Once Upon a Time in Golarion (Inactive)

Game Master vayelan

I have survived the holiday family visit and am back! Hope everyone else is having a good time.

I probably could have Take-Tenned my way up and down the tree, but I really love the way the die-roller supported VV's hero complex. Nat.10 for VV on her own, upper-teens when using her skills to help another.

I wanted to raise a question regarding the nature of the campaign.

When the original GM started this campaign, they stated that there would be a focus upon more mundane matters of governance and politics, with the fey aspects of the AP being de-emphasized.

Since then, not only have we had a change in GMs, but there has been a significant shuffle of players.
Thus, I wanted to consult our current players about their thoughts on this theme.

Should we continue to focus on rulership, or should we start to incorporate a bit more of the fey elements?

I vote for whatever will make a better story arc. I don’t need all combat, and I don’t need a bunch of spreadsheets, either.

But, I would very much like to experience the growth and development of a young kingdom.

If you’ve ever read the Forgotten Realms novel, Cormyr, that would be a good example of what I’m hoping for.

Hope that helps!

I agree. I'm down for whatever makes the best story. I'm less interesting in the kingdom building itself, but thats mostly from a rules perspective. I am all about the _story_ of the growth and development of the the kingdom. I'm just happy to let others worry about the rules of growing a kingdom.

Also, as someone whose job is 99% spreadsheets, yes. The less spreadsheets needed in my hobby time the better. =)

I vote for whatever will make a better story arc. I don’t need all combat, and I don’t need a bunch of spreadsheets, either.

But, I would very much like to experience the growth and development of a young kingdom.

If you’ve ever read the Forgotten Realms novel, Cormyr, that would be a good example of what I’m hoping for.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the suggestion. I just pulled my copy of Cormyr off the shelf, and I'm going to reread it for inspiration. (It's been quite a few years since I read it).

I agree. I'm down for whatever makes the best story. I'm less interesting in the kingdom building itself, but thats mostly from a rules perspective. I am all about the _story_ of the growth and development of the the kingdom. I'm just happy to let others worry about the rules of growing a kingdom.

Also, as someone whose job is 99% spreadsheets, yes. The less spreadsheets needed in my hobby time the better. =)

No worries. I actually enjoy keeping track of the RPG nitty-gritty in spreadsheets, so I can cover you guys on that aspect.

I love the story evolution of things, but I surprisingly enjoyed the kingdom building aspects of the start of this chapter, so I don't want to lose that.

I'm not a spreadsheet fan, though, so please don't put me in charge of that aspect.

Despite the initial aims of this campaign, Wonky was built as a character for the First World. Her father's bleaching is a big motivator for her adventuring; she thinks that the cure for her father might lie in the fey world, so yes I'd be happy to incorporate more fey elements into this game.

And lastly, I have returned from vacation! Happy New Year!

-Wonky

I'm enjoying the story, and am happy with any direction you focus on.

For VV:
• Kingbuilding offers a lot of fun fluff RP. Ash as Counselor and VV teaching a self-defense class during peacetime is cool. She will likely do more on the fluff side, though Addy might be well suited to social situations.

• Fey—Tyg and Pervalish are adorable, and both in-character and out-, I'd like to see progress for Wonky and the blight plot of her dad. (Wonky Prong Sr.???)

• Combat—well... VV doesn't wear her boots for a fashion statement. Unscathed, badly wounded, for me every encounter has added to the story, and sometimes we get those fluke rolls (such as that nat.20 acro to save Ash) that end up being that proverbial butterfly fart.

So I'm up for any direction, really. I guess if I had to vote, I'd say any direction that focuses on a PC is good. Ahto ruling and Wonky saving dad kinda leads to a balance of King and Fey. I realize that sounds like the wishy-washy "I VOTE BOTH!", but I mean that plus I'd be interested in seeing something Eunomia-centered and Harmond-centered develop as well. (Not all at once!)

My primary concern is for your comfort level as a GM. If you're not happy, ain't nobody going to be happy. What story do you want to tell?

That being said, I don't think 'fey' and 'politics' need to be mutually exclusive. (You want political intrigue, look no further than the Seelie and Unseelie Courts!) So I will shamelessly give the wishy-washy answer of both, please.

Thank you all for the feedback. I think we can find a balance of game elements that will provide an enjoyable experience for everyone.

One of my overarching goals was to incorporate Wonky's backstory and her father's condition into the narrative, especially since I want to give each character a personal investment - hence why I provided correspondences with the temple of Abadar for Ahto and from Liberthane for Eunomia, as well as guiding Asham along the path to ascended extra thanks to the Vixen's interest. I'm also working on a way to involve Harmond's family.

I really relish the opportunity to devise tweaks and flourishes to the AP that tailor the story to the characters.

Spoiler in my post because (a) long and (b) not sure if Eunomia and Harmond know the story or not, aside from a wyvern having been defeated. I tried a kid-friendly story from VV’s perspective, and I just typed as I imagined her saying. It’s truly told from memory so anything that’s off is how she remembered it without the ability to search the post from that day.

Vixen’s miss, Ahto striking nothing but goop and Sams slippery grip are all in-character accounts of bad d20 rolls.

It will take some time for Wonky's letter to reach the university, as well as for her colleague to research, draft, and send a reply. Thus, we can resolve the next month's kingdom turn in the interim.

Likewise, the Vixen can also take her ride out with Asham during this month.

.....

What are your plans for the next kingdom turn? Do you claim a new hex? Construct any new buildings in Horace? Build any improvements in Tamlyn?

Wonky would very much like to see a Library or similar building erected as part of this month. She’d lobby hard for that within the Council.

What's in our budget this month?

After paying consumption, you will have 15 BP in the treasury.

A Library would only cost 6 BP. Other useful buildings in your budget include a Brewery (6 BP), Herbalist (10 BP), Inn (10 BP), Shop (8 BP), Shrine (8 BP), Stable (10 BP), or Tavern (12 BP). Because of the discount provided by having a castle, you could also construct a Town Hall for half price (11 BP instead of 22). You can also build a House (3 BP) or Tenement (1 BP) as a bonus in addition to your main construction project.

Keep in mind that claiming a hex will cost 1 BP, and building improvements in that hex will cost 2-4 BP.

I think we had talked about the importance of having an inn, too.

So, we could do both a library and an inn, right?

I think we had talked about the importance of having an inn, too.

So, we could do both a library and an inn, right?

Not in a single turn, at least not yet.

Addy has a job to do before VV and Ash ride off.

Is there a jeweler? If so, she wants to trade a couple unwanted items worth ~115g (the jade nude monk and pewter belt buckle w/ entwined succubi) for something worth 100g, and possibly services (custom gown) if the jeweler is a woman or married man.

Proposed kingdom turn:

Build a Library in the Capital: 6BP (Economy +1, Loyalty +1)
Claim the Hex with the Sootscale Lair: 1BP (Size +1)
Improve that Hex with a Mine: 6BP (Economy +1, earn +1 BP per turn when collecting taxes)

Note: If there is a Resource in that Hex, (I seem to recall a silver mine?), then we'd get Economy +1 just for claiming it and the benefits of building a mine there would be doubled.

Total cost: 13BP

Did you guys want to handle RP'ing the dedication ceremony?

I do! (With Ash)

Yeah!

I'm onboard.

Excellent! Go ahead and have at it.
Once the library is dedicated, we can then move on to the memorial at the new moon.

Maybe this is obvious to those in multiple campaigns with me, but I’m equally into the combat and the fluff.

@Wonky,

Exploring Addy under the influence was fun—and not really a situation I expected her to experience. I think she’s much happier with Ash in her life, but four years of mentally conditioning herself to become a borderline-kamikaze avenging angel doesn’t go away so easily. I figure Ash just suppresses the insanity. And spiked punch…?

Well, Addy’s not a violent persona, so she was just passive-aggressively miffed.

Posting to all my games: My grandmother died Sunday and I'm not in a great headspace for posting. Plus I have to travel home for the funeral, help with arrangements, that sort of thing.

I'll try to get a few posts in, particularly if my character needs to do something in order for the party to move forward, but probably won't manage much in the way of RP or helping with decision-making for the rest of the week. Please bot as needed. I hope to be back in form by next Monday.

Sorry for your loss, Dawn. Post if it’s therapeutic. Otherwise, don’t even worry about it.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, Dawn. Take your time; we will be here when you're ready.

I wish for you and your family peace.

My condolences to you and your family. I, too, hope for peace and comfort for you and yours.

I hope you and your family are holding up all right.

Like the others have said, you have our condolences and sympathy.
Take the time you need for you and yours.

I'm sorry for your loss. Take whatever time you need to recover.

"I am suddenly deeply curious as to how a unicorn, with no hands, manages to brew mead."

“He doesn’t.

Anymore.”

(Add this to the long list of things I can’t say in-character.)

Harmond Orlovsky wrote:

"I am suddenly deeply curious as to how a unicorn, with no hands, manages to brew mead."

“He doesn’t.

Anymore.”

”Don’t forget he doesn’t have his horn anymore, either.”

Cue sad trombone.

Thank you all for your patience. It ended up taking a little longer than I'd thought, but for the most part things seem to have settled down. I should be back to my regular schedule.

Welcome back!

Just an aside to say that I think our GM rocks the blocks.

I'm so happy to be a part of this relaxed game, and I love the pace and feel of this group.

There, I said it.

Just an aside to say that I think our GM rocks the blocks.

I'm so happy to be a part of this relaxed game, and I love the pace and feel of this group.

There, I said it.

Aww, thank you very much, Wonky.

I am very happy with this game, as well. You are a great group of players, and I feel privileged to be able to tell this story alongside you all.

I had to chuckle at Wonky diving in so enthusiastically into the citizenship route.

I was going to have Ahto go for the slow sale. Basically, encourage them to join us on the hunt, and earn their trust while also fostering a sense of reciprocity in them if and when we kill the scythe tree.

Anyways, not a complaint. Like I said, I loved it. Totally Wonky!

Hee hee.

She IS a gnome, after all. Subtlety and the 'long-game' are not her strengths.

I wasn’t aware that an inquisitor could have two active judgments at the same time...

They can do multiple judgments as they level up. At 4th level, they can have two going simultaneously.

Does DR/slashing mean it takes 10 less damage from non-slashing blows?

Good thing VV kicks hard. Though unless there’s a way to heal me, I won’t be up for very long. (7 HP now!)

Does DR/slashing mean it takes 10 less damage from non-slashing blows?

Good thing VV kicks hard. Though unless there’s a way to heal me, I won’t be up for very long. (7 HP now!)

That is correct. However, energy damage, as well as damage from spells and spell-like abilities, is not affected by damage reduction.

Does that burn the bad and heal the good at the same time? I noticed the good can only benefit once/day from the healing, but given that you rolled your max, I’ll take the 10♥️ If I can.

Unfortunately not. The ranged touch attack can only target one creature, so I'd have to specifically target you in order to heal you.

Okay, so here are three awesome social talents...

Always Prepared lets me pull items out of my ass purse.

The vigilante can set aside resources to plan for future contingencies. The vigilante gains the Brilliant Planner feat except he can spend up to 100 gp per character level for his brilliant plan fund and only requires 1 minute to enact his brilliant plan. In addition, while in a settlement for at least 1 week, he can spend 24 hours and up to 500 gp per character level to create a stash somewhere within the settlement. Once per day, the vigilante can take 1 hour to retrieve a stash, retrieving any number of items that would have been available in a settlement he visited at the time of making the stash, regardless of the weight of the items. Once he retrieves a stash in this way, he subtracts the price of the items from the stash’s value and the stash is exhausted and lost, regardless if he used the full value of the stash. The vigilante can maintain any number of stashes, but a stash is lost if he does not spend 1 hour to maintain the stash at least once per month. A vigilante’s stash is well-hidden and only the vigilante knows the location of a stash he creates.

…

Mockingbird allows me to throw my voice and sound like somebody else, including an animal or sound effect, like footsteps!

The vigilante can mimic almost any sort of voice, or even animal calls and sound effects, and he can throw his voice at a distance. This functions similarly to a combination of the ghost sound, ventriloquism, and vocal alteration spells. A vigilante must be at least 5th level to choose this talent.

…

Or I can start the Renown tree now.

The vigilante becomes known for deeds and abilities regardless of his current identity. This renown grants him favorable treatment in civilized company and lends him an air of menace while facing down his enemies. While he is in his social identity, a vigilante can spend 1 week gaining renown among the locals of any community of no more than about 200 individuals (a village, if using settlement population ranges on page 203 of the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide). This could be the entire community or a smaller neighborhood in a larger settlement. He must spend at least 4 hours each day socializing and making contacts. After spending 1 week doing this, whenever he is in his social identity, all NPCs in the community have a starting attitude toward him that is one category better, as long as each person’s initial attitude would have at least been indifferent (see the Diplomacy skill description on pages 93– 94 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook for more information). While he gains renown in an area using his social identity, he also spreads rumors and tales about his vigilante identity. Once he has gained renown in a community, he gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Intimidate checks whenever he is in his vigilante identity. This bonus applies only while he is near the community in which he has gained renown; he must be within a number of miles equal to his vigilante level.

A vigilante can hold renown in a limited number of communities (normally one, with other social talents allowing two). If he gains renown in a new community, he must decide which one of his previous communities to lose. These effects are subject to GM approval. For example, the GM might rule that an NPC or monster has not heard any tales about the vigilante. Or, a foe may have a starting attitude toward him that’s one category worse, rather than one category better.

Any thoughts? I’m leaning toward Renown, since I’m developing a rep in-game anyway. But I guess my question to the GM is, is this talent really useful (aside from being a prereq) if I’m already getting a reputation without the talent? If so, I’ll not bother and just get all the fun talents, which include, but are not limited to, those above.

…
…
…

Other than that, I took Improved Trip as my feat and up’d all my numbers.

To simplify matters, I would be willing to grant you the Renown social talent for free as a reward for good roleplaying and by virtue of literally building the community where you are developing renown.

Then, of the other two, I would recommend Always Prepared.

*hee hee*

Wonky is going multi-class!

*hee hee*

@Vayelan, the GM knows best! Going with that suggestion!!!

@Wonky, what’s the new class? (I’m fine with an in-game reveal if you intend to ham it up.)