I would somewhat prefer a Fighter over a Barbarian, I suppose, as I think defense is under-rated (and in terms of tropes, I prefer 'training and skill' over 'primal rage'). Scarlet had pretty good defenses as a Bloodrager, most barbarians don't. But it's not a big deal either way for me.
Cavalier would also work for Kingmaker. They have good skills and often some nice party-buffing abilities. I have a strong preference for Medium-sized cavaliers, though that shouldn't be too much of a problem as we are often outdoors.
And bards are of course always welcome. Posh is no longer with us? Inspire Courage is nice given our many 3/4-BAB combatants.
I think you have awesome defense, and our Paladin good as well, it's actually why I would prefer that hammer to your anvil, as a complement - rather than stack more tanks in the front line.
Having a nigh untouchable frontline would feel a bit too gamey, too :)
(don't misunderstand - one great tank is awesome, but multiple give a bit too much battlefield control imho.)
Durgan can get a good AC with some time to buff. His walking-around AC of 20 is pretty mediocre for level 5. I don't anticipate always being able to prepare for battle as I have done this time.
As to the hammer and anvil concept, I can't make enemies target Durgan, especially if there is another melee type on the field who is hitting much harder. So if we do get another front-liner (and that's not a given), it would be my preference that they had a reasonable balance of offense and defense. Meanwhile, Durgan will work on improving his offense so the enemies will want to target him.
What about a real conjurer to clog up the world with annoying little monsters for me to Spirit Totem :D?
I'm very muchly leaning toward a full arcane.. as well
Probably a quirky type like a witch, or sorcerer, would need a really well role played arcanist or mage. Teleport etc can make this game especially a little easy or the DM can figure good ways to make it work.
Full arcane would be good. Prepared casters (or semi-prepared like the Arcanist) have more versatility than the sorcerer and so can have a few interesting and unusual spells in their repertoire. But yes, I would want to see something quirky and not just another 7-Str 7-Cha wizard who spams Grease and Glitterdust. The PFS standard.
Teleport is still years away in real time, but Durgan will get it as a 5th-level domain spell. That does mean only 1/day, and he won't be able to take the whole party.
Mechanically Fast Healing should take care of lethal and nonlethal damage simultaneously - so mathematically, it's somewhat safe to 'oversaturate' with nonlethal damage to just the point where nonlethal turns into lethal damage. Then when those lethal wounds heal, re-apply.
Even with no concept of HP it should be possible to keep the thing "knocked out" as long as someone is there and making sure to keep watch on it.
Alia and someone else with good healing should probably guard it until such time as the Shopkeeperess can be unstoned.
Okay so Zokon, Alia Scarlet, and Numalar look like they are all eligible for PFS credit. If you would like some I'll need the following info:
Player Name
Character Name (The character must be between 2nd to 4th level, otherwise you have to wait for your 1st level character to accumulate enough XP to reach 2nd level before applying the chronicle sheet.)
PFS Character's #
Character's Faction
Experience Track (Fast or slow? The chronicle sheet is worth 3 XP, and 4 Prestige Points {or 1.5 XP, and 2 PP if on the slow track}.)
Mechanically Fast Healing should take care of lethal and nonlethal damage simultaneously - so mathematically, it's somewhat safe to 'oversaturate' with nonlethal damage to just the point where nonlethal turns into lethal damage. Then when those lethal wounds heal, re-apply.
Translation: bigger hammer.
(Dammit! Still have to rip-off I mean set-up a loot tracker.)
Eventually, given time, muscle, and certain skills and spells (Taking 10 all the way) the party finds in its possession:
several pounds of non-magical scented herbs and lotions
100 scented candles
10 scented bars of soap
50 colored chalk sticks
50 sticks of incense
100 tindertwigs
4 flasks of acid
6 flasks of antitoxin
2 everburning torches
4 jars of some sort of unidentifiable magical cream
1 potion of blur
1 potion of comprehend languages
1 potion of darkvision
1 potion of delay poison
1 potion of enlarge person
1 potion of fox's cunning
1 potion of haste
1 more or less complete alchemist's lab
Enough make-up and cream for 1 disguise kit
1 little green party dress with matching heels
Hundreds of good luck charms and mystical curios.
There are also several expensive looking books upstairs that will take some time to go through.
These items are mix of things noted upstairs (in the lab and bedroom), in the back room, and on the sales floor.
So 4 jars of some sort of unidentifiable magical cream. Hopefully 1 of those is the Stone Salve!
Illthir's thinking we might want to just test it on something less important then an (ex?) living person but if it works maybe we can get the poor owner back in flesh :D
It probably makes them +2.
I'm asking all my folks to forgive me for a few days. I had a friend commit suicide this morning and I need some time to process this. I will be back in a day or three. In the meantime, if you or someone you know needs to talk, PLEASE call someone! Send me a private message if nothing else. I am always willing to listen and I promise that it will remain confidential!!
My condolences, and no worries on my part except for you. Take your time, and take care. Remember, AC 22 doesn't protect you from everything, so all that you said about talking to someone applies to you too.
Yes very sad to hear, go be sad and celebrate your friend... my condolences.
:(
I'm sorry to hear that. My best wishes, for what they are worth.
Very sorry to hear that. My condolences.
Gwen gives the characters the following for their help:
1 of the two remaining jars of stone salve (4,000 gp)
And their choice of any 4 of the following:
1 potion of blur
1 potion of comprehend languages
1 potion of darkvision
1 potion of delay poison
1 potion of enlarge person
1 potion of fox's cunning
1 potion of haste
She herself is a "builder mage" and offers to help in the creation of magical items down the road, should the party need her.
Loot!
I would lean towards:
Delay Poison
Enlarge Person
Blur
Darkvision (for those non-dwarves in the party, most especially Zokon in a night battle at range)
Comprehend Languages is nice, but Illthir has a scroll of that and Durgan can prepare it with advance notice.
Haste for just 1 PC isn't that good, and a temporary Int bonus isn't that useful.
Darkvision (Durgans right) and delay poison, haste as it has such a profound effect on a melee character, probably enlarge next, mainly due to the possibility of them helping in specific scenarios.
Haste in a potion, though, is trading a move and standard action (draw and drink potion) for 5 rounds in which you get an extra attack if you don't have to move. So I guess that's best not for a melee character, but actually for Zokon. Because in the fights to date we have been moving around a lot. Haste would let us move faster, getting single move + attack rather than double move in some cases. That's true.
I mean, it's good, but it's not nearly as good as a scroll of Haste (which would affect the whole party, and Alia or Illthir could use it).
My vote goes towards:
Blur,
Darkvision,
Delay Poison,
Fox's Cunning.
Darkvision is obviously useful, no discussion there.
Delay Poison is a niche thing that would occupy a slot for the chance that it's needed - having it in such a form basically makes it available without occupying a spell slot until such time as it is needed.
Blur is nice. Not something to rely on by itself, of course, but a nice addition all the same.
We DO have a wand of Enlarge Person with some 15 charges or so left. While that requires someone to use it, we do have it available.
And haste, as pointed out, is a bit of a waste if reduced to a single target.
I'd actually like the potion of fox's cunning. As of now, we have no "enhancement" bonus items - it could help with Int-Checks we know come up, it could help with Spell DC for a Int-based full Arcane Caster, it could even help diplomatically, with Zokon making a very intelligent first impression during some 1:1 talks with another ruler. ;)
(Eventually, I could also make extra use of it - there are some Magus Arcana that give +Int to something - but by that time, I hope to have a +2 Headband, at least.)
But I think the important ones are Darkvision and Delay Poison, the others are icing on the cake.
The stone salve slightly worries me.
So we've pretty much agreed on Darkvision & Delay Poison?
I think that Enlarge is neat but we do have the wand. Illthir could make some scroll - if we have someone that actually knows Enlarge Person if we want it more available. Guess the potion would have the advantage that it is more discreet.
I'd for Blur next. Could be extra power to chuck before some expected hard fight. The duration is a big plus in my opinion since it makes it so much easier to deploy.
Haste is great but I agree with Durgan that it is harder to use. A scroll of Haste would be excellent - but those are pricy. Though Illthir could scribe one/just cast the spell in 2 levels. But an extra shot/stab might come in handy until then?
Fox's Cunning is neat. Illthir can do Tears to Wine to replicate the bonuses on the skill side pretty well (and could make a scroll of that so we have it handy?). Duration of just 3 min seems a bit short for social interactions in my opinion. But +2 to spell DCs could be neat in a pinch.
Edit: Oh yes Stone Salves and the like are always interesting loot to obtain. I think we should hold on to it just in case. It's a neat item either way, if a bit pricy :D
The main advantage of the potion of Enlarge Person is the reduced 'casting time' - a scroll or spell can be interrupted.
But I am fine with Alia's picks.
Aye that's true.
But should we go with Alia's picks then?
(We can perhaps pick up some Potions of Enlarge Person potions as well. They should be cheaper then the other ones :P)
To Illthir's point, Gwen actually makes, and sells all this stuff, if that helps.
Other things:
I think I have a loot tracker I can tolerate that I'll try to get up this weekend.
Look over the prescriptive players in the recruitment thread. If you want to talk about recruitment or behind the recruit's backs... ;) ...just PM me.
I am also going to try and put up a kingdom tracker in the near future so we can have that.
And lastly, Zokon wants introduce Alia to his wonder family who live in the middle of a demon-haunted forest, so we'll be starting that in the next day or two.
Whoa.. Fey haunted isn't it... not demon haunted....
Both actually. The Gronzi Forest (Zokon-mostly link) is the center of Lamashtu worship in the north.
Oh that sounds like a wonderful place to visit.
...I'm starting to see why Zokon decided to just risk it with the bandits out in nowhere instead ... :P
We may have to kill Zokon's family, just to be safe.
Speaking of, Zokon could you place your family home (green star) on the attached map, please?
Edit Never mind. That one is already on the map. How about placing Forest's Edge (the orange star)?
And given the distance, it looks like I'm going to have to postpone (in-game) that big shindig in Restov for about a month-and-a-half or two, because we're talking about traveling about 200 miles through mostly forest and mountains! That's a few weeks just going one-way.
Edit Never mind. That one is already on the map. How about placing Forest's Edge (the orange star)?
You know it's on the "forests edge", in the southern Gronzi forest so it's southern edge of the forest....
HEY! "Interactive campaign."
Speaking of, any more recommendations on the recruitment thread? Going once....
Anyone interested in a group chat about it to compare notes?
I'm thinking a discord chat or something might be handy, since it's more interactive.
And I'm taking a peek at our applicants now : )
I will get my thoughts on the later submissions to you tonight or tomorrow.
I could do a Discord chat.
I have to say i like Gummy Bear and Roreks atm... Shaman type.. and Roreks wizard.
Gummy Bear seems to have put in alot of work and be knowledgeable, whereas Roreks wizard is very wizardy which we need.
Super sick today, so I'm calling-off GM duties today. Discord (or I think Google has a chat option) works for me, or rather it will when my brain stops trying to get out through my right temple.
Still mostly alive.
I think I like the idea of the private chat, if only to share some of the reviews I've gotten via private message. I have resisted Discord in the past because it is one more thing I have to sign up for and log into, but am very swayable in this instance.
Otherwise, I actually have a google account, and can set up a "hangout" to chat in. I would just need folks to PM me a email.
I'm going to start going through the applications in detail as soon as I am off here.
In-Game:
Lemme know if you are going to shop for things and what those things are before we begin moving heading north to Meet the Santyevs.
A hangout will probably work too. Discord is just nice because I've already got it running - which isn't a very convincing perk for people getting it just for this :P
I have discord and email, either suits for chats.
Okay, so what's a good time for a chat (bearing mind that there is about a six hour time difference between those who live in the United States (I believe we are all in the Eastern Time Zone), and those in Europe, and that there is a twelve hour difference between those in the States and Zokon in Australia). I work second shift (roughly 3pm-2 or 3am (local time)--including travel time, Monday through Friday).
Are we thinking about a voice chat?
I've got gmt+1 evenings off most days (there was plans to help my brother with some furniture this week but so far things are vague).
Otherwise I'd suggest we simply do it by text and let people weight in when they have time.
Text is fine.
I'm in the Central time zone, but if necessary, I can be available up until about 1 AM most nights.
I don't think I could make a voice chat, but I PM'd everybody a shortened version of what I sent the GM, with my top few choices.
I'm gmt +8, i'm 13 to 16 hours ahead of anyone in USA, so text is probably the only way this will work.. I think text is the only way..
i.e.
At 10.30 AM in Perth Western Australia
it's 9.30 PM in New York (East coast USA)
it's 6.30 PM in LA (West Coast USA)