Nether, for Magic Stone, can Beorae cast that on her regular sling bullets, or do they need to be stones collected from the ground? In case they're from the ground, I assume it's a move action to pick them up?
They'll have to be stones from the ground, but I'll allow that you already had them on your person (still a move action to retrieve from whichever pocket you had them in).
Fair enough! The assumption being that if she bothered to prepare the spell in the morning, then she would have also taken time to collect three pebbles so that she had them ready?
Exactly.
All right. Getting up from prone is a move. That still leaves attacking if something is close enough? Do I have any other options? Can I, for instance, stay prone to avoid the AoO?
I need options people!
I think you can stay prone to avoid AoO. But I don't know if you can attack from prone. You might be able to.
It'll be a while before I do anything. I'm posting via wifi hotspot in a bad cellular area on my iPod. Poetry is still occurring. My four got many laughs as intended.
Glad to hear it!
You can attack from prone at a -4 penalty to the attack roll. Remember that your AC also takes a -4 penalty against melee attacks. Or, you could stand and attack as normal, while perhaps provoking an AoO. The AoO will be rolling against your standing AC though, instead of prone AC.
So in this battle I opened with a charging attack but I'm wondering (for next time) if I shouldn't stand back a bit first and take a shot with my bow. I'm just trying to work through the logic of it.
I can pull out the bow with a move action because of my +1 attack bonus and fire on an opening move. Then as the enemy closes I'd switch to my sword and shield, but how does that work? Would it take too long to stow the bow and then ready the sword and shield?
The Quick Draw feat will come in handy, if you're considering becoming a switch-hitter. Alternatively, you could drop your bow as a free action, but that's up to you if you want to leave a weapon unattended. MOST of the time, enemies won't bother to pick it up.
Interesting. When does one get more feats? I assume they can't simply be traded out...
No, they can't be traded out. Every character gains 1 feat at every odd level (1, 3, 5, 7, and so on). I like to designate those as standard feats.
Some classes, like Fighter and Monk, grant bonus feats at certain levels. Distinguishing between the two simply helps me review a character I haven't built.
Nether, how many bolts did Themp manage to pick back up? I'm going to update his backpack.
Also, would you guys mind if the backpack is a GDocs spreadsheet? It would be terribly easier to edit down the road. Would definitely come in handy, since Themp is quite the pack rat...
I need a couple bit of clarification:
1. What year is this!? Sure would help if I could reference specific years for events in the past. :)
2. How does the gold --> silver --> copper breakdown work?
Answering 2:
This, at the very beginning, describes the relationship between pieces.
Basically, they go up in multiples of 10 (100cp = 10sp = 1gp = 1/10pp)
Thanks ZackDark, that’s correct.
I kept recent events in history fairly vague, partly due to the lack of major events (heh). Most of you know that King Thadeus Andreat ascended the throne exactly fifty years ago, or so the royal crier declared at the beginning of the year (Knowledge History or Nobility if you’re curious about the previous royal line). You also know the king has spent the past year fighting sickness. The royal family began a calendar when they assumed regency just over 500 years ago, kept that tradition while they gathered more lands under crown rule. To this day, some people keep track of the days, moons, seasons, and years, and others do not. That’ll be up to your character, if they would bother to keep track of that. The Andreat Calendar does not use months or weeks, just the seasons and the position of the moon to count the passage of days. A Survival check under a night sky will tell you what date it is, if you’ve forgotten in-game.
The calendar is structured as follows:
Winter’s First Dark - also called “First Dark”, if the season is known. “Dark” represents the “new moon” on our lunar calendar.
Winter’s First Waxing - usually about a 7 days from First Dark, called “first quarter” on our lunar calendar.
Winter’s First Moon - usually about 7-9 days after First Waxing, called “full moon” on our lunar calendar.
Winter’s First Waning - usually about 7-8 days after First Moon, called “last quarter” on our lunar calendar.
Winter’s Second Dark - usually about 7 days after First Waning, and 30 days since First Dark. On our calendar, this would be the beginning of a new month.
The 24-hour cycle starts and ends at sunrise, so that Winter’s First Moon includes the day preceding a full moon night.
Each season has 3 moon cycles, and the seasons that make up 1 year are ordered: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn.
I’ll be going by the 2013 Lunar Calendar for this adventure, about 3 days behind present day. The reason I’m not answering Nme’an with “It’s Thursday,” is because the Kingdom of Vyren certainly did not have the same history as the real Western world. Or Eastern, for that matter. IMMERSION.
So, Nme’an, today is the day before Autumn’s Second Moon, meaning that tonight’s moon will be almost perfectly round. Tomorrow will be called Autumn's Second Moon.
Awesome, thanks for the great description of seasons!
Cool. I'll have to think about it a bit more, or refer back here to make sure I get things right in the future but I like the moon system.
I was more concerned with establishing a fixed point of time, the Goblin attack on Brakton which Nme'an referred to in gameplay. Being able to say "The attack in Summer's First Waning of 233" would be a big help in keeping other dates and character ages straight.
All in all I enjoy the challenge of trying to keep time without all our fancy digital watches or even conveniences like minutes and seconds, but I would like an established year to do some addition and subtraction from :)
Oh! Derp! I was so deep into MOON FACTS that I forgot to add that part!
It is currently the 508th year, but the coming Winter's First Dark will be celebrated as the first day of the new year, called Year's Turning.
I'll let Nme'an pick the date of that specific goblin raid. As for ages, some GMs say to roll for them. I say to just pick an age. Do what you like.
OoooOOOOOooo! Years Turning? I LIKE that detail! :D
Just for reference, I'm marking that Goblin raid as year 491 (508 - 12 years for Nme'an to wander from Brakton to Thaleniel and then - 5 years to take him back to the first time he was banned from the festival. Let's say sometime around a harvest, when raiding would be most profitable, so Autumn's Second Dark? Does that make sense with farming schedules and the like?
I'm wondering about the "minor/medium/major" classifications listed in the Magical Armors page. Specifically, Beorae wants to buy a Darkwood Shield, but if you look at the last table at the top of the page, I'm confused what the d% ranges for minor/medium/major mean in regards to the equipment.
Also, what would the going price be for a simple unadorned necklace? I'd like to attach her sprig of holly and mistletoe with it so that she doesn't have to burn a move every time she wants to cast a spell. Alternatively, a broach or a cloak clasp a la Fellowship would do quite nicely.
Nme'an surely gets some sort of wages being a member of the Order of the Dawnflower. I'm not looking to cash in right now or anything, but is / how is that taken into account in these types of games?
@Beorae: the d% tables of minor/medium/major don't have much to do with item purchase. Those are random treasure generation tables. I don't generally use them unless I'm building a treasure cache. I like it when the loots make sense. Suspension of disbelief is difficult when you kill a wolf, search its body, and find a massive battleaxe and health potions instead of gamey meat and a wolf pelt. Plus it begs the question, if the wolf HAD a battleaxe and health potions, why didn't he use them?? :P
Asking for a necklace-length of twine or thread shouldn't cost you anything, I say. Unless you approach a particularly grouchy string-peddler, in which case I will ask for a Diplomacy roll :)
@Nme'an: Whatever coin is leftover from item purchases (during character creation) is the amount your character happens to start with, regardless of wages.
In Pathfinder, the Profession skill is what someone rolls if they want to earn money at a certain trade. The total of the roll is equivalent to the amount of silver pieces you earn in 1 week (underwhelming, to say the least). A knight of a holy order is a bit different from the normal profession fare, like blacksmith, mercenary, or fisherman. So here's this (until I come up with something better): The Order of the Dawnflower covers your room and board, but actual money-making will be dependent on the charity of others, the selling of vanquished badguy gear, and third-party payment of other "good works".
Example: You intervene a robbery. The would-be victim cannot repay you with gold, so he invites you to dinner at his house as a guest of honor and you walk home that night with a very nice bottle of wine, worth 25gp. Sell it, or drink it, up to you. Sound good?
Dang, I knew I should have joined the Order of the Rules of Acquisition! I hope there's plenty of robbers to beat up since I doubt anyone else is going to be setting chests of gold in front of Nme'an...
Wait, did the 20 brave knights who rode out with the prince also have to mug muggers to make a living?
Hmmm, now what will Themp do in one day with more money than he has spent in his life?
:D
Hey, do you guys know whether he can or not wield a longbow? I he can, a composite longbow, perhaps?
Also, how do these 'masterworks'... well, work?
I was wondering if I could get a lighter armor (no DEX penalty) and still have the same, or perhaps higher, AC.
Heh Nme'an's situation reminded me of a Babylon 5 quote:
Alfred Bester: I mean, being a freedom fighter, a - a force for good, it's - it's a wonderful thing. You get to make your own hours, looks good on a resume, but the pay - sucks.
@Zack: The Rogue page only lists shortbow (not longbow), but a composite shortbow is fine since Themp's Str modifier is at least +0. Don't forget to get some arrows!
Nether, I've sent you a tentative list for double-checking.
@Ragashingo: Yes, the other 20 knights also earn money this way. The good news is, the higher ranking knights are usually called in to deal with matters that require years of experience in knighthood. The foes they contend with are usually more capable than the average thug and have access to better gear (read: this form of income scales with your level, but you won't get paid sitting around "being a knight"). At least now, you make as much as the next adventurer! Nothing! :P
@ZackDark: Masterwork armor reduces the Armor Check Penalty by 1, and increases the cost of the armor by 150gp. Masterwork weapons grant a +1 bonus to attack rolls (but they grant no bonus to damage), and increases the cost of the weapon by 300gp. If you want a weapon to be enchanted later, it must be a masterwork weapon. Magical enchantments do not function a normal weapons. Moreover, weapons and armor cannot be "masterworked" after it is created -it must be part of the crafting process. And Beornlake has it right on Rogue weapon proficiency.
A composite shortbow with a Strength rating of +0 cost 75gp, and increases by 75gp for modifier of Strengh you wish to add. A composite shortbow with a strength rating of +1 matches Themp's ability, and would cost him 150gp. A Masterwork Composite Shortbow (+1 str) would cost Themp 450gp.
If Themp wanted Masterwork Studded Leather Armor, the armor bonus and max dex bonus would remain the same, but the -1 acp would be reduced to 0. It would cost Themp 175gp.
As for packing rations "in case nothing can be foraged," how does Survival fit into that? Does the normal DC10 check allow for foraging no matter what, or is that only in environments that allow foraging?
The DC for foraging in, for example, a barren wasteland, would be higher than in a lush forest. The DC 10 is for normal, well-adjusted, unextreme conditions.
You'll be following a river most of the way, and a forest grows on one side of that river. Foraging in those places shouldn't be a problem (unless you roll horribly every time) :P
Great, thanks for clarifying.
Yeah, I have questions too. I only have 10 days of rations. Can foraging be done for a group? Also Beorae I think has some generate food spell. Can Nme'an rely on either of those for food or should I cancel part of my order and buy more rations?
For Survival, every +2 above 10 accounts for one extra meal, so we should have Beorae roll first before people crack open their rations (a roll of 16 would feed everyone). And she can do the goodberry spell, but it eats one of her 3 daily spells. But it might be useful.
Thank you for being willing to help keep mouths fed, Beorae! Yay druids!
Remember all, anyone can roll the Survival skill, and I don't think there is a negative Survival modifier among the lot of you :) If you have doubts that you can make a roll of 10, one day's worth of trail rations cost 5 silver pieces. Alternatively, they could cost a high Sleight of Hand, Bluff, or Diplomacy roll *cough-Themp-cough*.
Thank you for being willing to help keep mouths fed, Beorae! Yay druids!
Remember all, anyone can roll the Survival skill, and I don't think there is a negative Survival modifier among the lot of you :) If you have doubts that you can make a roll of 10, one day's worth of trail rations cost 5 silver pieces. Alternatively, they could cost a high Sleight of Hand, Bluff, or Diplomacy roll *cough-Themp-cough*.
If our friend, the Paladin allows, old man, he'll be all over this.
;)
My friend the Paladin would rather spend his own money on extra food for the group than force any of the up till now honest* members to a life of crime.
*Darn that bluff roll! :p
Anyway, Yeah, I was thinking the trail rations were 10 GOLD a piece. 10 silver I can handle. Will post in gameplay in a moment.
Me and Beorn were thinking of having Beorae and Nme'an work together to train Shark more effectively. Assuming some good role play, would Nme'an be able to use his Handle Animal skill to do an Aid Handle Animal type thing for a bonus to Shark's skill training DC check? If so what DC would Nme'an have to hit? We're thinking 10 but the rules are fairly murky.
You are on the right track! Nme'an can roll to aid Beorae's Handle Animal check. If Nme'an's Handle Animal meets or exceeds a 10, Beorae gains a +2 to her Handle Animal roll. Rolls that beat 10 by a lot do not increase the aid bonus, it remains +2. In most cases, the aid to roll is declared before the original roller (Nme'an rolls to aid before Beorae rolls HA). But, I know table top RPGs function a bit differently from Play-by-Posts, and timing doesn't always work out. Just try to declare the aid before the attempt as often as you can.
Excellent.
And don't worry about the timing of the rolls. The four of us are in near constant communication over one chat medium or another. We'll make sure everything stays nice and tidy. :)
Perfect! Thanks, Nether. I plan to RP the training a bit, then we'll be ready for adventures.
So... Does Nme'an even have the Handle Animal skill trained? I see +3 on the character sheet, but if it were trained it would be +4 or more for the 1 point in Handle animal and +3 from the cha bonus right?
I fear this whole helping train Shark rp is... flawed. :(
Ah, good catch Nme'an. You do not have Handle Animal trained (the +3 is from your Charisma modifier). FORTUNATELY, you can still try to roll an untrained skill, but your total will never count for more than 10, which is the DC you are trying to meet anyway.
Example: Let's say Mot wants to identify which deity a certain priest serves. This priest wears a clearly visible pendant as the holy symbol for his god. Identifying the deity based on looking at the holy symbol is a Knowledge Religion DC 10. However, Mot does not have Knowledge: Religion trained, but he can still try to make the roll. Even though Mot rolled well over a 10, the untrained skill roll is treated as a 10, which still meets the DC. Mot recognizes the cleric to be a worshiper of Asmodeus.
Do our rooms at the castle have windows of any kind?
Okay, I assumed there was a window, it was mostly for RP purposes and figured it wouldn't affect the game. Hope that's okay…
Also, Happy Thanksgiving!
Random question time:
1. Nme'an skills are confusing me. As near as I can tell he actually has points in Sense Motive plus a +3 skill feat and points in Knowledge(religion)? And once again I'm having trouble getting Sense Motive to add up to +8. I see +1 for Wis, +3 for my Skill Focus Feat, and +3 for adding a point to a class skill which only comes to +7. The only thing I can figure is it actually goes to +4 because it's a class skill, the 4 being +1 for adding the point and +3 extra for it being a class skill?
In general I want to rewrite the skills as something more like:
Sense Motive +8 (+4 Class skill training, +3 skill feat, +1 Wis bonus)
Handle Animal +3 (+3 Char bonus, UNTRAINED)
Etc
I'll probably get around to expanding on weapons in a similar way as well. Expect more questions later to make sure I do it right. :)
2. Looking (far) into the future I'm considering options for a divinely bonded weapon (instead of going with a magical horse) and had a couple of questions:
- The Defending ability says you can shift any or all of the weapon's enhancement bonus to AC. Assuming I have a weapon with +2 bonus and attach Defending and something else like Keen I can still chose to add +2 to my AC while the weapon still has both its magical affects, right? Or does adding both points to AC mean I couldn't add the second ability?
- Is Keen as awesome as it sounds? It lets a weapon like a sword strike creatures at 10 feet out instead of just 5 correct?
1: Your skill points are also added to the sum, so your Sense Motive breakdown looks like this:
Sense Motive +8 (+3 Class skill training, +3 skill feat, +1 Wis bonus, +1 skill point)
Spending a skill point "unlocks" the class skill bonus, which is why your Handle Animal is only your Charisma modifier, even though it is a class skill.
For your first level, I used your favored class to get you 1 extra skill point (total of 3). I spent them in Knowledge (religion), Sense Motive, and Ride (1 point + 1 Dex + 3 class skill -4 armor check penalty = Ride +1)*
When you advance to level 2, Nme'an will receive 2 more skill points (or 3, depending on your favored class choice). If he puts 1 of those points into Sense Motive, it will look like this:
Sense Motive +9 (+3 Class skill training, +3 skill feat, +1 Wis bonus, +2 skill points)
2: Looks like the Keen description is worded poorly. The Keen property is supposed to double the critical threat range of a weapon. If you look at Nme'an's longsword, you'll see after the damage dice, "/19-20x2". This means that Nme'an can roll a natural 19 on the dice, and still have a chance to confirm a critical hit. If Nme'an was wielding a Keen longsword, the crit range would be "/17-20", meaning that he could roll as low as a 17 to possibly crit something.
The idea behind a Keen weapon is a blade edge that is extremely sharp, and magic is imbued into the metal to keep that edge (or at least that is my understanding of it).
For critical hits in Pathfinder, look at the multiplier after the weapon (for a longsword, "x2"). This means that on a confirmed critical hit, apply that multiplier to the damage. Most weapons have a x2 crit multiplier, and some have x3. A rare few have x4.
As for the Defending ability, and the transference of bonuses from a divinely bonded weapon, I'll need to do some research and get back to you on that.
*if you wear your shield while making a ride check, your acp increases to -6 instead of -4. Your Ride modifier would then be -1.