On the downside, I'll be away for the next 2 weeks or so (Back Aug 2-3) -- family holiday to a place with spotty (at best) internet.
Feel free to bot Sidius as needed - on the plus side, once we're done with undead, his spell list stops being so sucky. ;)
Ok, I am going to just post the loot here. Between Lubella and the others you should be able to figure out any of it.
The second chest is lined with padded velvet,
and contains:
eight potions of cure moderate wounds,
four potions of lesser restoration,
four potions of neutralize poison,
four potions of remove curse,
four potions of remove disease,
two vials of lich dust poison,
six vials of medium spider venom,
a single vial of wyvern poison,
and a ruby vial (worth 3,500 gp)
containing a single dose of oil of life
The third and final chest contains:
a cloak of elvenkind,
a folding boat,
four prisoner’s dungeon rings,
a wand of alter self (23 charges),
and a robe of bones.
Hello everyone,
I very much hope that you are well!
The GM and I have been exchanging private messages so that I can build a character that fits to your current group and also has an adequate backstory. I’ve played the first two parts of this AP in another campaign and am glad that I’m able to join you to continue to experience the story progress. ;-)
I’m going to play a strength based melee character with some support options.
I’m fleshing out the background right now which will ultimately determine the class(es).
It’s a pleasure to join this group!!
Thanks
Welcome! Looking forward to playing with you.
Thanks! So I read the char generation rules and based on that aligned with the GM.
May I ask if there is something else I need include? I think my GM in the first two AP parts did not follow many of the intrigue rules.
I saw that some of you have special feats etc.
Thanks! ;-)
FYI - we will be traveling the next couple days down to Florida (to get away from the heat if you believe that). Anyway, posting will be spotty.
After this encounter, everyone continuing will 'ding' to 7th level.
Hey folks, starting the 27th I'l[l be camping until August 1st and will have little to no signal. Please bot me as necessary.
Hey guys,
I am thinking about taking the noble scion feat.
Did you have relations with the Tanessen family?
I have none, other than being a member of the Silver Ravenas Pathfinder wiki describes House Tanessen as Thrune loyalists, so hopefully you are an exception.
Yes. ;-) Backstory would clearly lead to an animosity towards the family.
But I might go in another direction.
What is everyone else's opinion on how to handle Lorelu? No-one has offered any feedback on what they want to do.
I'm really not sure what the right approach is. My understanding is that Lorelu's presence is making the other Silver Ravens nervous, and making our base unusable. It would be great if we could convince her to move on, but I don't know how to do that. I don't know what the consequences of playing the dice game are.
Are we even equipped to fight a ghost, if it comes down to that? Lubella has arcane strike, so she can hit incorporeal creatures, but what about everyone else? I don't think Talvek has a magic weapon, and as far as I know, no-one can cast the Magic Weapon spell.. We do have the magic dagger, although that seems more suitable for Arcos. I'm guessing that Sidius could try summoning a Lantern Archon.
I'm reluctant to commit to a course of action without any feedback from the rest of the party. Right now it seems like I'm faced with guessing blindly, without any information to go on.
Perhaps one of the questions could be about why she's still stuck here and how we can help her move on. If that's not an option, then we look for a magic rapier for Talvek and fight her.
And remember Arcos is traveling- so may not see a response there. I think there are a few magic weapon options (including the Just found dagger) - even oils of bless weapon could be good for one combat.
Do we have an oil of Bless Weapon right now? I don't see one on the loot sheet. Or would we need to buy one? I did ask people about shopping, but no-one replied.
right, more likely from shopping - but 1st level potions/scrolls are easier to find in the city.
For the purposes of this encounter, I'm making sure that out melee types are all able to hit incorporeal creatures. And since Lubella has the best damage output in a potential fight, she is wearing the ring of protection to increase her touch AC.
This is just a temporary allocation of magic items, in case we end up in a fight. I'm hoping for a peaceful outcome, while hopefully guarding against treachery.
Sorry for delay. We have been driving around in Florida for family and have spotty cellular and no WiFi where we are. Will be back to hotel tomorrow.
Sorry for not being very on the ball, I've been sick with Covid and then had to take care of my partner.
Could we have bought an oil of Bless Weapon as part of the preparations? Would prefer to use an oiled rapier than the magic dagger.
Talvek, I hope you're feeling better now.
Lubella did mention the possibility of doing some shopping first, to allow for buying an oil of Bless Weapon. I'm also OK with you getting a charge of Mage Armor from my wand. The charges only have to last until Lubella gets a mithril chain shirt; she's planning to pass it on to someone else after that anyway.
My expectation is to enter into the game with Lorelu in good faith, expecting things to go peacefully, but having a backup plan in case of treachery.
Talvek hope you both have a speedy recovery.
Fine with both. You had lots of opportunities to shop and plan.
Sidius always casts Mage Armour and False Life when exploring, now that they last 12 and 6 hours, respectively. So no charge from me. That said, if anyone's not got a a deflection bonus, Sidius has a couple of potions of shield of faith.
If we have a bit of time to make purchases, Sidius might ask if we can grab a scroll of Spectral Hand. Would let him deliver heal spells at a distance -- which would harm the undead.
Hello everyone,
my character is finished! ;-)
~
BACKGROUND
I. Born into slavery and sacrifice in the church of Asmodeus in Egorian
Kenji was born in the capital of Cheliax, the City of Thorns Egorian, as the unfortunate child of a Tian slave that was raped again and again by beings from the elemental plane of fire. His mother and many, many other predominantly human and Halfling women were used as the toys of an Asmodean sorceress that regularly experimented by cross-breeding his tortured slaves with the planar creatures that the sorceress summoned to the material plane.
Kenji’s mother was a broken woman and although she gave him his name and tried to secretly teach him about her roots in Tian Xia, she died too soon to prevent the Asmodean indoctrination that Kenji and his “sisters and brothers” faced day to day.
As Egorian is the heart of the faith of Asmodeus, and the largest concentration of his worshipers can be found there, the allegiance of the sorceress to the church of Asmodeus was not surprising, and thus this led to the young slaves of the sorceress to be tortured and ‘educated’ in the The Midnight Temple in Egorian.
Kenji can still remember the Black Altar in the Temple of Asmodeus that resembled a devil with large wings and horns and which was the place where many of his siblings had to prove their ultimate loyalty by volunteering! The sacrifice of nine slaves were made to the deity at midnight on the first day of every ninth week. The wings closed around the sacrifices to hide the killing blow, and no corpse remained when they opened.
Although Kenji was once clearly a worshiper of Asmodeus, seeing his ‘family members’ die week after week made him slowly lose the only faith he knew. Being asked to give up something dear as a sacrifice, the life of a newly born or older brother or sister, was too much to bear.
II. Freedom and purpose within the Sacred Order of Archivists in Kintargo
Maybe it was fate or maybe it was the Master of Masters plans but one day a concerted strike on the evil sorceress’ hideout by the Pathfinder Society and the Bellflower Network led to the freedom of all slaves! The Halflings and humans were liberated and Kenji was able to see the world outside of the hell that he called life.
The Pathfinder and Bellflower network agents had a hard time to convince all of Kenji’s ‘family members’ to reclaim their freedom because they had simply never met anyone who opened their eyes and showed them the truth—that Asmodeus does not care for his followers, and that there are other deities, organizations and communities that do. After this event, Kenji and many in his family aided the Pathfinders and the Bellflower network in Cheliax, and as a result, his family was hunted down and all that were found were punished and even executed. Ever since, Kenji has vowed to get justice against the church of Asmodeus and House Thrune.
During this time Kenji and some of his siblings received a more formal education by a human Pathfinder agent from Kintargo that was allied with the Bellflower network and as a Paladin of Irori, the God of history, knowledge and self-perfection, saw the need to guide the former slaves. The story of a mortal man who ascended to godhood by attaining pure physical and mental perfection was so intriguing that Kenji and some of his siblings followed the Paladin.
Although no official Iroran temple existed in Kintargo, the semi-secret Many-Steps Monastery worked against House Thrune’s constant redactions and rewriting of history. Hidden under Hocum’s Fantasmagorum in Kintargo’s Redroof district, the Many-Steps Monastery was home to the Iroran Sacred Order of Archivists, and it was here that Kenji found a true safe haven and started to learn more about the world, about himself and about the beliefs that he wants to focus on.
III. Training to become a Paladin in Absalom and life in the Pathfinder Society
While not interested in direct confrontation, the Iroran scholars taught Kenji to seek out documents and relics crucial to maintaining an accurate picture of the past and safeguarding them for those who might legitimately seek out their secrets. During this time the Archivists expanded beyond Cheliax, establishing cells wherever corrupt governments, extreme nationalism, or prejudice might cause people to sweep inconvenient truths under the rug.
Because of that Kenji accompanied the Paladin that originally introduced him to the faith of Irori to Absalom where he helped Kenji to get accepted to the Tempering Hall, an Iomedaen combat school that traditionally trains paladins of Iomedae as well as those Paladins called by Abadar, Irori, and Shelyn, as well as those dedicated to fighting evil! The three-year course of study and training was a valuable preparation against powerful foes.
Wanting to follow in the footsteps of his Iroran Mentor and former Pathfinder, Kenji also joined the Pathfinder Society to gain and protect the knowledge of the past across the Inner Sea and beyond! The dangers he faced not only showed him that he truly has a deep connection to the Master of Masters but he also was hit by curses that transformed him forever!
Although Kenji gained significant experience in the Society, he soon realized that his goals as an Iroran of the Sacred Order of Archivists sometimes put him at odds with the Pathfinder Society, as his superior Venture Captains all too often were interested more in locking away knowledge and securing power than in careful stewardship as well as proliferation of knowledge.
IV. Return to Kintargo
When he eventually learned of the Night of Ashes, during which Thrune agents attacked the Monastery and took control of it from the Order of Archivists, Kenji decided that it was time to return to Kintargo to see if he could reclaim the seized relics and books. Kenji realized that the city had significantly changed since Barzillai Thrune’s takeover of Kintargo, and he immediately decided to resist the agents of House Thrune. When he tried to contact some of his Tiefling friends in the slums of Devil’s Nursery he was shocked to learn that also the Cloven Hoof Society was hit hard and that many Tieflings and misfits are unprotected again.
Now, he has heard of a group of heroes that have started to resist the Thrune regime and Kenji is eager to join their ranks and support the new Silver Ravens!
~
In case you GM or any of the players have any suggestions I can of course change everything.
What would be great is to have a connection to one of the PCs in the group. Would any of you see a possible past relationship (even if it is just a casual acquaintance)? Would be good to have a level of trust between us already given the nature of the AP.
Thanks and have a great week!
I think Kenji and Talvek may be acquaintances through the Devil's Nursery connection (Talvek grew up there). Another possible connection is meeting in the libraries of the Kintargo Academy, as Talvek is also passionate about knowledge.
Looks great. Also remember there is a strong slavery connection with halflings and the bellflower network…so that could connect with Lubella and maybe introduced via Laria Longeoads and her coffee shop.
Or prior party member Fhingle Nib - a fellow Oracle of Irori could have sent you.
These are all great options!! Thanks for everything!!
Lubella is a newcomer to Kintargo, so connections will have to be recent. A recommendation from Laria would carry a lot of weight with Lubella.
I assume that Arco will be back from his camping trip.
In case of botting, my suggestion is to cast Mirror Image and move into the room. I presume he would already have Mage Armor up. He is carrying a magic mithril shortsword, so he should be equipped to move into melee.
Note that since Talvek prefers to use a rapier with Oil of Magic Weapon, Sidius can carry the +1 outsider bane dagger. Also, Cure spells can be delivered with a touch attack to damage undead.
Don't forget to make Knowledge Religion checks about the ghost.
I know, but Sidius is pretty squishy, especially against physical ability drain - which is why I thought a scroll of Spectral Hand that would let him deliver those spells from range would be a good purchase.
Lubella has borrowed the Ring of Protection, so a potion of Shield of Faith wouldn't stack anyway. She's pretty well protected, so feel free to back away from melee.
Honestly, we should have bought some Holy Water, knowing what we were going to be facing.
Driving the next two days - so posts could be thin.
Sidius, do feel free to step back and heal yourself.
Oh, I will. Didn't expect I'd still be her favourite after all the other attacks, especially as I figured she'd make her will save. Figure I'll heal myself and then call on Mr. Archon for further assistance.
Misread the DC for Improved Feint:
Feint: You can use Bluff to feint in combat, causing your opponent to be denied his Dexterity bonus to his AC against your next attack. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + your opponent’s base attack bonus + your opponent’s Wisdom modifier. If your opponent is trained in Sense Motive, the DC is instead equal to 10 + your opponent’s Sense Motive bonus, if higher. For more information on feinting in combat, see Combat.
Lubella is trained in Sense Motive (Versatile Performance: Perform Sing), so I think her DC (including Heroism) would be 10+12+2=24 (is this how it would interact with versatile performance?).
Lorelu's feint result (28) was still successful in any case.
Versatile Performance can cause uncertainty because of the wording:
Versatile Performance (Ex): At 2nd level, a bard can choose one type of Perform skill. He can use his bonus in that skill in place of his bonus in associated skills. When substituting in this way, the bard uses his total Perform skill bonus, including class skill bonus, in place of its associated skill's bonus, whether or not he has ranks in that skill or if it is a class skill. At 6th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the bard can select an additional type of Perform to substitute.
You are correct - I only looked for SM skill on your sheet. But definitely if you are singing, then the DC would be 24 or whatever (if you have other buffs etc). I have a similar bard, but never knew if perform meant they actually had to be using the performance or just having the skill. I would rule more generally/generous interpretation - if you are trained - it counts. :)
Also, I thought there were two different skills this applies to - so you may want to just add both to her sheet for future reference of your forgetful GM. Just looked - Bluff is the other one!
My other Versatile Performance is Perform Dance (Acrobatics, Fly). The way Versatile Performance is worded, it doesn't seem that I would receive the bonus for ranks in Acrobatics when fighting defensively/using total defense:
Special: If you have 3 or more ranks in Acrobatics, you gain a +3 dodge bonus to AC when fighting defensively instead of the usual +2, and a +6 dodge bonus to AC when taking the total defense action instead of the usual +4.
One way or another this is probably the last round with Lorelu the Ghost. After that we will have about a week down time to transition …both in game and in RL as you will all level to 7th. And will start the next book with a new ally.
I am looking forward to joining you!
I am currently on vacation until Aug 29 so will only be able to post very slowly until then. ;-)
FYI - I am archiving parts of the rebellion history and slides into another page to save space and load times.
The rebellion link at the top of this campaign points to the new one but I added a link to the archives for the first 2 books.
Ok that is mostly it for this chapter.
Start leveling. I will add Rebellion scores later tonight
You will likely make at least rank 9 rebellion
Also unresolved or ongoing activities for next week(s)
1) sea elves gear to return home. They will become a special team
2) Order of torrent gear as they continue as a team
3) Relationships with other NPCs will carry forward into next book, but possibly diminished role
4) Lorelu had some minor magic gear left in the room. Then divvy up among the four.
5) new iffrit will join for 3rd book
6) modifications/defenses/plans for Lucky Bones
Lubella lvl 7 highlights:
+1 BAB
Feat: Leadership
Inspire competence +3
+1 1st level spell known: Moment of Greatness
+2 3rd level spells known: Haste, Good Hope
+2 3rd level spells/day
Adventuring Skill rank increases:
+1 Diplomacy
+1 Escape Artist
+1 Perception
+1 Perform Dance
+1 Perform Sing
+1 Spellcraft
+1 Stealth
Background Skill rank increases:
+1 Linguistics (elven) : I presume the Sea Elves speak this.
+1 Knowledge History
Leadership Notes:
Lubella wants to recruit a cleric of Sarenrae as a cohort. A human probably makes the most sense from a story perspective, but I'll leave that up to GM Aarvid. My intention is for the cohort to mainly remain in the background, unless the story will benefit.
Hello GM and fellow players:
I am just reading the rebellion rules and wanted to ask about Kenji’s potential role.
Is it better to take the partisan or sentinel role?
And do you play with the full rules or some abbreviations?
Partisan: The officer adds his or her Strength or
Wisdom modifier to the rebellion’s Security check
Sentinel: The officer grants a +1 bonus to the rebellion’s
two secondary Organization checks, and can aid during
all Organization checks attempted to resolve one event
during the Event phase. The Sentinel can add her
Constitution or Charisma modifier to a Loyalty check,
her Strength or Wisdom Modifier to a Security check, or
her Dexterity or Intelligence modifier to a Secrecy check
made during this event’s resolution.
So I guess it will depend on your stat modifiers. The event checks come up if the GM rolls an event that week.
So I’ve got: Str: 16 Dex: 7, Con: 14, Int: 12, Wis: 10, Cha: 19
What would you suggest?
I assume that Kenji will get the PC boons from the Rebellion Advancement Table:
With the title of Guardian at rank 4, each PC gains one of the following as a bonus feat: Alertness, Deceitful, Persuasive, or Stealthy.
There's also 2 bonus skill ranks (rank 2 and rank 7).
So I’ve got: Str: 16 Dex: 7, Con: 14, Int: 12, Wis: 10, Cha: 19
What would you suggest?
I think you could go either way, depending on your roleplaying preference. I imagine the Sentinel as someone who organizes the Silver Ravens' paramilitary forces, whereas the Sentinel is more of a troubleshooter concerned with the inner workings of the Ravens' organization as a whole.
Thinking it'll be Improved Familiar as a Feat (thinking a Chuspiki or a Nehushtan), and taking Black Tentacles and Enervation as the two new spells.
I assume that Kenji will get the PC boons from the Rebellion Advancement Table:
With the title of Guardian at rank 4, each PC gains one of the following as a bonus feat: Alertness, Deceitful, Persuasive, or Stealthy.There's also 2 bonus skill ranks (rank 2 and rank 7).
Understood! I think Partisan would fit best but in case sentinel is more impactful I’d take that.
Sentinel depends on the event roll, so it's a bit random.
We've avoided direct confrontation with the government so far, but I expect that will change later on.
Yes, officer roles can be assigned in the rebellion
I have thoughts on whether new players to the team get the prior boons
Option 1 - they get everything as if they had been involved from beginning
Pros - they don’t miss out on boons
Cons - the new players enter with WBL and their ideal treasure/equipment
Option 2 - they only earn boons from point forward since other players earned those prior boons and some departed
Pros - the new players custom equipment counters their missing boons
Since Kenji had not earned boons but his prior character had, I was considering it a boon transfer(rather than starting from scratch) - I have been applying option 1 so far with other players, which matches Lubella comments