[PFS] GM Lithrac's Thornkeep, part II - The Forgotten Laboratory (Inactive)

Game Master Cyril Corbaz

First: Congratulations! Maybe we could arrange a baby shower of PFS modules or Goblin plushies or something. :)

Second; Sure, I can't give you any guarantees but I'm very interested and willing to help make it happen. I mean, I may always be hit by a meteor or something preventing my continuing.

Edit: I don't know if it will work out this way, but it also might be cool to have one or more things coincide with a gameday, if possible. Extra, gameday-only boons, and the like.

I don't remember doing any if them so I pretty sure I am game. Barring any RL issues lol

Sounds like a plan to me :)

Should gtg as well.. Kinda wish i would have got my warpriest in this xp run..

Thank you very much! Excellent, then we shall proceed as proposed.

By the way I still have no news from Kort, it's been a few days now. If he doesn't answer by tomorrow morning (european time), I'll have him take a back seat and cover the rear guard until he comes back.

There, I think I nailed the transitions with the two modules, it should fit well. I was worried about playing a 2-4 after a 3-5, but that module is focused a lot more on roleplay and a lot less on fights, so it shouldn't be a problem. Additionally, I think we'll all appreciate a roleplaying-focused module after three levels of dungeon crawling!

Wait, I thought that a person who disappears too long was supposed to go up front. :-P

-Posted with Wayfinder

Sorry 'bout radio silence for a couple days - some unexpected viral infestations running around the house, and closing out my current job (last day 1/24 - yah!). Back on station.

Glad to see you back, Kort. Could you please just drop a line if it happens again, just so we know that you're busy, please?

Been thinking about future build options, and I'm leaning towards taking a level of Barbarian at 5th. This would allow me to get Handle animal as a class skill, give me fast movement and rage - and fit pretty well in character.

I am planning to get a Roc animal companion at 4th, it seems vaguely thematic for an Andoran PC, and riding an eagle eventually just seems awesome. I'll take Boon Companion at 5th to boost it and cover the Barbarian level, and probably use the Bodyguard Animal Archetype. Power attack at 3rd, maybe Deadly Aim and Improved Init at 7th?

I'll not worry about spells until 9th level when I'll purchase a wisdom item so I can get access to 2nd level spells.

Any thoughts? I was mulling over a Lore Warden Fighter instead of Barbarian, but extra HP, fast movement, and rage seem flat out better.

One level of barbarian will leave you wanting more rage rounds - I would definitely pick up extra rage.

Rocs are awesome, but Roc + ranger is table variance waiting to happen. Yes, I know that there is a line in the bestiary, but it doesn't call the roc out in the CRB. Plus, bodyguard seems a poor archetype for something that has to hover to use it well. I say choose a melee companion and get the benevolent armor and have them stick by you. That will really help with the ranger's sucky AC. Plus, flying things can be tricky in a dungeon.

Here is a completely different idea for a build path that I was mulling over for your fellow:

-make it to 3 ranger
-take 3 levels in weapon master fighter to get weapon mastery, then you buy the silly good Gloves of Dueling. Maybe greatsword? This also gives you better armor from fighter feats.
-take 2 levels in Steel Falcon for flavor, a reroll, and a serious bump to will saves
-finish out in ranger

There's a barb archetype that gives you rage rounds for drinking at the expense of fast movement, but its not quite right flavour wise. I want a full strength animal companion and plenty of skill points so I'm not tempted by multiple fighter levels, I feel I loose too much - 12 skill points, fast movement, 2 levels of animal companion, rage, and I'll probably be using the gloves slot for gloves of dexterity.

I thought about companions a fair bit, but since I don't want a dinosaur, all other animals that fit Rellen seem pretty poor. Rocs are decent combatants, enable me to engage flying foes in melee without expensive items, the bodyguard archetype effectively gives it a better version of diehard and when ridden alertness. It can also walk and I'll likely pick up a wand of Longstrider giving it 30ft land speed. The Bodyguard feat it gains access to will also help with Rellen's AC.

I like Steel Falcon, but I don't think its abilities compensate for what I would be giving up. I'll be prioritizing a wisdom item and getting iron will anyway.

I'll need to see what the score is with rangers and Rocs in PFS. Thanks very much for the input, sorry if I see negative, been very useful.

I only have a character a single character at 3rd so far (the point at which my 3.5 charac, so my thinking about things is ... simpler (i.e. ignorant and unsophisticated).

I'm just planning on taking Extra Channel at 3rd since in most games, if not this one, I seem to be using my selective channeling a lot to heal in battle.

On the (small) plus side, I could help everyone out with an extra masterwork item at half masterwork cost with masterwork transformation.

Hmm, that's true, you only get one to carry over but getting an ally to cast it does save coin. I'll hit you up next time we have rest days Knorrin ;)

Clerics are pretty self sorting on the power curve since spellcasting grows steadily more powerful.

Dang no PFS ROC for Rangers, rules seem clear - arse! CRB only list, let's have a trawl...

Ah, was there a specific ruling or something in add. resources on the roc?

I say wolf with combat reflexes + bodyguard. At least it gives you a free trip and constant bonus AC
Buy an +1 adaptive composite bow (3400) to supplement the scabbards.
Buy furious on your weapon
Take Extra Rage

I was thinking lion over wolf, wolf is probably better initially, but once they advance the lion has a clear advantage to me - pounce beats trip. Plus thematically Rellen's not really a wilderness ranger, but as a former slave and Andoran has a strong freedom vibe. I figure Thornkeep is the kind of frontier town that might have animal fights like in the old west where bear vs lion was common - until everyone except Pathfinder realised that bears win every time. So I can justify it by saying he freed a lion...

Stupid PFS I want my Roc! Its in the FAQ apparently BTW, CRB only for ranger companions.

I do not think you are reading the same thing that I am reading:

"A ranger who selects an animal companion can choose from the following list: badger, bird, camel, cat (small), dire rat, dog, horse, pony, snake (viper or constrictor), or wolf."

No lions either.

Definitely planning to make my dark wood bow adaptive at some point, and Furious is a good shout. Extra Rage looks like a good 7th level feat.

Doh! Its because I'm on my phone and looking at the PFSRD rather than books. Cannot argue with wolf from that list.

You would need to be a beastmaster to pick up a lion or roc.. The list above is all you have to pick from..

Ah, well it was never really about the AC just got over excited about what I thought was a possibility. Gah, really not feeling wolf, oh well, months to get used to it or scheme for a way around!

There is at least one adventure out there that gives you the option to take an axe beak companion.

I'd heard that, but that feels rather sneaky to intentionally seek it out. I'm sure I can convince myself to like a wolf, even if its by mentally calling him a wolfhound, which I will not name Oberon, however much I want to.

It's a fun adventure anyways, although the other ones in that particular series are somewhat meh.

Would taking a single level of Mammoth Rider make me a terrible person? Problem would be companion would need to be huge, but with carry companion and reduce animal it could be viable. Heck, two or three levels actually seems quite appealing.

The Andoran flag/seal/crest/whatever has a wolf and a dragon on it, so a wolf has that added to it. (I don't know why they would choose a blue dragon - kinda odd.)

In other news, I just got my "Year of the Risen Rune" t-shirt (the "Year of the Demon" t-shirt looked too much like what a middle-school fan of heavy metal would wear). But, cheesy as it is, I now get a free reroll. :-D (Well, assuming that the GM wishes to have that PFS rule in place in this format.)

Yes, test it would. Mammoth Lord takes so much investment :(

Does it? That's interesting, hmmm, thanks Knorrin had not spotted that - I wonder why? Pity my summoner is Silver Crusade his eidolon is a furry blue dragon.

Should we call retreat? At least for Chasik - got to get him to me and probably to some others, too. We're not well buffed and he is (I would imagine, unless Rellen's delay messed him up some). We could do the Potion of Bull's Strength, my scroll of resist energy (which will hopefully work), etc.

Now that we know there is another door we could try to run around, or try again at both doors.

Time for bed, sorry.

Chasik can take it, takes nearly 50hp of damage to put him down. Rellen not so much, a channel would be good because I really need to be full to survive a hit from one of those bombs!

Now that we know there is another door we could try to run around, or try again at both doors.

It will just take two more encounters to get to that door :)

Also, I like how the word "youngling" is in vogue on the internet. 2nd time I've read it this week. Although maybe Old English "geongling" is even more fun.

The only difference is when I drop...I drop for good cause I be dead lol

Ouch! That hurts... sorry for the crit.

Ouch, indeed!

Hmm. I'm not sure what healing can get ahead of the damage, and the channel was pretty weak.

Off to "Playgroup", but now might be the time (or past time) to activate the "+2 to AC versus any single opponent" boon.

GM Lithrac, shouldn't the crit damage be an additional 3d6 rather than 1d6? If you are trying to be lenient, while I appreciate it, I'd rather deal with the full consequences even if it means death. I like hard games and part of that is being prepared to die with the punches!

I think we're going to be okay. I'm guessing Chasik took down the Cobra, in which case I'd recommend he use his move action to close in on the alchemist. We need to get on that guy like white on rice!

No, crit on a bomb is only the first dice.

I'm delighted to hear that but I could not find it when I checked the bomb rules, do you know where the information is located?

Edit, ah no found it nice! Nevermind me, sorry talking nonsense again!

"The damage of an alchemist's bomb increases by 1d6 points at every odd-numbered alchemist level (this bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit or by using feats such as Vital Strike)" alchemist class

Yea i had never read that line either.. Good to know..

I was just going to quote what Choamski quoted, although I still wonder if the intelligence bonus to the damage is multiplied on a critical hit. It is bonus damage, although its is also kind of like Strength damage added to a weapon, and that would be increased on a critical hit.

Woohoo, eat 14 damage alchemist! That's a much better turn than lying unconscious! Gods I love quickdraw!

Kort's move raises a point I'm not sure about: When you are invisible, attacking breaks the invisibility, true, but do you get one attack as if you were invisible then?

The first attack should get the benefits: +2 to hit and target denied dex, unless he has something like uncanny dodge.

Ah, good. Thanks, Choamski. That's the way I've been playing it.

~~

I guess I will be going forward again (4 spaces). I never know where I am trying to get out of the way to let people get out or trying to go back in.

Lol, I always know Rellen's very simple, attack, attack, attack!

@Choamski - thanks for that - I had neglected the +2 for invisible (though not the denied-dex, so key for sneaky-damage). I'm overcompensating from olden-days +4 for 'attack from behind' equivalence...

Just started recruitment for a new scenario after finishing Black Waters BTW. If anyone is interested you can find it here Slave Pits of Absalom Recruitment 1st or 2nd level characters only, as I'm a bit concerned about the difficulty level.

I feel like I'm losing the attention of my players in the Midnight Mirror I'm running right now. I'm not sure they're finding the mystery part of it entertaining. :P