Luke's Crimson Throne Campaign

Game Master GM Crimson

Yeah, Nebbin's up. Swing away big guy, and deliver us from the combat that would not end! I'll check back this evening after my son's practice to see if my flying derro gets to act again.

In the meantime, thanks everyone for the continued commitment to the game and for the kind words. I've been in resource-gathering/map-making mode for chapter 2 encounters for a while now, and it's great to hear (read?) that everyone's still on board and engaged by the game.

The treasure thingy is a real deficit, and all I can really say on the matter is to search your surroundings carefully. There's both treasure and plot clues to be found. I'll try to make sure downtime/shoptime gets inserted into the timeline as well. I think most of my customizations have been very treasure-poor, so that's something I'll take in hand.

PS congrats to RD on the promotion! Those things can be two-edged swords. I did 2 hours of commuting daily for 20 years at one tech firm before wising up and finding a closer gig. I swear I listened to every audio book in our public library twice while sitting in tampa bay traffic. Hopefully the work and pay are engaging enough to justify the commute!

I'm actively running CoTC on another board and I'm really impressed with how you've managed to weave the character backstories into the plot. Part of the strength of the AP but it plays 'fresh' to me and I don't really know what I'm getting in to from point to point. Also just a great group with strong personalities. Good times.

On loot, almost every game I run has players asking why the loot is so low and pointing to the WBL chart. I think the only one that actually matched WBL is Wrath of the Righteous, and that's mythic!

I’m a bit swamped with schoolwork right now. Bot me if you need to.

I'll be in NYC on Sunday and Monday and probably pretty busy Tuesday, so after today may not be able to post until Wednesday.

I'm traveling to Dallas on business all next week, so I may be spotty in posting as well. So please excuse me in advance if I miss some evenings.

Popping in just to let everyone know that I’m still here. I haven’t been able to post because of my schoolwork.

Thanks Luke. It's an acting position so temporary, about 6 - 8 months. Usually the way it works is if all goes well and everyone is happy at the end of the time, I'd go permanent. Most likely at a different office, which would almost certainly mean a saner commute.

Hey folks,

I'm planning on running a Pathfinder Playtest PbP game on these boards in the near future and wondered if any of you would be interested in joining. It'll be a sort of spinoff from the Hell's Rebels game I currently run. I believe that three players from that group are interested in the side game; that means there are 1-2 spaces open.

Here is a link to the first gameplay post, which gives some of the background info. It probably wouldn't hurt to take a look at the Hell's Rebels Player's Guide for even more background details.

Let me know if you're interested.

Can you give us a little more info? Is this a completely homebrewed game that's just set at the same time in the city? I'm interested, but need some more details.

Yep, it's a homebrew...a sort of spinoff-in-the-same-time-period sort of game. Hell's Lesser Rebels, to an extent. The PCs won't be the officers of the reorganized Silver Ravens, but might be (or become) lesser agents of that rebellious group. I added some potential contacts and background details to the game's Discussion Thread (see the link in my previous post).

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask.

I'm interested! Sounds exciting.

Sorry all. Business in Dallas has been exhausting. Posting tonight.

Yep, it's a homebrew...a sort of spinoff-in-the-same-time-period sort of game. Hell's Lesser Rebels, to an extent. The PCs won't be the officers of the reorganized Silver Ravens, but might be (or become) lesser agents of that rebellious group. I added some potential contacts and background details to the game's Discussion Thread (see the link in my previous post).

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask.

Do the three from the main campaign have characters yet that you want us to work around with our ideas? Also, starting at Level 1? And how long do you think the game will go (in terms of levels, as opposed to time)?

For those interested in my PF Playtest game, feel free to dot-and-delete in the GAMEPLAY THREAD; then drop by the Discussion Thread.

I don't want to jam up this game's Discussion Thread with unrelated posts.

I'll be working day shifts this coming week, which will throw off my schedule. I usually can still find time to post in my games I'm playing in, as that usually requires less time than GM'ing, but if I'm holding things up, please feel free to DMPC me.

Today marks 2 years for this game. Happy Anniversary!

EDIT: Just realized the piano's a 'Stoneway.' :)

Nice catch! 2 years and one adventure down. And it's the short one too! :)

Seriously, cheers to all of you guys. This thread has been a joy to make with each of you.

I'll get a post in tonight after practice.

Wow! It certainly doesn't seem like two years, which just proves to me I'm getting old. :p

Nice! Congrats, even if I'm late to the party :D

DM Luke had asked about who has what treasure. Here's what we got from the tomb and my personal thoughts on who's likely carrying it (which may not mean where it will end up at the end of the day); feel free to argue differently. :) Note a few things are unidentified.

REGERIS
silver dagger 22 gp
2 vials of silversheen
vial of black unidentified poison
jar of insect repellant, 3 doses
beaker of light blue stuff (unidentified)
dark blue vial of unidentified poison, 2 doses (this is probably what was used on the family in the pits)

EMI
masterwork dagger 302 gp

TASSIRA
the necromancer's wand (unidentified)
robe of bones 2,400 gp, so could sell for 1,200, though some bones are missing; not sure if Tassira would use it, but could actually be a pretty helpful item at this point
handy haversack 2,000 gp (I'm assuming stuff below is stored in here until we decide what to do with it)
-a magical ring worn by the necromancer (unidentified)
- a magical (I think) metal flask sealed with wax (unidentified)
- Ring of Swimming 2,500 gp, can sell for 1,250 if no one wants it
- potion of invisibility
- 3 scrolls: false life and 2x dispel magic (if I understood correctly; it's possibly just one dispel and 2 false life) Could give one dispel magic to Regeris when we split these up officially
- a metal funnel (unidentified)
- two magical scrolls: identify & command undead
- a plague-doctor's mask
- curious metal rod about 1 foot long with spikes and plates on it that radiates strong magic (Unidentified)
- Necromancer's spellbook:
3rd level: fly, gentle repose, vampiric touch, water breathing
2nd level: blindness/deafness, command undead, darkness, false life, scare, scorching ray, spectral hand
1st level: cause fear, chill touch, feather fall, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, shield, sleep
All zero-level wizard except conjurations and illusions

NEBBIN
amber necklace unappraised
+1 studded leather armor this would slightly upgrade Nebbin's armor (though not his actual AC), letting him sell his current kit for 30 gp; that said, it would actually be better off selling this and getting a medium armor, even if it's not enchanted
3 hand crossbows 300 gp total; can sell for 150
3 short swords 30 gp total; can sell for 15
alchemist's lab 200 gp; can sell for 100 gp
two silver rings, a gold and pearl bracelet, a metal hipflask unappraised
53 gp, 18 sp

KAYLEIGH
wand of Spiritual Weapon (48 charges) 4,320 gp
three potions of cure moderate wounds
potion of lesser restoration

--

Questions:
* Can we try again to identify the non-identified things (perhaps the clerics helped us)?
* Does anyone want to keep the poison? If not, do we just trash it?
* Does anyone want the ring of swimming?
* Does anyone want a hand crossbow? (Regeris is proficient in them, but I'm assuming won't use one)
* Does anyone want the +1 studded leather armor? (I think it's a downgrade for everyone but Nebbin)
* Does anyone want the masterwork dagger? How about the silver dagger (I think it makes sense for someone to at least hold on to that one)?
* DM Luke, can we get appraisals for the mundane items so we know what we can sell them for?
* We should also maybe split up some of the potions of CMW since we seem to split up a lot and they do rarely get used in combat.

As per this post, Kayleigh's given Tassira a +2 to her Spellcraft checks to ID the as-yet-unidentified magic items once she can check again (next game day).

For appraising...Kayleigh actually invested a skill point, so she's at +5. If someone else is better at that skill, she can Aid Another some more. Or she can make some shaky guesstimates on her own if she must.

Did the hand crossbows come from the derros? If so, they'd be Small (along with most of their mundane equipment).

I'm good with someone else taking the potions (though at some point soon I want to get one for Kayleigh and let the others know she has it, just in case the healer ever gets dropped).

I'm tempted to suggest selling the wand of spiritual weapon, but right now Kayleigh has no magic weapons so it might be worth keeping in case we meet something nasty.

After the imp attack, Kayleigh invested in a silver morningstar and a cold iron morningstar (which, I believe, she doesn't carry with her due to encumbrance concerns--I'll double-check this at some point). It wouldn't hurt for someone else to carry the silver dagger.

As for the plague-doctor's mask, I believe it was damaged. Kayleigh MIGHT be able to fix it up with a mending spell.

EDIT: As for the poison, Kayleigh's only interested in the derro blue elixir, the stuff that messes with people's minds. She'd want to keep that so it could possibly be analyzed.

Thanks for pulling all that together Nebbin!

There's nothing on the list that really helps Emi much. She has a cold iron dagger (currently handed off to Tiora) and a MWK kukri. The MWK dagger is something she could take, yes, but the only advantage there is if she's grappled or swallowed whole? I'm not sure a kukri can be used in those situations?

At this point I'm not sure Emi really needs a cold iron or silver dagger. She's probably better off just using her falchion two-handed. Even with DR it should be better damage.

She could take the ring of swimming but I doubt we'll be doing a bunch of swimming.

Really what she needs most is cash so she can get a mithril breastplate or a magical chain shirt, some combo that will help get her above light armor AC and restore her 30' movement while using it. Right now she's switching between a chain shirt and breastplate by trying to guess whether protection or freedom of movement will be better on a particular day.

An MWK falchion would also be nice, but again that would be a cash purchase.

So yeah, she can take any of the daggers, even if just to hand them off to others if carrying capacity is an issue. Selling them is also fine if nobody else is interested in using them.

EDIT: Emi could make use of a hip flask. ;p

Kayleigh can prepare and cast masterwork transformation if we bought the reagents and have a little downtime. It's on her to-do list for her morningstar and armor.

Yes, I agree the Pharasmins would help accurately appraise and identify items, though they also may have some strong impressions...

REGERIS
vial of black unidentified poison = 4 doses of black adder venom
beaker of light blue stuff = 12 doses of the derro 'blue juice'
dark blue vial of unidentified poison, 2 doses = 2 doses blue whinnis poison

EMI
I still have noted that Emi has the ornate silver masterwork dagger recovered from Verik in the butchery as well. I was wondering if it was this or the cold iron you gave to Tiora. Also, she'll just claim one of the short swords from the loot stash and be happy.

TASSIRA
necromancer's wand = wand of ghoul touch (14 charges)
magical ring worn by the necromancer = ring of protection +1
metal flask sealed with wax = elixir of vision
3 scrolls -> 2 x false life, 1 x dispel magic
metal funnel - this will require identify or a different specialist
metal rod - this will require identify or a different specialist
plague doctor's mask - mundane and broken.

robe of bones

NEBBIN
amber necklace 350 gp
2 silver rings 100 gp
gold and pearl bracelet 150 gp
metal hipflask 400 gp

KAYLEIGH
Assume the short swords and hand crossbows are useable.

I can prep identify once we have some downtime.

I'm all for ditching the wand and the robe--find a buyer for them.

I lost my thread there. I intended to note next to the robe of bones that the priests of Pharasma are highly offended by the existence of the item and would see it destroyed. You get the feeling that if you push they may buy it off of you to destroy it.

@Kayleigh: Heh, Doing a little research back, Emi didn't say "get a room", she thought it. She's not a subtle person though so she probably vibed the sentiment strongly. I doubt it would be difficult to figure out what was going on in her head.

@Luke: Book of Days on the campaign site is awesome for looking things up. A huge time saver. Thanks!

Seconded. I LOVE the book of days and am stealing it for my games.

@Kayleigh: Heh, Doing a little research back, Emi didn't say "get a room", she thought it. She's not a subtle person though so she probably vibed the sentiment strongly. I doubt it would be difficult to figure out what was going on in her head.

I confess to being lazy and not double-checking that one. Also, I knew saying it aloud would make Nebbin blush so I did it anyhow. :)

I've noticed myself giving too many of Kayleigh's thoughts in my posts recently and am trying to cut back. Given her poor performance in most of the combats in the derro warrens, her thoughts are where most of her interesting bits are happening currently.

Sorry for not replying to one of your posts a week or so back. Emileva directly addressed Kayleigh, and I meant to reply but apparently got sidetracked and never did.

I wonder if Kayleigh has a nickname...

Apparently I have too much time on my hands, cuz I gave this some serious thought.

The best I came up with would've come from her short, unsuccessful stint as one of Lamm's Lambs, back when she was more gangly, uncoordinated, and slow: "Snailly."

The only other thing I came up with would be an answer to the following question: Is Miss Fairwind any good at [fill in the blank]?...to which the answer would be: "She's Fairly o'Kayleigh."

Personally, I like Snailly better. :)

**********************************

BTW, I'm working up a consolidated treasure list from the two prepared by Nebbin and Luke. Look for it later today.

Getting caught up now. Will post later.

OK, here's the consolidated loot list from the derro warrens. I redistributed the potions originally in Kayleigh's list to other folks.

Also, it looks like most of the stuff we might sell is in Nebbin's list. Speaking of Nebbin, I think he (or Emileva) should get the ring of protection +1.

******************************************

REGERIS
silver dagger 22 gp, can sell for 11 gp
2 vials of silversheen 500 gp, can sell for 250 gp
vial of black unidentified poison = 4 doses of black adder venom 480 gp, can sell for 240 gp
jar of insect (vermin?) repellant, 3 doses 15 gp, can sell for 7.5 gp
beaker of light blue stuff = 12 doses of the derro 'blue juice'
dark blue vial of unidentified poison, 2 doses = 2 doses blue whinnis poison 240 gp, can sell for 120 gp
potion of lesser restoration

EMI
masterwork dagger 302 gp, could sell for 151 gp
I still have noted that Emi has the ornate silver masterwork dagger recovered from Verik in the butchery as well. I was wondering if it was this or the cold iron you gave to Tiora. Also, she'll just claim one of the short swords from the loot stash and be happy.
potion of cure moderate wounds

TASSIRA
the necromancer's wand = wand of ghoul touch (14 charges) 1,260 gp, can sell for 630 gp
robe of bones 2,400 gp, so could sell for 1,200, though some bones are missing; not sure if Tassira would use it, but could actually be a pretty helpful item at this point (fate in limbo)
handy haversack 2,000 gp (I'm assuming stuff below is stored in here until we decide what to do with it)
-a magical ring worn by the necromancer = ring of protection +1
- a magical (I think) metal flask sealed with wax = elixir of vision
- ring of swimming 2,500 gp, can sell for 1,250 if no one wants it
- potion of invisibility
- potion of cure moderate wounds
- 3 scrolls: false life (x2) and dispel magic Could give one dispel magic to Regeris when we split these up officially
- two magical scrolls: identify & command undead
- a plague-doctor's mask (broken and mundane)
- Necromancer's spellbook:
3rd level: fly, gentle repose, vampiric touch, water breathing
2nd level: blindness/deafness, command undead, darkness, false life, scare, scorching ray, spectral hand
1st level: cause fear, chill touch, feather fall, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, shield, sleep
All zero-level wizard except conjurations and illusions

NEBBIN
amber necklace 350 gp
+1 studded leather armor 1,175 gp; can sell for 587.5 gp
3 hand crossbows 300 gp total; can sell for 150
3 2 short swords 20 gp total; can sell for 10 (one given to Tiora)
alchemist's lab 200 gp; can sell for 100 gp
two silver rings 100 gp
a gold and pearl bracelet 150 gp
a metal hipflask 400 gp
53 gp, 18 sp
potion of cure moderate wounds

KAYLEIGH
wand of spiritual weapon (48 charges) 4,320 gp, can be sold for 2,160 gp

UNIDENTIFIED
metal funnel - this will require identify or a different specialist
metal rod - this will require identify or a different specialist

Thanks, Kayleigh. So here's what I'd suggest for plans (my thoughts in bold):

REGERIS
silver dagger 22 gp, can sell for 11 gp keep; never hurts to have
2 vials of silversheen 500 gp, can sell for 250 gp sell
vial of black unidentified poison = 4 doses of black adder venom 480 gp, can sell for 240 gp sell
jar of insect (vermin?) repellant, 3 doses 15 gp, can sell for 7.5 gp Keep; again, never hurts to have
beaker of light blue stuff = 12 doses of the derro 'blue juice' get rid of
dark blue vial of unidentified poison, 2 doses = 2 doses blue whinnis poison 240 gp, can sell for 120 gp sell
potion of lesser restoration keep

EMI
masterwork dagger 302 gp, could sell for 151 gp sell
potion of cure moderate wounds keep

TASSIRA
the necromancer's wand = wand of ghoul touch (14 charges) 1,260 gp, can sell for 630 gp ? Could be useful, but the stench makes it less so. I think I'd lean toward sell, but no strong feelings.

robe of bones 2,400 gp, so could sell for 1,200, though some bones are missing; not sure if Tassira would use it, but could actually be a pretty helpful item at this point (fate in limbo) Tassira, do you want this?
handy haversack 2,000 gp
- ring of protection +1 Give to Emi
- elixir of vision Hold on to it for now, let Regeris carry it?
- ring of swimming 2,500 gp, can sell for 1,250 if no one wants it sell
- potion of invisibility keep
- potion of cure moderate wounds keep
- 3 scrolls: false life (x2) and dispel magic Could give one dispel magic to Regeris when we split these up officially agree
- two magical scrolls: identify & command undead keep
- a plague-doctor's mask (broken and mundane) Get rid of unless someone wants a trophy?
- Necromancer's spellbook: Give to Tassira
3rd level: fly, gentle repose, vampiric touch, water breathing
2nd level: blindness/deafness, command undead, darkness, false life, scare, scorching ray, spectral hand
1st level: cause fear, chill touch, feather fall, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, shield, sleep
All zero-level wizard except conjurations and illusions

NEBBIN
amber necklace 350 gp
+1 studded leather armor 1,175 gp; can sell for 587.5 gp
3 hand crossbows 300 gp total; can sell for 150
3 2 short swords 20 gp total; can sell for 10 (one given to Tiora)
alchemist's lab 200 gp; can sell for 100 gp
two silver rings 100 gp
a gold and pearl bracelet 150 gp
a metal hipflask 400 gp
53 gp, 18 sp
potion of cure moderate wounds

KAYLEIGH
wand of spiritual weapon (48 charges) 4,320 gp, can be sold for 2,160 gp I think this could be a useful item for Kayleigh

So if no one objects, then selling all that stuff that I've marked above would give us [b]3911 gp, 23 sp[b]; plus possible the robe and wands of ghoul touch and spiritual weapon if Tassira/Kayleigh don't want them.

That'd be enough to get both Nebbin and Emilva much better armor if we choose, or one magic weapon and one magic suit of armor (possibly two depending on whether people have some funds socked away, though Nebbin doesn't). (As Nebbin and Emileva are our melee-oriented options, I think those are the best uses of these resources, but certainly don't want to dictate.)

I don't want the robe of bones.

That then would give us 5,111 gp, 23 sp.

Kayleigh will keep the wand of spiritual weapon for now, so she'll be able to hit and damage stuff with DR/magic; once she gets her own magic weapon we can sell off the wand.

For gear, Kayleigh's planning on using masterwork transformation eventually on her morningstar, breastplate, and buckler (600 gp total), but that needn't happen immediately. I'm fine with using the windfall to pump up the party combatants with better armor and weapons.

@Kayleigh: Nothing to worry about. I wasn't really expecting a reply. I just thought it was funny. As I said I can see the thought being accompanied by enough eye-rolling and muttering under her breath to make Emi's thoughts on the subject at the time clear.

I have 1 Silversheen and 1 Oil of Keen Edge listed in Emi's gear that might not be counted yet. I'm not sure if the Silversheen is a duplicate of one of the two Regeris has, or one that hasn't been counted. I don't really care one way or the other about selling it. I can see it being useful, but it's a fair chunk of money to forego to be prepared for an unusual situation.

The Oil of Keen Edge is probably good to keep. If we know a nasty fight is coming it pairs very well with Emi's falchion.

I'm fine with selling that MWK dagger. I'd actually forgotten about it. Emi has the MWK kukri that she'd choose first if she needed a backup weapon anyway.

I forgot to mention a couple of other purchases Kayleigh would like to make: 1) a copy of "The Light of Hope," the holy text of Milani, and 2) whatever would be required to plant a small rose garden outside the Temple of Aroden (presuming Garlan's approval for the project).

I'll roll to see the base price and quality of the holy text Kayleigh might find (or be able to order) in Korvosa.

holy text price (in gp): 1d100 ⇒ 4

Ick. Looks like all she'll find are a few scribbled notes.

I endorse this line of action. So Regeris takes the insect repellent, silver dagger, and lesser resto potion. I'll save my money for now - once we have it 100% settled.

I'm traveling again for business this week. LA this time. I know we have some late-ish evenings planned, so my posting might be spotty. On the other hand, I'm lagging pretty bad so a (very) early morning post was possible today.

So, to summarize:

Tassira: "My life is turning into a Linkin Park album and I hate it."
Nebbin: "Oh no! My girlfriend's sick and my best friend's mom is very sick!"
Kayleigh: "Great. I've come down with something and my best friend's family won't accept my help even though one of them is dying."
Regeris: "Oh, Milani above, what's the Queen getting up to with her Maidens now?"
Emileva: "OHMYGODOHMYGOD SEMPAI KISSED ME! :D :D :D <3"

Does that sound about right?

Pretty close on Kayleigh, but her own health isn't her #1 priority at the moment...not even close. That revenge golem was a bitter pill to swallow, showing her all the people she's failed to protect. She really doesn't want Tassira's mom added to that list.

Wait, girlfriend?! What???

You're only fooling yourself, Nebbin. :)

So, to summarize:

Tassira: "My life is turning into a Linkin Park album and I hate it."
Nebbin: "Oh no! My girlfriend's sick and my best friend's mom is very sick!"
Kayleigh: "Great. I've come down with something and my best friend's family won't accept my help even though one of them is dying."
Regeris: "Oh, Milani above, what's the Queen getting up to with her Maidens now?"
Emileva: "OHMYGODOHMYGOD SEMPAI KISSED ME! :D :D :D <3"

Does that sound about right?

For Emi, pretty much. But does it go to eleven?

Wait, girlfriend?! What???

Get a room already.

Tassira Vantyev wrote:

So, to summarize:

Tassira: "My life is turning into a Linkin Park album and I hate it."
Nebbin: "Oh no! My girlfriend's sick and my best friend's mom is very sick!"
Kayleigh: "Great. I've come down with something and my best friend's family won't accept my help even though one of them is dying."
Regeris: "Oh, Milani above, what's the Queen getting up to with her Maidens now?"
Emileva: "OHMYGODOHMYGOD SEMPAI KISSED ME! :D :D :D <3"

Does that sound about right?

For Emi, pretty much. But does it go to eleven?

That's pretty much the biggest I can make the text.

Maybe add color then? :p

It's disorienting to write Emi as the most upbeat member of the party at the moment.

How much GP did we each get?

EDIT: Should be 1,022.246 GP.

Sorry, getting slammed with work this week. Will try to post ASAP.