Mummy's Mask

Game Master Samy

Hehehehehe 25 DONE! One question: why are we not using Diplo?

You need to Aid with the same skill.

Des used Bluff because she is much better at it than Diplomacy provided she lies. Anyone helping her with it therefore needed to use Bluff.

Bluff is because scale mail armor is not attractive. It looks like someone tried to make armor to look like a fish. Fish are not very durable so the armor does not inspire much confidence in ways of protection.

But the coffee told me to get a higher number ;) Thank you for noting my bad math. I will jump back in after work.

No post tonight, it's been an exhausting day. You may feel free to start deciding what the next lot is and which order you are targeting NPCs in. You may do just Lot 2 alone, or Lots 2 & 3 both if you wish, but no more than that yet.

So, do we want to make any changes to either Lot 2 or 3?

Any strategies people want to put forth?

I'm not sure Kito, did you have anything different in mind? The strategy we used so far seemed to work pretty well but I'm happy to shake things up if need be :)

It seemed to work to perfection. I say we keep doing it!

I say we stick to the plan!

Alright, we will handle the rolls for lots 2 & 3 at the same time. In the game world, they would happen sequentially but in order to waste less time we will do the rolls at the same time.

Lot 2
For Lot 2, the Meshhotens are highly interested (base DC 20) and Manaat is mildly interested (base DC 25).

So either D.C. 25 and 22 or 20 and 27.

Once again, Harmose can guarantee us a success on DC 22.

The precise math for the best statistical method is a bit more than I want to do here, so I'm just going to guess the best method. Aleris taking 10 would require three successful Aid Anothers which would be somewhat difficult. I think we might come out better having both Aleris and Kito attempt the rolls, then everyone else does Aid Another on whichever of us manages to roll better.

So:

1. Aleris and Kito both use Diplomacy to try to convince Manaat to bid. Everyone else attempts Aid Another on the best roll.

2. Harmose uses Diplomacy to convince the Meshhotens to bid, DC 22 which he can take 10 to always succeed.

Lot 3
For Lot 3, the Four Lanterns are highly interested (20), Masakhet/Karam are mildly interested (25) and Heshwah is not interested at all (30).

Same situation, with a third party we probably can't convince to bid.

1. Aleris and Kito both use Diplomacy to try to convince Masakhet/Karam to bid. Everyone else attempts Aid Another on the best roll.

2. Harmose uses Diplomacy to convince the The Four Lanterns to bid, DC 22 which he can take 10 to always succeed.

3. We don't even try to get Heshwah to bid. Diverting people to try that would reduce out chances of pulling off the first two.

I will post the two lots in gameplay soon!

Thanks again for doing all this work Kito! <3

I will try and get Aleris' two Diplomacy attempts posted in Gameplay shortly.

Am I aiding or just socializing? I am cool with either one

Des, you would Aid whichever of Aleris or I looks to be doing the best on their diplomacy.

Sorry, have been busy/distracted with work, getting my car repaired (stupid deer), and getting stuff done as a GM. I have later today (Tuesday) and Wednesday off though so I promise I'll get Aleris' posts done soon!

*edit*

Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans, happy Tuesday to the rest of the world! And remember kids, it's not a proper rendition of the 1812 Overture unless it has cannons!

So Kito just explained to me that I messed up, big time.

I was under the impression that there were only three choices for Lot 3, and that Heshwah was my only alternative to the Four Lanterns. Samy, were there other choices? I missed the DC 32 Check by 1, because I went second.

Harmose. Would. Not. Go. To. The Four Lanterns.

Each time I forced him to go there, he threw a punch. Every single time.

:/

So I sent him somewhere else, where I thought he would do less damage.

Hmm

Oh Hmm, don't worry! Messing up bigtime is getting someone killed or something! You didn't mess anything up, let alone bigtime. :) You might lose 10gp over your principles, is that such a bad price to stick to your principles? :D You're not going to lose the adventure because of a 10gp difference one way or another. :)

Yes, it's okay Harmose! And to be honest, I don't think Aleris would go back to the Four Lanterns either after that last conversation she had with them.

And uh...this AP isn't like Carrion Crown (which has a bit of a reputation for being stingy with gear) - there'll be plenty of things to find in the future*, it just might seem like less since we've got double the number of players that an AP is designed for :)

*Source = my home group is currently on the last area of the last Book of this AP, hehe.

Harmose dear I am going to mimic those before me. You have not done anything that bad. The Four Lanters honestly deserve some pranking. No one likes them and they deserve some suffering for that.

I will try to post before work but I may have to after work. There is apparently a lot to read and I overslept! It was wonderful! Freaking sleep is great :)

Going once, going twice... I'm gonna give you 18 hours from this post to get any Aid Anothers in, then I'm closing Lots 2 & 3 in order to get the process moving. :)

Hey, I did my part already... :)

It is getting close to the deadline.

Can we bot the character's Aid Another if they don't post before the deadline?

So sorry. Things have been rather hectic. And I had a ten hour shift in the warehouse last night then I stayed up for four hours after that. I can accept, as penance, the falling out of the dress thing that just happened

I will accept bots, why not. :)

Thanks for making me smile Hmm & Des. :)

Someone want to take a shot at making a Lot 4 and figuring out who perspective buyers are?

I will be busy the next couple of days so I'm not sure I'll have time to put something together.

For you sweet Samy anytime... That I am not to worn out to type

I'm here guys - was hammered by work, and then have been slugging it out with amigdalitis for the last three days... Getting back on track...

Apologies I didn't warn you of the absence, didn't expect it would be so long.

@Kito - I might be able to start some work on that tomorrow as I'll actually have a day off, but I can't promise anything. I'll certainly do my best though!

@Polux - No worries, you've not missed too much! Hope you're finally on the mend!

Okay, let's start going again. Harmose is going to propose that we've done enough experimenting with the small stuff, let's go big. Tell me if these lots work for you and I'll post them in gameplay.

EXPENSIVE LOTS

Lot 4 -- Historical Papers, Scandalous Letters and Other Ancient Micellanea
Potential bidders: Temple of Nethys (Masarat & Khayyam) for history especially regarding the temple. Meshhotens, Maru and Namaru (for scandal & intrigue). Iosep the Coffee Merchant (human heritage.)

• The Gold-Plated Books from Akhentepi’s Tomb:
  The first is a brief biography of Akhentepi, and the second is a list and description of the various military campaigns conducted by the nation of Osirion between 2350 and 2450 AR, so about 50-150 years before the Plague of Madness took Wati. Each book weighs about 25 pounds. 600 gp for the Set.

• Tablet of Languages Lost Price 1,980 gp;
  Description:

  Fashioned from granite, this stone tablet is approximately 2 feet long, 1 foot wide, and just over an inch thick. Dating to the period of the Keleshite Interregnum in Osirion over 2,000 years ago, the tablet was once part of a larger stone stele that was publicly displayed for all to see. Now known as the tablet of languages lost, the broken slab is inscribed with a vow of fealty to the Padishah Emperor of Kelesh in three different languages: Ancient Osiriani, Kelish, and contemporary Osiriani. The characters and hieroglyphs of the three languages correspond to one another and serve as a translation key between the languages.

  Once per day, upon speaking the command word, the owner of the tablet can read and understand any written texts as if using comprehend languages for a period of 30 minutes. This does not allow the owner to speak or write unknown languages, or read magical writings (though the tablet reveals that such texts are magical). In addition, if the tablet is readily available and at hand, the owner gains a +3 competence bonus on all Linguistics checks. Finally, if the owner knows at least one of the three languages inscribed on the tablet, he can attempt Linguistics checks to translate the other two languages even if untrained in the Linguistics skill.

  Possession of the tablet of languages lost serves as an acceptable rationale for the owner to learn one of the three languages inscribed upon it (by putting a rank in Linguistics during character advancement) without the need of a teacher or library.

  Although the tablet of languages lost was created to ease the transition of native Osirians from pharaonic rule to that of a foreign monarch, other tablets could exist bearing different messages in other languages.

• Tablet of Djederet II’s Decree

  A decree about an obscene relic in the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. 300 gp

• Akhentepi’s Papers

  Includes love letters to his mistress and love of his life.

• Silver Holy Symbol of Nethys

______

Lot 5 -- Lot of the DEAD
Temple of Nethys (Masakat and Khayyam) -- Yeah, this stuff will be right up their alley. Baketra -- Ancient Art & Decor Pieces. There is some super cool stuff in here that might tip him over. Four Lanterns -- They've had a lot of trouble with undead and like shiny things. The masks are shiny and the other objects help against the undead. Manaat and Iosep also possible. It’s too bad Ptemenib isn't here to buy anything, since he represents the Grand Mausoleum.

• Funerary Masks -- Gold (multiple), Pentheru, 4 Deity-Themed Funerary Masks -- 1250 for the set. Important decor for every home!

• Deadman’s Headband 3600gp
  The Lanterns would love this. Bonus to intimidate, prevents expensive magical headgear from getting lost. With its badass name, it's just the stupid kind of thing they'll want.

• Mummified Guardian. 3000gp Prevents you from being made undead.

Bah. I am just going to go ahead and post the lots. We need to move forward again.

Hmm

I approve! Sorry work has been crazy busy.

*sigh* I am sorry too, I kept meaning to sit down and work on this and kept finding myself distracted by other things (or without the free time to sit down in the first place). Thanks for throwing those lots together <3

Sounds great to me.

And I apologize three - I am back for good now though.

Kito made some suggestions here as well... Because Kito is good people. So anyway, we have our lots and need to wait on Samy and then we can proceed!

Hmm

All good stuff.

Lot 4:
Masakhet & Karam are highly interested (DC 20)
Meshhotens are mildly interested (DC 25)
Iosep is mildly interested (DC 25)
+2 cumulative for beyond first

@Samy I want to check something you said earlier. At this point can I use my roll of 25 here in place of rolling now? Asking because it affects our strategy.

Assuming I didn't misunderstand, I am going to suggest the following strategy:

Lot 4, dependent on Samy's answer
1st: Kito on Iosep, Success if I understood correctly
2nd: Harmose on Masakhet & Karam, Take 10 for success
3rd: Deseri or Aleris on Mehhotens, DC 29.

On the Mehhotens, we need to see how well Deseri and Aleris can roll. There is a very slim chance (5%) of Aleris doing it all on her own. There is a somewhat better chance of one of them getting us within reach with Aid Anothers.

This guarantees us two bidders with a chance of the third but most likely requires Aid Anothers.

--

Lot 5:
Masakhet & Karam are highly interested (DC 20)
Baketra is mildly interested (DC 25)
Four Lanterns are mildly interested (DC 25)
Manaat is not interested (DC 30)
Iosep is not interested (DC 30)
+2 cumulative for beyond first

Here I'm going to suggest:
1st: Harmose with Baketra. DC 25.
2nd: Kito on Masakhet & Karam, spend 3 influence, take 10 for 17+6=23, 'auto' success.

Depending on Hermosa's results, we then decide if we go for all three or only 2.

3rd: Four Lanterns, DC 29.

Chances are reasonably good that Harmose can get Baketra to bid. If he takes 10, it would require one person to aid him. If he rolls, there is a 45% chance of him just making it without needing any aid.

The chances of getting all three to bid are slim. Aleris has a very slim chance of doing it without needing Aid (5%). If either of them rolls well that puts us within reach of Aid Another.

---

Comments?

Polux will be over there in the corner, drinking himself silly :D

Looks good to me! Currently at work, so I'll catch up later :)

Turel will lend an Aid Another wherever he will be needed :)

Sure, go for it Kito.

Alright, posted my actions.

On Lot 4, Aleris did well enough that we only need two people to successfully aid. Deseri has a very good chance of successfully aiding -- she succeeds on anything except a natural 1.

I have high hopes that we will successfully get the other aid so as to have three bidders on this lot.

Okay, I posted. Here's hoping I did them right? Can you tell us again who needs to aid where?

Hmm

After her last encounter with the Four Lanterns, Aleris is going to be loathe to approach them again to talk to them about Lot #5. She's going to be of mixed minds about sending Deseri to do it too; on one hand she doesn't like the idea of willingly exposing a friend to that level of DudeBro but on the other hand Des isn't quite as restrained as Aleris and so it might be amusing to watch Des beat them all to death with her bare hands :3

Oh... Des going to talk to them? Can we sell Popcorn?

Harmose,

It looks like you made a bad cut & paste error on Lot 5.

Here is the situation as I see it.

Lot 4
1st person, Iosep, DC 25, Success!
2nd person, Masakhet & Karam, DC 22, Success!
3rd person, Mehhotens, DC 29, currently at 26. Need two Aid Anothers for Aleris.

Lot 5
1st person, Baketra, DC 25 -- Error! Error!
2nd person, Masakhet & Karam, DC 22, Success.

We have a conflict between Kito's and Hermose's actions -- both said they were going second.

If Samy allows Hermose's roll to stand and assumes he goes first, he succeeds. His roll was high enough that he would have succeeded even if he went 3rd.

3rd person, Four Lanterns, DC 29.
Or pick some other random prospect and risk it being DC 34.
We need someone to act as primary here and the others to pile on with Aid Another.

If Samy allows Hermose's roll to stand and assumes he goes first, he succeeds. His roll was high enough that he would have succeeded even if he went 3rd.

Fine by me.

Alright, then we have:

Lot 4:
Success on two.
Still have Deseri, Polux and Qari to try and Aid Another Aleris. Need two out of the three to succeed at the DC 10 check.

Lot 5:
Success on two.
Have Aleris, Deseri, Polux, Qari, Ra-Khefer and Turel who can cooperate on getting a third bidder.

Note I wasn't expecting to have a chance at three bidders for Lot 5. If we actually pull it off, it would be bonus money.

Either Deseri or Aleris should roll for it.

If you try to convince the Four Lanterns, DC 29.
Do not attempt it with Manaat, Iosep or Ptemenib. We know that Ptemenib will not buy. The other two are already at the worst case DC of 34.

We know the Four Lanterns are DC 29.

We do not know the difficulty for anyone else. Best case would be 24, worst case 34.

Not a lot of sleep today but I am all for talking to the Four Lanterns. I will assume my bluff is the goal.

Lot 4:
Need Polux to succeed on his diplomacy check.

Lot 5:
Des used Bluff, 21. Need four successful Aid Anothers for bluff out of the 5 people who can do it.

Lot 5 we can no longer make off Deseri's Bluff.

We either close it out or Aleris tries and rolls exceptionally well.

If Aleris doesn't want to touch the Four Lanterns, there are still other individuals to approach, too. Some of which you don't know the DCs for, but you can always ask.

Qari isn't going to approach the Four Lanterns for any sort of social interaction, whether aiding someone or not. She doesn't like those punks!