RoW: Let's Thaw the Frozen Stars! (Inactive)

Game Master Daxter

In that case, I'll toss the Life Link on Greta.

Yay total defense!

Avora picks up a level of ranger!
+1 BAB
+2 Fortitude
+2 Reflex
+1 Will
+1 Wisdom
+6 hit points
Favored Enemy: Giants
+1 Heal, Know (Geography), Know (nature), Perception, Spellcraft
+2 Stealth
+1 Linguistics (holding slot open)

Woo, lebel!

Paladin 6
+1 BAB
+1 all saves
+11 HP (6 + 3 con + 1 toughness + 1 favored class)

+LoH/day and +1d6 LoH healing
Mercy: Remove Disease
2 skill ranks (perception and diplomacy)

All leveled.

Picked up another rank in Linguistics for keeping open.

Are we now leveling to 8? Wow, that was fast (note: not complaining). I guess Kalt taught Avora some stuff pretty quickly.

If we are leveling to 8, input on my next favored terrain (especially from Rango!) would be appreciated.

Other questions:

Bump Favored Terrain Cold to +6, leaving Underground at +2, or make them both +4? Or bump a new one to +4

And I get to pick a Terrain Mastery, which then leads to Terrain Dominance at Horizon Walker 3. Terrain Dominance lets me use my favored terrain bonus as a favored enemy bonus against creatures native to that terrain (so I'd murderize frost giants)

My options:

Cold: gives me cold resistance 10 this level, then 20 next level, as well as an additional +1 on attack and damage vs cold-type creatures.

Underground: gives me Blind-Fight as a bonus feat at this level. Next level I'd get Darkvision, 60'.

I like the benefits of Underground a lot, but it seems like Cold would help a lot with the favored enemy bonuses, which could be as high as +6.

Both are super good. I don't imagine you'd regret either one.

I think cold is more consistently useful. Darkvision isn't as good as cold resistance 20 and +1 to attack/damage.

Regarding the fast level: the AP says "please insert random encounters here to level characters". Not so much in a PbP, I think, so enjoy level 8.

Kalt: Mountain, then Urban - neither play a strong role in this book. Evenly distributed bonuses are recommended over over-specialization. I would recommend obtaining terrain dominance in underground first

Avora: was favored enemy giant selected for strategic or roleplay reasons?

Faster leveling is super good for keeping a PBP healthy.

As long as you don't have any of those slackers that take forever to level.

Wat! I lebeled!

I don't appreciate your slackusations!

I agree with Sven, fast leveling keeps things exciting - as do giant animated bird-huts.

Rango - just to be clear, you're recommending those favored terrains based on the arc of the AP, right? I'm a little conflicted, because the Terrain Mastery abilities for those two terrains are not great and neither are the Terrain Dominance ones. But they'll likely be useful as favored terrains, and will presumably fit well with the story - Kalt becoming adept at terrains he's spent time in, rather than an elemental plane or something.

Well if you're looking to pick up terrains that Kalt's been in but still varied you could do urban or forest.

Yes, those are terrains that feature prominently in the AP, not recommendations based off of power.

Mountain terrain dominance is fine. Urban is indeed sub-obtimal, Mr. Kalt "If I'm Smiling at You, It Means I'm Probably Going to Murder You" Isson. You could probably skip Urban without any great impact.

Level Up Summary

HP Gained: 5

Attribute Boost: +1 DEX

Skill Ranks Gained: 9 + 1 (Favoured Class) = 10

-+2 Linguistics (Iobarian, Free Slot)
-+1 Perception
-+1 Disable Device
-+1 Knowledge (Planes)
-+1 Diplomacy
-+1 Bluff
-+1 Intimidate
-+1 Knowledge (History)
-+1 Sense Motive

+1 BAB

+1 Ref & Will Saves

Poison Resistance +6

Studied Strike +3d6

+1 Extract Formula
--Displacement

+1 2nd Level Extract Slot
+1 3rd Level Extract Slot

Don't forget your stat bump, for those of you who track things by hand.

I think perhaps Shanya is not adding studied strike into her attacks? In my interpretation she should be able to swift to study (for +3 insight to attack/damage) and use studied strike (+2d6, or +3d6 now) on the same round. Unless I am missing something, I haven't seen her use that ability yet on an attack.

I have a couple of times, actually. I just haven't been using it lately because I save it for when my Studied Strike bonus is about to expire, and combat tends to end before that happens.

Ah, I see. Once you burn it you lose studied combat and can't get it back for the same critter unless you burn a limited resource. It's a timing thing, makes sense. Obviously, I'm not super familiar with your class.

The choosing of giants was mostly RPing. We're encountered enough trolls, and the recent encounter with the giants, that I think it is justified.

Still, I thought you'd take Magical Beasts as your favoured enemy. ;)

Like zombiefied mooses (meese?)?

That'd be Undead.

And I have a sinking feeling we're going to run into one at some point.

Leveled up in Hero Lab, will get an alias up in the next day or two. Over the next couple of days I'm teaching a bunch of 8th-grade science classes (not my usual gig at all), blowing things up, lighting things on fire, sending the kids on a radioactive easter egg hunt - so I won't be posting much before Wednesday.

Some level changes:

Went with Mountain favored terrain, since my favored terrains accumulate faster than mastery or dominance, so I'll have more favored terrains to pick from, after I've got dominance in underground and cold.

Took Mastery in Underground, per Rango's suggestion, which gives me Blind-Fight.

Took a bunch of skills (6 ranks), left one slot open for a language (in cold and underground terrains my Stealth mod is +23 - not bad for a martial character!)

All saves and BAB went up +1, +8 HP.

I guess I'm still deciding on where to put my stat bump.

I always liked the grape in a microwave plasma, or fluorescing a pickle by running a current through it (ah... a little dangerous due to the currents necessary)

I haven't tried either of those, Rango, will have to check them out.

I'm doing a lot of stuff with flammability/explosivity, as well as a some demonstrations (some done by the kids) of using hazmat suits and self-contained breathing apparatus - they like it when I do about 5 minutes of the presentation while I'm breathing from my air tank and talking like Darth Vader.

I had an unexpected break mid-day, so I've finished leveling up Kalt's alias. Note that there are now lots of different initiative modifiers depending on the terrain we're in.

Only one question left: what language should I add?

Draconic or Iobarian.

There are a lot of dragon-scented hints coming our way, gang.

What does dragon smell like?

Red - burnt cinnamon
Blue and white - minty fresh
Green - cilantro
Black - peppermint

Psionic dragons have a taste, but its all in your head.

I find your description of eau du dragon quite entertaining. My son, Simon, especially appreciated the psionic dragon, but argued that the black dragon is known to smell like fetid swamp water. (I suggested licorice but got nowhere. Teenagers...)

Well, apparently licorice is a dry weather plant and peppermint likes water ;) There is even a Water Mint plant, apparently.

And now I've just learned there is the Great Lobelia, useful in treading venereal disease. In Latin, Lobelia siphilitica - well OK then. Truth in naming.

edit: Actually apparently that's a bit of a myth, doesn't work on its own. Also, colloquially known as "vomit weed" when ingested. I suppose Lobelia Vomitus doesn't go well in polite circles.

That right there looks to have been a pleasant trip to Googleville, Rango.

On the languages - we have Iobarian covered - but how would Kalt have learned draconic? Maybe when the white dragon died on top of him, he absorbed some of its essence?

Googleville is like Margaritaville for nerds. And I understand while I'm writing it, nobody cares. No regrets. The universe is way too fascinating.

I like the absorption via osmosis approach. We could also go with dracochlorians, or possession by a wandering draconic ghost.

Alternatively, there were a ton of books in the Hut's library written in Draconic. It is kind of a lingua franca for magic textbooks and it's pretty clear from a casual perusal that Baba Yaga had more then a passing interest in the dragons. Perhaps Ankih could learn it and teach you - it would be befitting of a wizard.

Or, you can just leave the slot open, and choose to understand snippets of a language as you encounter it. Traditionally, I think mercenaries were multilingual, at least enough to ask after the traditional vices and for some basic directions. Draconic would be a bit of a stretch in that regard - but maybe you went hunting after the Icerender tribe in your youth

Ankih you around? You've been pretty quiet lately. Everything okay?

Per your question in Gameplay, Sven - I have not seen Vikings. Is it good?

Quite. They're into their third season now.

If you've got amazon prime you get access to it for free through their streaming video service.

I don't have Amazon Prime, but I bet I can find another way to watch it.

If you're into the pseudo historical/low fantasy/action-drama genre ala Game of Thrones you'll like it. Doubly so if you dig the whole norse thing.

Sounds pretty great to me! I'm a little picky - I love the Game of Thrones books, but gave up pretty fast on the HBO series (Jon Snow should look Nordic, not like someone in a Caravaggio painting!) - but I'm a big historical fiction/period piece fan, and have enough Norse in me to have that appreciate that part of it.

Sorry guys, computer crashed. I am trying to catch up with my Zeki tablet until I can get a new one. But it sucks much.

Rango - just noticed the new title for this game. While I appreciate the alphabetization of the female designations, it does disturb me that they're not in chronological order. For me, it needs to be Maiden, Mother, Crone, for the order in which a woman would live the stages.

You're not satisfying Kalt's OCD.

For shame!

I was torn between alphabetical and chronological, believe me. I will attempt a proper fix.

I realize Shanya isn't super motivated to help Greta out necessarily but she could cook her up an infusion of alter self. =P

Was looking but spells I have access to are personal only. Need at least 2 more for polymorh to change Sven.

Sorry, might be day or two can get to the game again. Please forgive my tardiness.

Having some computer issues and about to head to a weekend con, will be quiet for the next few days.

Slackalt!

How ambushy was the ambush? Did we have enough warning to stand up at least or was my original assessment on track?

You've had time to stand so if you want to, say, move and attack it's entirely acceptable.

EDIT: comma splicing :P