlesticks or brooms all day and do not see the king (or crown prince in this case).

We stall out again?

No news from Netopalis since last Friday apparently.

I'm wondering about that as well.

Sorry, I'm back. After a week involving two trials, several computer failures and power outages, I'm finally able to get back to this. Sorry about that!