Semagoro |
There are so many people filing in, I love it, even though it's a bit hard keeping track of everyone. If I missed someone addressing me, or haven't introduced myself to someone, it's not because I don't care, there's just a lot to keep track of! I'm still new to this. :)
Lissa Villasani |
It's all good. We're all still new to this, that's where half the fun for this insanity comes from.
Grimn |
Well, umm, I probably still need to figure things out... Like what would be good surname(if any is needed) and whether Grundinnal is best fit for this paladin(I felt like Torag didn't work, but I don't know enough about the other ones either <_<;)... I also don't know much about dwarves, besides dwarf stereotypes I want to avoid, I haven't played them earlier.
Also, I took so long time that I'm not sure how to join gameplay discussion at this point X-x; Best that I can come up with is making the awkwardness I feel at joining conversation where lot of people have been having fun conversation for a long time already part of the character's intro xD (I know I'm imagining it, but I feel like I'm intruding by popping up on conversation in middle of it)
Anyway, Grimn is stonelord paladin who started out just as a regular stonemason. Until, for reasons beyond his understanding, his body started turning into stone. He got that under control when he reaffirmed his faith into the gods, but he hasn't been able to grow beard or hair ever since. Not that he minds being bald, there has been a lot of thing about dwarven culture that Grimn never got into. Like, he doesn't really drink much at all, he isn't that stubborn, etc. He has always been rather affable fellow and that didn't stop after he learned to fight.
Reason why he wants to join pathfinder society is rather simple: pathfinders seem to have rather good chance of running into people who need help. And he has some pathfinder friends who inspired him to join. During his service as a paladin he run into some pathfinders doing a mission and he offered to help them as guide. During that mission, he was inspired by their deeds(they were type of pathfinders who went beyond their mission in order to help people) and those pathfinders put good word about him forward. Thats pretty much it.
Now I need to figure out how to include avatars for pfs character aliases... And see if I can find bucket helmet one xD Another thing Grimn never understood is why so many dwarven warriors have helmets without faceplates so that their glorious beards are visible, he doesn't get why people wouldn't want to prevent their faces being stabbed.
GM Damo the Fourth |
@Boris: Ulfen! I have such a soft spot for Ulfens. I really need to make one for PFS.
@Grimn: You're not intruding at all... this is how it is supposed to be! Don't think of it like a regular game, just a chance to strut your stuff and also a chance to figure it all out without the pressure of being within the actual scenario.
You also don't need to do all the challenges (though you are welcome to)... they were (and are) just a way to maintain interest for those who already checked in.
Enjoy!
GM Damo the Fourth |
I've noticed that I can preview my post and see the results of my die roll. I do not intend on abusing it, but is there some sort of etiquette I should be aware of with regards to that? I certainly wouldn't want to be doing something considered exploitative, or badwrongfun in some way. Let me know!
This is a great question, and something that I have devoted quite a bit of thought to early in my PbP GMing career.
Previewing is very handy. It lets you do things (especially as a GM) like this:
---
Boris Will Save vs Witch's Misfortune Hex, DC 15: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
The witch gives Boris an evil look, clouding his mind with doubts about his own prowess, but the man is a man of the North! He is used to such witch's tricks and shakes all doubt from his mind, much to the chagrin of the witch!
---
.... without having to go back and edit the posts all the time (which, by the way you can also do after rolling without changing the roll results).
It does open the gates to cheating, and to address this, there are two things.
First, as per the PFS guide: Do not cheat. It's funny that they have to say that, but there it is. This is a game and failing a roll can be just as much fun as succeeding, especially over PFS. Great example of fun failure.
Second, please see the Guide on my profile - specifically the section on Rolling. It takes away most of the workarounds for dice fudging due to the preview feature. However, where there is a will there's a way, and there are still loopholes. I encourage you all to just not look for them and to have as much fun with your low rolls as your high ones.... perhaps even more. Also, keep in mind that I am a programmer who is used to the way things like the dice roller works, and I know all the loopholes. I will know if you are using them. I just will.
Luthor Volandis of Absolom |
I noticed the rolling preview thing too. I think if everyone is honest about results it just becomes a way to add your own appropriate descriptions that fit the die roll results.
I personally wouldn't think to cheat at a physical table with actual dice rolls, so i wouldn't do it in pbp either. Cheating is just cheating yourself in RPGs :)
Markus Notine |
All these characters are really cool! I love how PbP allows people to be much more descriptive and really get into some great roleplaying!
GM Damo the Fourth |
@Markus: Totally my favorite part of this style of game, too!
I'm currently planning to avoid preview dice roll spoilers and just end my posts with dice rolls <_< Would that cause any problems with flow?
Not at all. As I mentioned above, it's quite handy for GMs... but I didn't say that it isn't so necessary for players. Most of the time, you'll be waiting for a ruling on the result of your action/s from me anyway.
Preview in itself, though, is quite the handy feature.
[b]Especially if you stuff up the formatting.[/i]
CorvusMask |
Geez, why is finding avatar with good old bucket helmet so hard? Is there seriously not an artwork in Pathfinder books with that helmet? xD
Ah hell, had to settle for only picture of beardless bald dwarf among avatars
GM Damo the Fourth |
@Everyone: Wow. Over 100 gameplay posts. Amazing. I've got a little bit of fun planned for next week's continued recruitment gameplay. As before, it's not necessary to participate beyond your initial post/s, but it keeps the game a bit more fresh. However, if you want to participate, I need the following:
1. All taglines must be updated as per my guide.
2. All of your stats must be included in or linked to from your main character profile.
You'll need to do the above before we start playing anyway. Again, this isn't necessary for you to do before my next 'challenge', only if you wish to participate.
@CorvusMask: Easily fixed. I do it intermittently anyway - we all forget to change the alias and post on our default sometimes. The weird thing is, even if you fix it in an edit, your main alias stays there. Not sure why, pretty sure it's a bug.
Climb, DC 10: 17 + 5 = 22
@Kajar: This isn't actually a dice roll - you've just added 17 & 5 (same with your other rolls on that post). You need to use the dice rolling code like this:
Actual roll: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
The code for that is:
[dice=Actual roll]1d20+8[ /dice]
(you need to remove the space before the "/", I put it in there so the forum doesn't turn it into a dice roll and to allow you to see the code)
I suspect you made the rolls with your actual dice and then just put them in or something like that. For PbP, you need to use the forum's dice roller. Please let me know if the above doesn't clear things up for you, and have another go at posting a dice roll on the gameplay thread.
Shuo, the Owl of Shokuro |
Uhm... I am a bit curious as to when does the dice change its rolls. At first I thought that once you make a roll, it will lock it until you post, even if you close your browser.
The way it is, you can put the code of the roll, "preview" and then post accordingly. However, for the first riddle, I put code, previewed and then went to look for the answer, but when I decided to post, the dice changed... how is it possible?
GM Damo the Fourth |
It should stay the same for your post regardless of closing browsers or time in between. Not sure what happened then, but the website isn't bug free.
Jillia Tennille |
It changes if you change the die in the dice expression, I thought?
1d100 + 3 ⇒ (33) + 3 = 36
Changing from 1d100 (33) to 1d100+3 (36) didn't change the result, but changing from 1d200 to 1d100 did.
B.A. Ironskull |
@Everyone: Wow. Over 100 gameplay posts. Amazing. I've got a little bit of fun planned for next week's continued recruitment gameplay. As before, it's not necessary to participate beyond your initial post/s, but it keeps the game a bit more fresh. However, if you want to participate, I need the following:
1. All taglines must be updated as per my guide.
2. All of your stats must be included in or linked to from your main character profile.
You'll need to do the above before we start playing anyway. Again, this isn't necessary for you to do before my next 'challenge', only if you wish to participate.
@CorvusMask: Easily fixed. I do it intermittently anyway - we all forget to change the alias and post on our default sometimes. The weird thing is, even if you fix it in an edit, your main alias stays there. Not sure why, pretty sure it's a bug.
Kajar wrote:[dice=Climb, DC 10]17+5@Kajar: This isn't actually a dice roll - you've just added 17 & 5 (same with your other rolls on that post). You need to use the dice rolling code like this:
[dice=Actual roll]1d20+8
The code for that is:
[dice=Actual roll]1d20+8[ /dice]
(you need to remove the space before the "/", I put it in there so the forum doesn't turn it into a dice roll and to allow you to see the code)
I suspect you made the rolls with your actual dice and then just put them in or something like that. For PbP, you need to use the forum's dice roller. Please let me know if the above doesn't clear things up for you, and have another go at posting a dice roll on the gameplay thread.
Hey, thanks for the heads up! I'm super new to code, I'll post another roll on the gameplay thread. I entered the info wrong and then edited it to match the outcome, yes those were real dice I used. Kinda sad I burned them, I'll need those high rolls for my Skull & Shackles game next week!
Also, I don't know how to link my stats to my byline, is that somewhere I missed? Sorry to be a pain, this is all very new to me. I tried coding my stats in my profile but that didn't work. I appreciate the work you're putting into this very busy pre-game! Thanks!
GM Damo the Fourth |
Also, I don't know how to link my stats to my byline, is that somewhere I missed? Sorry to be a pain, this is all very new to me. I tried coding my stats in my profile but that didn't work. I appreciate the work you're putting into this very busy pre-game! Thanks!
If you go to the guide on my profile and the section on "how to post vital statistics". Let me know if any of that is unclear and I can help you out (and/or update the guide). You are most welcome on the work. I know it can be hard to get into PbP (both to get recruited and to figure out what to do) and that's exactly why I'm doing this. Even for those who don't get recruited, hopefully they'll be a lot more confident and capable for their next one!
B.A. Ironskull |
B.A. Ironskull wrote:Also, I don't know how to link my stats to my byline, is that somewhere I missed? Sorry to be a pain, this is all very new to me. I tried coding my stats in my profile but that didn't work. I appreciate the work you're putting into this very busy pre-game! Thanks!If you go to the guide on my profile and the section on "how to post vital statistics". Let me know if any of that is unclear and I can help you out (and/or update the guide). You are most welcome on the work. I know it can be hard to get into PbP (both to get recruited and to figure out what to do) and that's exactly why I'm doing this. Even for those who don't get recruited, hopefully they'll be a lot more confident and capable for their next one!
Hrm, thought I did that, obviously not correctly. I'll get it soon enough! I'll edit and post soon, thanks again for the help!
Lissa Villasani |
I'm sorry if I'm being a bit too eager in responding. But the little kid part of my brain is going, "OOH! OOH! Cool stuff coming! Advance the plot!"
Semagoro |
And then an entire tavern of Pathfinder hopefuls was massacred by a single dummy under the effects of Prestidigitation. The End. XD
Luthor Volandis of Absolom |
I'm looking forward to seeing what happens too!
That Aspis dummy is going to knock all the Pathfinder new recruits senseless if we don't stop it...
And thus began 'Year of the Serpent' ;)
GM Damo the Fourth |
Okay, combat has begun!
It may be hard to follow at first, but hopefully the combat table helps with that. I'll move it along to the next round every morning - or when everyone has finished (assuming you don't destroy the dummy in round 1).
I use Google Draw for all my tactical maps. If you can't view the tactical, please let me know now!
When making your dice rolls, please include your modifiers in the description and as separate bonuses to your roll.
eg.
Dummy attack, power attack, charge: 1d20 + 6 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 6 - 1 + 2 = 13
Dummy damage, power attack: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 2 = 10
When posting your actions, if it's not an obvious action (like a move or attack) then please post what type of action it is in "ooc" tags.
eg.
Jim the Slayer studies his target (move action), steps forwards five feet and attacks.
You could post that as:
Jim the Slayer studies his target (move action), steps forwards five feet (free action) and attacks (standard/attack action).
But the attack and 5-ft step are pretty obvious action types, so no need.
Please do let me know on the discussion thread (not the gameplay thread) if anything is confusing you, or if you are having trouble posting your combat posts. It'll be good to iron out some of the issues in advance of our game start.
I also always group enemy initiative for every combat. Then, everyone can post their actions whenever they get on (during the round). In practice, that means combat rounds generally take at most 1 day. The group's actions take effect in posting order unless specified otherwise.
That's enough info for now. We'll work on other aspects (like delayed actions) as we go.
DISCLAIMER
While you are using your PFS character sheets for this, this combat is not part of organized play. If your character dies, is injured or acquires a condition, these will be cleared before we begin play on the scenario.
GM Damo the Fourth |
@Kajar: Good to see your dice rolls are sorted. You've almost got the tagline right. Please be sure to use the Tagline Template I linked to in my guide. Just copy-paste and replace the info in that with your info. Be sure to copy it into the same field (text box) that it says to on the template (the line after "gender" goes in the "gender" field on your profile). Specifically, you need to add in:
- Your alignment,
-
Your class & level (and archetype, if applicable)Found it! Please move the class and level to the front of the tagline (in the "gender" box) as per the template.
- Active conditions (even if it is just "none").
I'm a bit of a stickler for consistent taglines as it makes my job as GM much easier when everyone uses the same format. It's why I created the above template in the first place.
I also need your full character sheet to be included in or linked to from your main profile. Let me know if you need help with that too. If you don't have Hero Lab (or similar), you can check out Lissa's sheet for a good example of what to put in when you don't have a program to do it for you.
@Grimn: Still waiting for a tagline update from you also. I'll add you to the combat when I get one.
@Kiril: Please select an avatar for yourself when you have time. I've just got a white box on the tactical to represent your PC for now. I also need your full character sheet on your profile.
GM Damo the Fourth |
Should we assume our weapons were sheathed before we started combat? I went ahead and acted as if mine was since I cast a spell.
Up to you. I think you can have gotten your weapons out when you first figured something was up. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
Jillia Tennille |
Are we sort of grouping PC initiatives the way we would group enemy initiatives?
As in, 'post when you can', a group at a time?
A bit of mock combat will be good to have under our belts, I think.
GM Damo the Fourth |
@Jillia: I do an "up next" to show who can and can't post a combat action at the time (anyone can post their non-combat "free" actions like talking and thinking at any time). But yeah, I run it in the order of when you post (not initiative order). This is effectively like having a whole bunch of delayed actions prior to the enemy's next action.
Jillia Tennille |
Rules Variation Question: Do you allow the use of Acrobatics to avoid attacks of opportunity during a charge?
GM Damo the Fourth |
Acrobatics is specifically for a move action, and charges are actions that incorporate movement. They allow you up to double more than your regular movement rate (since they end with an attack action), so it is not normal movement. Acrobatics can only be used during normal movement. Unless it has been ruled otherwise, RAW does not support acrobatics to avoid AoO during a charge and so that is what the case is in PFS. Home games do otherwise, but there are no variations to RAW in PFS.
Okay, all that said... I also think that RAI should mean no acro when charging. You're going hell for leather, so aren't really in a position to be artfully dodging blows the blows of others (part of the reason you get the AC penalty). Also, acrobatics gives a +10 DC for moving at full speed, and a charge is up to double full speed... but that penalty isn't listed (I imagine if it was there, it would be +20 DC or higher).
As with any ruling I make ever, I am always happy to be shown I'm wrong by reference to RAW or official developer posts.
Jillia Tennille |
Acrobatics is specifically for a move action, and charges are actions that incorporate movement. They allow you up to double more than your regular movement rate (since they end with an attack action), so it is not normal movement. Acrobatics can only be used during normal movement. Unless it has been ruled otherwise, RAW does not support acrobatics to avoid AoO during a charge and so that is what the case is in PFS. Home games do otherwise, but there are no variations to RAW in PFS.
Okay, all that said... I also think that RAI should mean no acro when charging. You're going hell for leather, so aren't really in a position to be artfully dodging blows the blows of others (part of the reason you get the AC penalty). Also, acrobatics gives a +10 DC for moving at full speed, and a charge is up to double full speed... but that penalty isn't listed (I imagine if it was there, it would be +20 DC or higher).
As with any ruling I make ever, I am always happy to be shown I'm wrong by reference to RAW or official developer posts.
Sounds good. As far as I know it's not been clarified (and I'm certainly not bothered enough to go looking). Thanks for the quick reply!
EDIT: Also, now that I look at the map, there's a wagon in the way, anyway. So it's not even topical, heh.
Luthor Volandis of Absolom |
That sounds fair and well explained to me :)
Semagoro |
Well, I'm hyped for battle against this thing. It certainly has built up a reputation. To be honest, I don't know if any of you watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventures, but I very nearly typed "Perhaps this is the work of an enemy Stand!"
At least I'll get to see how combat flows for a while before it's my turn.
GM Damo the Fourth |
@Semagoro: No waiting, all at once. Post when you're ready... in other words, you're up now! ;-)
Jillia Tennille |
Do I worry that I'm taking the spot of someone else who's technically before me if I post now? Or do you consider all of that during your "GM Recap?"
GM Damo the Fourth |
Readied Actions
Thought I'd leave these for now, but they're inevitable I guess. I know Fei delayed, but there was a "ready-like" conditional in the flavor text. A delay, by the way, if done until after the enemy attacks with grouped initiative like this, is the same as just taking no action
Okay, so in order to maintain flow, please post your readied actions in spoilers along with the trigger for the readied action. Try to be precise about your triggers, too. I will try to interpret them intelligently, but please don't blame me if they're vague and I miss it. Please include any rolls you need to make as part of the readied action so it's all ready for me to go.
---
eg.
Janira decides to see how the Pathfinders fare before she acts. She will not tolerate them taking too much of a pounding, however.
Janira throws a tanglefoot bag at the Dummy, hoping to stop it in its tracks.
Tanglefoot bag vs Dummy, ranged touch attack, 2nd range increments: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 8 - 2 = 19
If it hits, that's a reflex save (DC 15) or become entangled.
---
That way, when the readied action goes off, all I need to do is open the spoiler and I've got your action. Otherwise, I need to hold everything up until you post.
Hope that makes sense. As always, let me know if you need further help with the above.
GM Damo the Fourth |
Do I worry that I'm taking the spot of someone else who's technically before me if I post now? Or do you consider all of that during your "GM Recap?"
Not sure if it was clear above, but I resolve actions in the order you post... and you should post as soon as you are able when you're in the list of "up next" PCs. If you want me to resolve something in initiative order, you need to let me know explicitly.
Rules-wise, this is essentially everyone agreeing that they are "in delay" until they post, but won't delay past the baddies' turn. Does that make sense? If we don't do it this way, a single combat round can take a week+, and that's with everyone posting every 24 hours.
Jillia Tennille |
Jillia Tennille wrote:Do I worry that I'm taking the spot of someone else who's technically before me if I post now? Or do you consider all of that during your "GM Recap?"Not sure if it was clear above, but I resolve actions in the order you post... and you should post as soon as you are able when you're in the list of "up next" PCs. If you want me to resolve something in initiative order, you need to let me know explicitly.
Rules-wise, this is essentially everyone agreeing that they are "in delay" until they post, but won't delay past the baddies' turn. Does that make sense? If we don't do it this way, a single combat round can take a week+, and that's with everyone posting every 24 hours.
Just wanting to make sure. It's funny- -in a face-to-face game, initiaitive is pretty much EVERYTHING. Nice to see it's a bit more lax here.
I promise I'll ask less questions as we go. I learn quick.
Jillia Tennille |
For what it's worth, now that I see it in action, it all makes sense.
(Also, I've been refreshing this way too often. The hardest thing to learn about PbP is going to be patience.)
GM Damo the Fourth |
For my part, I do a lot of refreshing. I mostly read and make myself hold off on posting. Otherwise, I'd go insane and would never leave the computer. Also, my "R" key would be completely worn down.
Lissa Villasani |
(Also, I've been refreshing this way too often. The hardest thing to learn about PbP is going to be patience.)
Isn't that the truth!
Varus Teutoburg |
If you use Chrome, I highly recommend the RSS Feed Reader extension, then just subscribe to the different threads here (which you can do straight from the extension). Makes it super easy to see when someone has posted without having to refresh constantly. Plus it's free!
GM Damo the Fourth |
RSS was good... until I joined a bajillion games. I use this to keep myself up-to-date:
http://paizo.com/people/Wilmannator/campaigns
Which puts a (2 new) x next to those games where you have unread messages. Handy, handy.
You've each got one yourselves, and if you go to the "campaign" tab of your main profile, you'll see all your campaigns across all characters.
B.A. Ironskull |
@Kajar: Good to see your dice rolls are sorted. You've almost got the tagline right. Please be sure to use the Tagline Template I linked to in my guide. Just copy-paste and replace the info in that with your info. Be sure to copy it into the same field (text box) that it says to on the template (the line after "gender" goes in the "gender" field on your profile). Specifically, you need to add in:
- Your alignment,
Your class & level (and archetype, if applicable)Found it! Please move the class and level to the front of the tagline (in the "gender" box) as per the template.
- Active conditions (even if it is just "none").
I'm a bit of a stickler for consistent taglines as it makes my job as GM much easier when everyone uses the same format. It's why I created the above template in the first place.
I also need your full character sheet to be included in or linked to from your main profile. Let me know if you need help with that too. If you don't have Hero Lab (or similar), you can check out Lissa's sheet for a good example of what to put in when you don't have a program to do it for you.
@Grimn: Still waiting for a tagline update from you also. I'll add you to the combat when I get one.
@Kiril: Please select an avatar for yourself when you have time. I've just got a white box on the tactical to represent your PC for now. I also need your full character sheet on your profile.
I appreciate the help, thanks! I'm a stickler as well, everything is easier to handle when everyone is on the same page. I'll change the format shortly.
GM Damo the Fourth |
In regards to "across all characters;" is it kosher to join multiple simultaneous PbPs (with different characters, of course)?
This has been pretty fun, (andhasnt even started yet)!
100% kosher! Go for it.
Cain Stern |
Alrighty here goes!
Cain Stern is a 19 year old male human that grew up in the slums of Cenaria. Learning from his mistakes and clinging to pure human instinct he managed to survive his pre teen years unscathed. After an unexpected encounter with a peculiar man and on the account of said mans death, Cain was taken notice by another figure named Gale Blint. An assassin for the underground criminal organization known as the "Sa'Kage". Cain was apprenticed to Gale for the remaining of his teenage years. As soon as he turned 18, his apprenticeship would end and he would begin his quest to become one of the fiercest and influential men in all of Midcyru.
Boris "Love" Derevnya Jarlson |
You know, you take away the actual dice and it's like "Hey wut is da Pathfinder?"
My apologies for forgetting to confirm my critical.