The_Ninja_DM's Road to Kasai

Game Master Spiral_Ninja

Been going to Veterans Evaluations Services physicals and x-rays. I think they send you as far from your house as they can. Anyway, I should be back to regular posting now.

Happy Mother's Day, GM Spiral...hope it was a good one.

I'll be out of town for the US holiday weekend; may have a chance to check in, but posting will be curtailed.

I'll be at a con this weekend, and the weekend starts today. Should be able to post a bit, depending on what else is going on.

Have fun at the Con, and hopefully mother nature is cooperative.

Going camping, back 8 Aug. Bot me as necessary.

Alfric--you wouldn't happen to be going camping in western Pennsylvania with several thousand of your closest friends, would you?

-Posted with Wayfinder

Back!
Nope, just off Mt. Hood in Oregon. It was delightful relief from the hot and muggy weather here. We gained two levels in marathon Pathfinder play!

And I'm back, too. It's been a bit hectic here.

I'll post on all my games after 6PM today, when I get back from work.

I've got my ACG PDF,
so if guys are looking for something ask and I'll see if it's there.

Hey GM; I don't remember asking, but have we actually undergone the apotheosis to reach our first Mythic tier, or is that still in our future?

You all have your first tier. Second should be in Brinewall.

What WAS the event that triggered our apotheosis?

Nevermind, I read back through. It was the death of the Samurai leader in the Undead Cave.

Buying the magnifying glass before a true mystery. How fortunate.

How Sherlock Holmes. By the way, the British series Sherlock is amazingly good. Better than Elementary.

I find Elementary a good show to watch.
The mysteries are a good puzzle to solve.

I was suspicious during this scene.

"At this time of night? Did one of you you take it and we need to run?" Sandru says' half jokingly.

It's about 6PM, you're here for the night.

@Braydon: You and your new friend also note the commotion, and he comments "Hm. I wonder what they're doing. I guess I'd best find a spot to put my stuff. I'll go pick a wagon."

He quickly ducks under your wagon, heading toward Koya's wagon.

If I wasn't there, though, obviously I couldn't be.

Should we consider an Co-GM Option?
To off load some of the work on the GM.

It's an option, Mai.

Does anyone here have the side quest module I'm using?

If so, let me know and we'll go from there.

Note for those who haven't seen my notes in my other games: I'm working retail over the holiday season (yes, I've gone mad...) and have worked straight since Wed., as well as being on from 10AM to 6:30PM (US EST) today.

I will check back tonight after 9PM to work out our options.

I might have the side module, but need it's name.

Legendary Game's Road to Destiny.

I can deal with a hiatus over the holiday season, as I have just over three weeks to deal with a major transition at work. I'll spare you the details; it's going to make my job excessively interesting from here on, though. And I might end up having to be a supervisor again.

And a quick note for those who aren't in my other games...

If you do not have a CO detector in your home, drop everything and go by one NOW! I'll wait...OK, back?

Sunday (fortunately, as it turned out) two of or RotRL players called off, so we were in our 2nd floor computer room, playing a back-up game. I was getting over a bout of that nasty flu going around, and was still a bit stuffed. My daughter kept saying she smelled something odd, but I couldn't smell anything til much later. When I did finally start smelling it around 3, I checked the basement to see if the furnace was off...it wasn't, so I didn't think much of it. Around 5, though the CO monitor went off - at the get out or die level. We popped all the windows and doors, grabbed the cat and her carrier and did so. The monitor showed over 80ppm. Hubby cut the furnace off and called the installers. After first trying to blame the hot water heater, they checked the furnace and the flue was completely blocked with soot. We spend Sunday night without heat (after the fumes cleared out of the house) then Monday was spent calling the installer regularly until their BEST tech showed up with a crew at 3PM and installed an 'expeller' to vent the flue outside, since the trouble seemed to be always based around our 100 year old chimney.

We're alive, we have heat, we have no further CO build-up, and -hopefully- I'm back to regular posting.

YAY!

I hope... ;)

OK, so, I'll leave this up to all of you. I want to keep this going, though my track record of late may make you (with reason) suspicious of that statement.

Do you want to keep going? If so, who's still here?

Still here! Still blathering to lord Sandru and oblivious to the action in the background so far.

Still here

Still Here, waiting for the drama of the thief to unfold.

Yo.

Still here.

Ok, first comment on Unchained:

All Unchained classes are on the table. If you want to, you may switch your current class to the Unchained version.

One major note: the Unchained Monk gets it's good Will Save back. Yes, that means UnC Monk has ALL good saves. I have no issues with that Monk/UnC Monk are both MAD enough that there shouldn't be any problems.

Any further effects will be posted later tonight, though I will most likely not use the new action system.

I'm probably going with background skills and some minor consolidation of other skills (Athletics, Influence).

Also, while I'm not impressed with Variant Multiclassing, you may use it if you wish.

Just a clarification on the UnC Monk comment; Unchained gave the UnC Monk full BaB and d10 hit dice, then dropped the Will Save to poor. I'm houseruling it back.

If anyone who doesn't have the book has questions, ask and I'll PM you with the answers.

I'm curious on the VMC with every class,
and the new skill systems.

The new skill systems are actually rather easy to explain here, though I'll make each system a separate post; then a final post giving my opinion of them.

First: the Background Skills Variant:
This variant separates the skills into two groups; Adventuring Skills and Background Skills. Adventuring Skills are those useful while actively adventuring, those related to training and practice, each having a clear and specific application to actual adventuring, those used in the majority of skill checks. Background Skills are those skills less directly useful in an adventure. Background Skills include two new skills (which I will be using regardless); Artistry and Lore.

Artistry is used to develop a creative work that isn’t necessarily an object or a discrete performance. For example: Artistry: poetry or Artistry: songwriting replaces the Craft version of those skills.

Lore is a extremely specific subset of Knowledge; for example Lore: elven history as opposed to Knowledge: history, and the character would not need to take Knowledge: history to take Lore: (specific) history or Lore: artistic masterpieces without needing ranks in Appraise, Artistry, or Craft.

While you can spend your regular skill ranks on ANY skill, you get 2 additional ranks you may ONLY spend on Background Skills.

The Consolidated Skills Variant:
This variant uses a smaller list, making characters more broadly talented by grouping together related, commonly chosen skills, reducing the number of skills from 35 to 12, and making each skill rank matter more. In many cases, the new skills have been renamed to highlight the nature of the consolidated skills. Even after reducing the number of skill ranks granted, characters will be somewhat more skilled. Character classes that are highly skilled, such as the bard or rogue, get the biggest boost.

Needless to say, this has the biggest effect on the game system, affecting traits, feats, class skills, and race traits.

The Consolidated Skills are
Acrobatics (untrained; Dex*; includes Acrobatics (except jumping), Escape Artist, Fly, Ride)
Athletics (untrained; Str*; Acrobatics (jumping), Climb, Swim)
Finesse (trained; Dex*; Disable Device, Sleight of Hand)
Influence (untrained; Cha; Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate)
Nature (trained; Int; Handle Animal, Knowledge[s]: dungeoneering, geography, & nature)
Perception (untrained; Wis; Perception, Sense Motive)
Performance (untrained; Cha; Disguise, Perform)
Religion (trained; Int; Knowledge[s]: planes & religion)
Society (trained; Int; Knowledge[s]: history, local, & nobility, Linguistics)
Spellcraft (trained; Int; Knowledge: arcana, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device)
Stealth (untrained; Dex*; Stealth)
Survival (untrained; Wis; Heal, Survival)
[*Armor check penalty applies]

Consolidated skills function the same way as the skills they replace, and provide the same +3 bonus. However, the class skill lists change, with the following entries replacing the normal class skills lists. The number in parentheses indicates the number of skill ranks a character of this class gains at each level. Always add 1/2 the character’s Intelligence modifier to this number, even if the modifier is negative. A character always gains a minimum of 1 skill rank per level.

This system cannot be used with Background Skills.

The Grouped Skills Variant:
Using this system, characters gain bonuses for large categories of skills and higher bonuses for specific skills. Instead of replacing or modifying the skill list, this system divides similar skills into groups. Instead of choosing skills and expending skill ranks to gain one skill at a time, characters gain training in a small number of skill groups, and gain specialties that give bonuses to particular skills each level. The groups represent broad talents, and the skill specialties draw from the standard skill list.

With this system, players don’t expend skill ranks. Instead, a character adds ½ their current level when attempting skill checks for chosen grouped skills, thereby making that character at least somewhat competent in skills that might otherwise be neglected. This system makes characters more broadly skilled, but gives them fewer skills they truly excel at.

Grouped skills function like this:
At 1st level, characters gain training in a number of skill groups determined by their class’s number of skill ranks per level. (There's a table) A character can gain training in any skill group, regardless of class skills.

At 1st level, each character gains one skill specialty, plus a number of bonus skill specialties equal to 1/2 their Intelligence modifier. At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, each character gains a specialty in one additional skill. If at any point their Intelligence modifier increases or decreases, their number of bonus skill specialties changes accordingly. Each skill specialty applies to a single, specific skill, and a character is allowed to take a specialty in a skill that isn’t in one of their skill groups. However, their bonus with that skill isn’t as high as it would be if they were also trained in the corresponding skill group.

When determining whether a character can use a trained-only skill, the character must have either a specialty in that skill or training in the skill’s group.

A character can also use Background Skills with this variant; Instead of gaining background skill ranks at every level, a character gains one additional skill specialty at 1st level that can be used only to select a background skill. In that case, the Artistry and Lore skills fall under the Scholarly skill group and the character can take specialties in background skills with their normal specialties, as well. A character can take a specialty in Lore any number of times, choosing a different type of Lore each time. To attempt a check with a Lore skill, a character must have a specialty in it. Having training in the Scholarly skill group doesn’t allow a character to use all the potential Lore skills untrained, but it does enable a character with one or more Lore skills to add their full level as a bonus on those checks, rather than just the normal 1/2 level. If the skill the character is proficient in or specializing in is a class skill, the do still get the +3 for that.

This variant can also be used with consolidated Skills, in which case the groups are as follows:

When using Consolidated Skills with Grouped Skills, reduce both the number of skill groups and the number of skill specialties characters gain by 1/2 (rounded down, to a minimum of 1) using 1/2 the class’s skill ranks per level from the core rules to determine that class’s number of skill groups and specialties, not 1/2 the adjusted values presented in the Consolidated Skills Variant Class Skills section.

I like Background Skills, and will be using them going forward as a houserule.

I do not like the Consolidated Skills Variant, if only for all the extra work needed to update.

I do like a few of the Consolidated Skills, and am considering using them. The ones I'd definitely use are Athletics and Influence. If I was going to used Consolidated Skills, I'd add a 13th; Occupation, containing Artistry, Craft, & Profession and possibly move Perform to it as well.

I'm also considering renaming Sense Motive as Insight and expanding it to make it the social and deductive version of Perception and renaming Sleight of Hand as Finesse.

I like the idea behind Grouped Skills, and the broader base it gives characters without eliminating personal choice in what skills you take. In fact, given that all skills progress automatically, I think it might even allow for more varied skill progression, as it eliminates the need to maintain specific skills, such as perception.

This is a FWIW; What I'm considering as houserules based on Unchained:

Yes, I changed the groups a bit to fit my ideas of linked skills a little better.

Quick notes on Variant Multiclassing:

With this system, each character can choose a secondary class at 1st level and trains in it throughout their career, without giving up levels in their primary class. Once selected, this choice is permanent (though if using the retraining rules from Ultimate Campaign, the secondary class can be retrained by paying half the cost of retraining all her class levels). A character who selects this option doesn’t gain feats at 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th levels, but instead gains class features from the chosen secondary class. It is probably a good idea to use either this variant system or normal multiclassing, but it’s possible for the two systems to be used together. In a game using both systems, a character can’t take levels in their chosen secondary class.

The character has no choice in which feature to take at each level, and must also abide by any restrictions from that secondary class; i.e. Monk & Druid armor/weapon restrictions, paladin's code, and class alignments.

Spellcasting is never a feature gained in this manner.

Also, there are no VMC options for the Hybrid classes.

Please ask me about a specific class option rather than all of them.

It seems to me that the variant multiclassing system won't play well with the Mythic rules unless you're a fighter or other character class that gets bonus feats--IIRC, having a normal feat is a prerequisite for getting its mythic version.

Yea, it has it's issues. If you're using anything, Mythic, Archetype, or Prestige class, that requires specific feats, you're not going to want to use it without really limiting yourself and your feat choices.

Also, as I'm not sure I made clear, you must choose your VMC at 1st level, can never change it, and must make all the swaps. It's horribly inflexible.

VMC is -possibly- best for classes (like the Cleric?) that have very few special class features.

I did wonder if a variation on VMC could be used for prestige classes, allowing a character to continue in their main class, but the 10 level ones would be hard to modify.

Frankly, this is a better idea, I suspect.

Probably the most effective use I could see for it would be fighter multiclassing rogue, slayer, or maybe investigator--you'd be starved for skill ranks, but that'd be a decent way to get a fighter with things like sneak attack, evasion, uncanny dodge...or do you only get the class features from odd-numbered levels?

You get specific features from the VMC class that must be taken in a specific order.

Hm.

Examples:

Investigator & Slayer do not have VMC options. They'd have to be the main class.

Note: the feats are the only thing you lose from the main class.

The classes that have VMC options are:

Core: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard.

Base: Alchemist, Cavalier, Gunslinger, Inquisitor, Magus, Oracle, Summoner, Witch.

Oracle has issues, as they get the curse, but fewer opportunities to reduce it.

Off to Paizocon! Back Mon-Tue. Bot me as needed.

Roll call folks, to see if anyone wants to continue and what the options are.

I've been having issues running any games except my RL Runelords, and I'm not sure why. I still enjoy gaming, I check every day...but I just, somehow, can't post.

IF everyone who's still here wants to continue, I'll try...but I've said that before and failed.

One other option might be to appeal for a new GM.

Your call folks.

The point of all this, obviously, is to have fun. If you're not having fun running this game, I'm cool with stopping. (Also, I have my doubts we could find a GM who'd be comfortable with a campaign at this power level.)

Ikshvaku pretty much said what i wanted to say

I think we say time to call it.

Thanks for running, though...I know from personal experience that it's not that easy, and I appreciate you taking the time that you did.

Thanks for playing such interesting characters.

Still here!
I'd like to continue, but I understand about GM burnout. It's happened to me before.
No one wants to continue? Even with another GM?