The most popular religions in the city of Korvosa are Abadar, Asmodeus, Pharasma, and Sarenrae, with each of them having a sizable temple all their own, although the Sanctuary of Shelyn (rather close to the Academae) and the Pantheon of Many (far away from the Academae) both offer places for people of nearly any faith to worship.
Shane - can we go to initiative for the combat? - you can keep the rolls for the lead imp; just as tiny creatures they don't threaten an area - so I should be able to walk straight past him without provoking, unless he is higher on the initiative chain and can ready an attack to go off as I move?
Well, he kinda already has an attack readied, as he's trying to stop you from passing because they're mugging you. It's a weird situation from the mechanics perspective, as you're right that you'd be able to walk right past, even though it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Still, we can roll initiative and do it as a proper combat.
Yeah, falls under the 'even though everyone expects combat you all start flat footed' conceit.
I'm not going to game the system, Hathin will still attempt to walk through the imp's space and not run - just makes a difference to the sequence of actions.
That first roll can be ignored; we'll say he didn't stab at you as you pass by.
Feel free to turn this into a chase scene if you like as I attempt to outrun my devilish pursuers?
A chase doesn't exactly work, because they have a higher flying move speed, so they could just fly over all the obstacles. Also, they have one suggestion to cast. I don't see much of a way for Hathin to keep pace.
Worth a try though ;)
Four imps can essentially have their way with me really, just depends on how you'd like it to go down.
I forgot to include my stress in my week 7 cantrip learning, but it didn't make a difference. It's recorded properly in my profile.
Hathin had fun in Week 7... he got mugged, robbed of all his earnings for the week and then reduced to a functional cripple for a week or so.... anyone want to swap?
I'm still not sure what's going on with Vasile's week 7. Also, you've got a few spoilers to answer, Hathin.
Hathin had fun in Week 7... he got mugged, robbed of all his earnings for the week and then reduced to a functional cripple for a week or so.... anyone want to swap?
O.o?
*goes back and reads spoilers*
O.O Damn 4 imps? With no chase scene option? I'm guessing some imp killing revenge might be in order? :/
I'm now much more suspicious about where my week 7 event might lead....
Time for Hathin to go shopping.... a silver something... at least once he finds out that weakness IC from someone. Oh and makes the copious (to him) amount of money required to actually buy a silver weapon without getting robbed again...
It is problematic for me OOC though - for three reasons:
1) Imps are intelligent, and they'll know how easy it was for them to make me their whipping boy... why aren't they going to do it again?
2) There isn't really an ability for Hathin to appeal to the authorities "Oh yes son, that was terrible. We'll contact your parents right away..."
3) Even if Hathin was trusting enough to enlist assistance from the other players in the PbP - we'd still all be up against it against a couple of imps - let alone four or more. DR and fast healing combined with invisibility at will.
Above does sound a bit whinge-ey - because it is. But it is a bit frustrating to have a tailored event basically screw over my character while others are having neutral or positive events....
Don't worry, though I was dickish enough to attack with four imps, they're going to move along. I'm not THAT dickish...
And also, everyone will get screwed at one point or another. As the saying goes, sh*t happens.
Admittedly, a mugging did feel kind of harsh, but maybe that means things'll swing the other way sometime for Hathin.
Sorry all, I'm at the "struggling to keep eyes open while driving home" level of work, so I don't think I'll get a post in today. :(
Real-Life > Online things.
If it becomes a chore rather than a pleasant hobby things are muddled. No need for apologies. :)
I for one don't mind moving at whatever speed the game naturally develops, so for reference I don't care how often any of you post. I'm just as happy to play at all with whatever pacing the game flows at. You'll get no complaints from me.
Thank you for your patience. I'm over my creative block now. 8)
The library thing might work (though it's mostly up to DM Fiat on availability), however if you're inclined to do any interaction with her Silyph spends her usual time studying at the library both her and Suleiyel occasionally work at and I wouldn't mind it.
I think the only characters that have Knoweledge Planes are (Vasile, Silyph, and Suleiyel)
Silyph's is crazy high and if you want to perform RP event she's in that library often enough and I'm open to it. You can probably ask Vasile if she knows anything and get by or see if you can do the research yourself too.
Thank you for your patience. I'm over my creative block now. 8)
No worries. Whatever works for you works for me. :)
Side note, I'm the exact opposite of Silyph when it comes to Cats/Dogs. So playing her as a dog person is funny to me plus it fits IC.
Hathin doesn't trust Silyph at all, let alone sufficiently to confide in her.
Ok. Sorry guys, for some reason Paizo's message boards are REALLY wonky for me right now. I had to use a Canadian proxy just to sign in, and can't get the spoilers to open. Paizo seems to be working on it, but until they get it fixed, I don't think I'll be able to read what I'm supposed to be responding to. :(
Aye - there seems to be a bunch of people having problems.
The ISP had a bunch of problems. It appears to have been fixed, but whole chunks of the world couldn't access it. I was in Paizochat, and we had people from all over complaining, myself included for a short time.
Well, I'm just glad to be 'back' as it were.
I can't find an English to Elvish translator that works like Google Translate. I found a few languages that look kind of like what Elvish runes might look like (leaning towards Kannada):
This is a translation from English to Arabic.
هذه هي الترجمة من الانكليزية الى العربية.
This is a translation from English to Bengali.
এটি থেকে ইংরেজি বাংলা থেকে একটি অনুবাদ.
This is a translation from English to Kannada.
ಈ ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ನಿಂದ ಕನ್ನಡ ಒಂದು ಅನುವಾದ.
This is a translation from English to Persian.
این ترجمه از انگلیسی به فارسی است.
This is a translation from English to Tamil.
இந்த ஆங்கிலம் தமிழ் ஒரு மொழிபெயர்ப்பு தான்.
This is a translation from English to Telugu.
ఈ ఆంగ్ల నుండి తెలుగు ఒక అనువాదం.
This is a translation from English to Thai.
นี่คือการแปลจากภาษาอังกฤษเป็นภาษาไทย
I like the way Bengali looks, but I think it works better for Dwarvish runes. (And I could see Tamil as Draconic.) I find Arabic and Persian too recognizable; even though I can't actually read either one, it would hard for me to think of them as Elvish. Kannada isn't perfect, but I think it's the best of the bunch.
And now to read three pages of spoilers! (I've been kind of busy lately.) ...huh. A gang of imps, a cougar, and a haunt; it appears I missed some things. This is going to be interesting...
Okay, we can use Kannada for Elvish and Bengali for Dwarvish.
Is Inner Beauty really applicable for a profession roll? - it kind of makes the actual roll moot for Suleiyel as he only fails on a 3.
I know that RAW it technically functions - but the roll is meant to simulate a week's worth of job task performance; whereas the trait has more of a transient shining moment feel to it.
FWIW, I had the same thought before I even proposed it; and it turns out that a single Craft check represents one week's worth of work. So, it fits exactly. Therefore, a better question is whether Craft and Profession skills are a good fit for skill roll jobs, given that they already have defined monetary values. I am in no condition to address that question, as I have to get up for RL work in a few hours. Good luck! :)
For me it's purely a RAW vs RAI question.
I know that the conceit on Craft checks is that it's one roll for a week of work. I don't have any issues with either Craft or Profession being used for the checks as they fit reasonably well - and obviously Shane wants to keep a tighter control on how much cash can be earned.
I would posit that the flavor of the Inner Beauty trait doesn't fit the application. It's flavored as a momentary flash of inspiration - not a consistent radiance over an extended period.
I'm gonna allow it. Though it does seem like it should be a "flash of inspiration" based on the text, the fact that it's specifically allowed for craft, which normally is done as a weekly roll, is what I'm using as a precedent to say it's okay for use here.
Also, although one flash of inspiration might not make sense for a period of days, having one every day would be different, and he could do that with the trait (even though that's not technically how the rolls work in this case).
I'll leave it at 'I strongly disagree' and move on.
I'm not really feeling the balance between our characters - and Hathin is really getting left behind those that have approached things from a more 'optimised' perspective.
I can only feel that the gap is going to just keep on widening as time goes on... and in that vein I'm having thoughts as to whether Hathin is really a good fit for this after all...
Vasile will, once we start leveling, become much less optimal. I plan on mixing wizard and sorcerer levels, meaning she's going to have a tough time keeping up in spell levels.
In all of this conversation...I kind of giggle a little bit, because I'm a pacifist and refuse to take place in your 'optimizing' and 'efficiency' things, whatever they are.
I am going to argue that Hathin and Suleiyel are both good fits for this game at the same time; partly because the game was constructed to be primarily about the RP, and partly because of the nature of the group. I will try to keep it tight, by deleting irrelevant tangents.
We both submitted these characters because we thought that they would be fun to play in this game. I still think that's true of both. You deliberately made Hathin sub-optimal, even forgoing cantrips that he could've known, because you liked how it fit the character. I went with my usual route of constructing a self-consistent background that supported mechanics that were somewhat optimized. How can they co-exist?
The answer is that we have a good group of people here who like to roleplay, and who like to play team players. The whole study group mechanic -- which was added after-the-fact at player request -- is a reflection of that. Also, even those of us who made optimized characters still put characterization first, or we wouldn't have been interested in a Varisian Hogwarts in the first place.
For example, I'm about to post a question that I actually wrote before you posted your question about Inner Beauty, and that I just wasn't ready to post yet. It's basically about me wanting to waste my character's time and money for RP reasons; now that he's in-play, Suleiyel has his own plans that don't have anything to do with optimization.
Also, I was really looking forward to Suleiyel taking G100 with Hathin. (My in-character reason was going to be just because he thinks that he has all the time in the world, so why not master the basics first.) I can't even imagine yet how our characters will interact, but I expect it to be interesting; and I really hope that you'll stay to see how things work out once more of our characters all know each other better.
@Shane Gifford, I have an idea: changing the bonded ring into a cat familiar! I know that it's totally against RAW, but it's something that Suleiyel would at least attempt. (Kind of like banishing Treerazer: it should be impossible, but after a lot of research, he'll give it a shot. He's an optimist.)
If you're at least willing to consider it, here's how I'm picturing it: Suleiyel has never used the ring's power, so there's a final bonding step that has never been taken. With his experience getting to know the city's cats, Suleiyel is able to make notes of what he wants and doesn't want.
So, he writes a Find Familiar spell like the one in AD&D. Suleiyel spends a week's activity on it, at the transition to 2nd level. Hopefully, he gets help from Silyph in the tough parts (since it's a conjuration) -- but not enough for her to know the whole thing.
Range: 1 mile/level
Duration: Special
Area of Effect: 1 familiar
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 2d12 hours
Saving Throw: Special
For convenience, the result of the spell would be a standard Pathfinder familiar. However, the ritual would still require a brass brazier loaded with charcoal -- however much that all would cost -- plus 10 gp worth of incense and herbs. (The AD&D version calls for 1,000 gp worth, but that's a totally different economy.)
The way I'm picturing it, the only way the spell can be cast is as the first and final use of the (mostly) bonded ring -- which incidentally wipes the spell from Suleiyel's spellbook, as well as reducing his masterwork bonded ring to a completely mundane brass ring of no particular quality or value. (All of its masterwork quality and magical specialness gets transferred to the cat that it summons.)
What do you think?
Suleiyel, I'm okay with this, and I'll put this out there for anyone else as well: I know every time I make a new character, I want to tweak him after a few sessions, so if you guys find you want to do a bit of tweaking for whatever reason (for example, if your character wants a familiar and not a bonded object), go ahead and say so. I'll try to remain open and work with you to integrate new changes.
Hathin, I'm sorry you feel like your character's getting left behind. I'm cool if you want to take back your idea to not start with all the spells you could've, if you'd like. If it's any consolation, I really like the character, as you're the first person I've played with who went for the "loner" type personality and played it well. And I promise he won't be screwed over with this next week's event. :)
Thank you! I promise to RP it to the hilt. 8)
The lack of spells doesn't bother me. It's difficult to adequately write how I feel about the disparity as the written medium lacks in the subtlety that spoken words have.
It boils down to the paucity of options that I'm feeling for Hathin at the moment (outside of the classroom). He was already struggling to succeed at job checks for money before he got mugged and had two weeks worth of income wiped off his ledger.
Since starting work at the tattoo parlor Hathin has passed the job skill check only three times (one paycheck was subsequently stolen by the imps) and failed four times - and also had an enforced week of no income as he was restricted to bed rest. This is creating a mounting feeling to me as a player that I'm going to struggle to pay the bills once the next invoice arrives.
It's also frustrating as a player - as tattooing is clearly something that Hathin has been engaged in for the full time that he is there - but the dicebot is a cruel mistress who will spit in your face as much as look at you.
That is a good point; Hathin does appear to be behind with cash. However, half of the semester still lies ahead of you, and we're going to do at least one other quest in that time. Even if you don't have enough cash by the end of the semester, you may be able to work something out (whether it be a loan, some arrangement with the school's financial office, or something else). However, I'd like to leave that mostly up to the character.
Probably an appropriate juncture to do a cross-post to all my more active PbPs about an interruption to my posting schedule that is imminent.
My wife is about 37 weeks pregnant, which basically means that the bun is fully cooked and ready to pop at any time. This means that at some point in the next 1 day to 4 weeks I will suddenly and without notice disappear completely from the interwebs. I can't say when or for how long, but it will probably knock me out for up to a week or so before my wife and I get back on our feet and I'm of somewhat sound and untired enough mind to jump back online.
So if I do vanish, please don't fret as I shall return :) I would just ask for some leeway on posting frequency for a while as we adjust to the new baby floating around.
That's not a problem. I'll try to keep it in mind, so if you do stop posting I don't wait too long for it.
Congratulations and good luck! And then some more from Anton! :)
Oh gosh, Congratulations! I'm sure everything will turn out splendid for you. :)
I shall not fret, but good luck with the new baby. Is it you two's first?
Thanks for the well wishes - it will be our second, so at least we've been on the treadmill before and know what to expect :)
That's good I hear the first is usually the hardest.
On a RP note:
Silyph's whole bowing routine is something ingrained in her behavior the deeper the bow the more respect she's trying to convey. Typically she bows deeply towards humans, slightly less for elves and half-elves, less for half-X, and almost a small nod towards halflings and gnomes. Habits die hard.
Throughout the week, Suleiyel can be seen chatting animatedly (or occasionally whispering) with the tanned, tattooed elf girl
She's less tattooed than branded, but she has a few. Most of her tattooing/branding are 'work' tattoos/brands in that their in areas that are hard immediately see (Arm, wrist, hand, shoulder, lower neck, back... ect.) Each is marked over with a scared 'X' brand that indicates she's been sold from such an owner.
The practice being that the brands/tattoos make it easier to know who owns a slave upon escape and the X indicates previous ownership so one can track ownership history. The Tattoos are usually reserved for the richer owners due to their finesse and preferred because of the detail and the ability to add colour to the markings.
Thought, I'd clarify since it's a little specific. Knowledge of such things would probably fall under the purview of Knowledge Local or depend on knowledge of slave markets.
Suleiyel thinks that he's enlightened due to his Kyoni sensitivity training -- half-elves have feelings too! -- but he's actually a little bit racist.
Oops, sorry, meant to post this here too. (I'm in another game with him.) I noticed a suspicious silence, checked just in case, and sure enough...
Wife's water has broken!
Will not be back for a while ;)
Congratulations, and (belated) best wishes! :)
No problems Fredrik ;) - and my wife did indeed give birth yesterday. Wife and Bub continue to do well and all things considered should hopefully be back in our own home as of tomorrow. Will see how the home-life settles out before committing to a specific time for wading back online.
Wife and bub are now safely ensconced back at home and I'm getting settled in. So I'll be getting more active in thread from now forward.
Might still be a bit spotty in timing, but should be good enough to not hold things back.
Good to hear.