Rd Sun's Reign of Winter

Game Master JankInTheTank

There's always Ritual Hex. Temporarily get whatever hex you think you need for the day... Or the less-risky one that lets you get it for an hour (Spirit Talker). And as much as you love the Owl, 7th is when Improved Familiar gets good.. (though maybe less so at LN).

I will second what Samuel said -- that the crafting feats are great for items that cost 10K or so -- even doing the 'just a few hours' thing on the road, you can get a few nifty toys -- and the nice thing about custom items is, of course, they're the "right" item for the party instead of taking the thing that's mostly useful -- at the same time, since crafting costs what you'd sell an item for anyway, I tend to think of it more as gaining the ability to swap an item you didn't like for something you do of equal value (and time) -- but that the utility of that also does very much fall away when your items start getting more expensive because you don't have the time to make them -- and spending a day to teleport to a major city with a lot of items and shop there becomes a better use of time (especially if the GM allows you to negotiate to commission for custom items and go pick them up a few days later).

Still, if you can manage to acquire a portable lab and a ring of sustenance, that improves the situation.

That all being said, given the RP of where we are -- maybe you take Leadership, grab Samuel's sister as your apprentice, and ask her to craft items?

Improved Familiar is less restrictive than I thought, it allows you to choose a familiar up to 1 step away in each alignment axis so these could be used, most of which are odd to say the least:

Not sure any of those really fit a winter witch though.

Naah, I like my owl.

Leadership is definitely an option, though. I've thought about that, but it remains to be seen if Ariadna is an appropriate cohort.

(Her initial loyalty to Nazheena has Letitia wondering about the wisdom of continuing her training as a witch)

Hmm I wonder if Letitia qualifies for any interesting PrCs?

I was actually going to suggest Ariadna to look at Letitia as a better referent for a witch if she was really interested to learn magic.

And I am not opposed to Letitia have her as a cohort that works more as an intern producing magic items in our base of operations as a training exercise or exchange to learn magic.

If the plan is to follow us and participate in the encounters, I see this as potentially problematic.

I qualify for the Winter Witch PrC, but decided against it because I take a hit on my spellcasting.

I think I might stick with the craft feat, and we'll just see if this works.

Or, if GM Red Sun approves, I'll go with Leadership and have Ariadna do some crafting.

Just throwing this out there, there is the prestigious spellcaster feat if you wanted to go with the PrC and not loose a spell level.

Just throwing this out there, there is the prestigious spellcaster feat if you wanted to go with the PrC and not loose a spell level.

We went through that possibility a level ago, hehe

Level 7

Oracle 5

hp + 5

+1 second level spell per day
+1 level 1 and 2 known

FCB + 1 hp

skills: acrobatics, stealth, survival, Intimidate

feat: Martial Focus : heavy blades

I would allow you to take on Ariadna via the leadership feat if that's the route you would like to go. I would prefer to keep her as a support character with your Leadership and avoid having her in combat since we already play with a larger party (and 2 witches casting hexes in combats will make balancing encounters a real PITA).

Besides, I think Samuel might take issue with his sister getting involved in fights against big dangerous foes.

using her to help with crafting seems like a good alternative, and keeps the Soulkeeper family plot going

GM My Red Sun wrote:

Things are so much more complicated here, Samuel. I feel like i belong so much better than i ever did back home, but the stakes are much bigger! They're all Jadwiga but they all want different things. and they plot and scheme and move pieces around the board. they know the queen is overstaying her appointment, but many side with her anyways. others clearly disagree she looks over at Letitia. who is she? how did you find another witch that is willing to face Elvhanna?...

GM, I had it in my mind that Letitia and Ariadna knew each other back in Heldren. Hope that's okay.

Letitia draws her hair away from her face and leans in closer to the girl. "You don't recognize me from Madame Willowbark's shop? I was raised as one of the Jadwiga, but had to flee Irrisen when I was sixteen. Now, I am here to find Baba Yaga and have her overthrow Queen Elvanna."

She turns to look at the doorway into the Dancing Hut. "And this is our means to do so," she says with a glint in her eye.

I just remembered that Letitia had her hair dyed black or dark brown while in Heldren, and she's since bleached it back to its original color. So that might have been the reason Ariadna didn't recognize her.

yes, back then Letitia was trying very hard to disguise who she was. over the course of the last 2 books (and years of real-time!) Letitia has evolved quite a bit. I knew she knew you from back then, but seeing you in such a different setting and with your evolution of no longer hiding your heritage and the air and demeanor of a Jadwiga would not make it easy for her to remember you from her hometown.

In other news, new map! you have finally found the hut! your pawns are on the porch section of the map, opening the door on the southern side of the main map.

I am happy to be moving to a smaller map, unfortunately it won't last long. this AP loves its 1square = 10 feet big maps. we're all just going to have to keep zooming in real close!

welcome llewellyn, for reals this time! thank you for your patience over the past segment there. great story points can't be rushed even if unfortunately someone has to sit it out. hopefully you enjoyed reading it at least.

one last thing, llewellyn how would you pronounce your name? double "L" combos are very different in different languages

Ah look like this is my cue. Funny thing is I wrote this post about a month ago now, but no worries I've been enjoying the boss fight and the RP. Anyway I'm pronouncing Llewellyn as LE-WELL-WYN.

Iuhuuuu! We got the hut!

Now we take it to Babba Yagga and back home, nice AP guys, it was a pleasure playing with you! :D

As if saving the world is ever that easy...

Hope springs eternal.

oh yeah for sure. the other 4 books of the AP follow you guys having a peaceful life of farming back in Heldren once Baba Yaga sets everything back in order.

What, is it turning into a Harvest moon Rune factory Ap lol

oh yeah for sure. the other 4 books of the AP follow you guys having a peaceful life of farming back in Heldren once Baba Yaga sets everything back in order.

Farming? Pshaw. Brewing, on the other hand...

..or detect magic.

Are you crazed? I can't help but think casting detect magic inside an artefact would melt Callix' brain... or at least her eyes.

Did anyone pick up Minkaian as a language this level? We were going to have a rare shared language to talk with each other.

I had forgotten about that and its a brilliant idea

Sorry, I didn't... So starved for skill points. Ok, I'll forget how to swim and take linguistics.

you can roll your checks for learning the new spells in this thread Letitia. unless at this point you are good enough to autopass the rolls

I can autopass the first level cold spells (come to think of it, I've got the time to also pick up snowball, frostbite, and unshakeable chill and I make it automatically. So I might as well do that).

As for the others:

Spellcraft wall of ice (DC 19): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25

Spellcraft summon monster IV (DC 19): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22

Spellcraft ice storm (DC 19): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (3) + 16 = 19 (whew)

Spellcraft sleet storm (DC 18): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25

quieter, as if to herself but definitey loud enough for everyone to hear

they didn't even wipe their feet before coming in... i just cleaned this floor...

Hoho A+ interpretation of an old crone :D

Oops sorry folks I used the wrong character name! Feel kinda silly now...

No worries, I have made that one before. Also changing gender every now and then :)

Besides, congrats for everything you have done in this campaign so far. It is still very early, but I have the feeling we have finally found a player that mingles well with our play style.

Thanks, I'm enjoying the RP so far!

I haven't forgotten about this.

I'll let you all in on a secret: the reason I am holding off on having Letitia use the keys is because I think it would be totally hilarious for the party to get drunk and then joyride with the hut through downtown Whitethrone.

I haven't forgotten about this.

I'll let you all in on a secret: the reason I am holding off on having Letitia use the keys is because I think it would be totally hilarious for the party to get drunk and then joyride with the hut through downtown Whitethrone.

I totally knew where you were going, but Callix only has the two aleskins. We could ask the house fae, I suppose, but at the same time, upsetting the Hut's keeper might not be wise.

Can't the faithful of Cayden Cailean create beer and wine when they cast create water?

Sadly, no. I need a level 1 spell to turn water into booze. And only one pint per level.

:(

I thought I read that in one of my supplement books. I'll check it out again this weekend.

Well if you find that, you'll certainly make Callix' day. I thought I read somewhere that Create Holy Water also ended up with beer.

Aha! Inner Sea Gods, page 43:

Variant Spellcasting

Clerics, bards, and inquisitors of Cayden Cailean add knock to their spell lists as a 1st-level spell, but only to open welds, shackles, or chains used to imprison or hobble someone. A create water spell cast by his clerics or inquisitors can create simple ale or wine (1 cup per level), and create food and water spells cast by them can be used to make ale or wine rather than water (which spoils at the same rate the food does).

Woo! That totally works then.

thats actually really funny

that's amazing! always something new to find in this game. I really, really like Cayden Cailean, very glad we have someone who follows him.

Yeah, Cayden can be fun! :)

There is also that tears to wine spell, super useful stuff to offset the low knowledge and skill ranks of clerics.

Just kinda waiting to see if the house spirit has anything to say about the bones.

'll be away on a family holiday starting tomorrow (the 27) and back the 5th -- but given the need to unpack with small child, probably not actually able to be online to catch up and post before the 8th.

Feel free to bot Callix whilst I'm gone -- we can say she's being quiet because of a slight hangover. ;)

Hey all. in addition to the Thanksgiving holiday this week in the US, I am going to be having Lasik surgery done tomorrow. it is highly likely that i will not be able to get any more GM posts done for this game until the weekend.

Good luck GM! You will see our little adventure with new eyes in a few days :)

Best of luck! I think we can fill the time with character interactions anyway. Happy holidays!

Great A-level dialogue there Ashling and Letitia. Reading with breakfast cereals :)

So i have a homebrew setting im adding civilization level threats, Like Ancient Greek myth level creatures too.

What cr range do you guys think would work for that? Im asking a bunch of people i game with the same and since this is my longest running Boards group atm you guys get the question.

Right now i have what im calling a super Hydra. It's whole thing is essentially being a bringer of storms and destruction. Im changing its type to Dragon and giving it A breath weapon thats basically super heated water

And the other creature i have is a Mind linked mass of undead warriors called Legion. If you play Dark souls and Castlevania its basically the Abyss walkers combine with Legion

Ancient Greece sounds like E6 to me although the things you describe sound rather higher level.

I have made a quick search and found there is a Mythic Hydra which is CR 9/MR3. My guess is it would be something between CR 7 and 12.

For the Legion, is that some kind of swarm? In Shackled City there is a template for handling mobs of people that might help there.

Generally, "world ending threats" in PF/DnD look like the Tarrasque, in terms of power level -- but that said, that's something that's supposed to be impossible to kill rather than simply the stuff of mythic heroes.

Still, if it's supposed to be one of the biggest bads in the world, period, I would have to say it rather depends on what you think the world's overall power level is. The Forgotten Realms, for instance, would need existential threats that are tougher than Elminster, Blackstaff, the Sibyl, etc.

Other worlds, where the greatest of the Heroes, Kings and Legends are much more mortal -- folks like the Argonauts, for instance -- where a Level 10 character is pretty much the past the normal pinnacle of power and a legend in their own right -- then the "big threats" would be CR 12-16, I'd say.

That said, the Mythic rules really help for making things feel mythic without needing to crank up to level 16 right away.