And just to piggy back on Javell...sneak attack can really add up. Trickster can push that damage up even further with: "Fickle Attack (Ex)
Whenever you roll damage for a melee or ranged attack with a weapon or alchemical item, you can treat any natural 1s on the damage dice as if they were the highest possible number on those dice. You can select this ability up to three times. The second time you select it, treat 1s and 2s as the highest value. The third time, treat 1s, 2s, and 3s as the highest value."
7d6 has an average damage of 24.5.
Taking fickle attack 3 times? 38.5.
Huge damage spike. And of course, the more dice you can add to it, the better. So yeah, number of attacks, weapon choices, etc.
So pretty conservative...1d6 (base) + 24 (Dex 30 for +10, mythic power attack for +9, enchantment for +5), 7d6 (sneak attack) and 2d6 (holy) = 10d6+24. 79 damage per hit.
The one thing that trickster seems to lack in my opinion is a good way to get lots of attacks off. But path dabbling can get you "Fleet Warrior (Ex)
When making a full attack, you can move up to your speed either before or after your attacks. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal."
That really helps get off attacks reliably. And from there? It's just maximizing your to-hit rolls, so the attacks can reliably land. But there are a plethora of options there.
Nice build there in Damiel. I landed on a lot of the same abilities as you, though I'm a melee build instead of a ranged one. I'm worried about my AC (damned max dex), but we'll see how bad it gets in the thick of things.
I have an event tonight I can't skip since I'm the host more or less. Otherwise I think I'd be done tonight. Or at least done enough for you fine lot to give him the once over and hopefully catch my mistakes. :D
So I should have a character up tomorrow, Friday, though likely late. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Might be a half day of work for me too, in which case I'll be done even earlier!
Thanks for the suggestions Thurin. I looked at Fickle Attack and avoided it initially 'cause I hate doing extra math in my posts! Hehehe. That said, it's still on the short list to be winnowed down...
I'm not doing power attack with this little munchkin - I have some nice debuffs when I hit, so I want to make sure I do. Damned 3/4 BAB! :) Still, I figure the front-liners will be doing the most hit points. I'm giving a few little benefits (flank & sneak debuffs mostly) and some damage to boot. I'm a little worried about moving about in combat and getting my right swings in, but we'll see how it goes.
Damiel is highly mobile, which would have served better if he engaged in melee. He’s really not a great build, to be honest. The original build was not focused enough and I did not try to retrain him into a better form. But he’s been fun for a hand-me-down.
I will give an exit some thought. Unless Variel overrules and provides one.
I was able to finish him up over lunch. Well, here’s the first draft of my character anyway. Still a few odds and ends to clean up, but I think he’s mostly done.
However! Building at 15th level is difficult, let alone all those mythic levels. I’m sure he’s not perfectly optimized, but I’m not worried about that. I’m also sure there are mistakes - so please point those out when you find them! PM is fine and I'll get stuff fixed tomorrow and do another run over the whole thing for any final tweaks.
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I would say don't worry about optimization. While you will be running into some severe combats the magic users in the group combined with mythic abilities make it harder on me to make a balanced and engaging combat than it will be on you to worry about surviving. There are so many rules with mythic builds that I will admit that I am lost more often than not on individual builds and rules.
Welcome aboard, have fun and lets see how far this goes.
There are always side missions or something happening in the Worldwound for Damiel to go adventuring on and still be connected to the main plot. If you have a specific idea Nasira then run with it. If not then may I suggest that he head north further into the wastes and closer tothe center of the Worldwound itself. That way if need be he is available to be called upon later in book 6.
Love the interactions amongst you all already. I don't want to rush anything so will monitor for now. When you are ready to move on though just let me know. Morgrym do you want to catch up the new recruits on the mission coming up?
Lershim, are you ok with being sent by Queen Galfrey to Drezen to help out with the 5th crusade? Makes it the easiest to add a 3rd newcomer.
Crap! I forgot Damiel! Ugh.
Okay, one sec... And will get to the "catch up the new recruits" part in a bit. I've got a million things going and I don't know where to start. :P
I don't know if you saw these, but the headband of ninjitsu and the mythic feat mirror dodge are nice. The mirror dodge allows you to soak up a hit at the cost of a mythic point to negate the damage and an up-to-30' teleport jump - but maybe you just want to jump to another flanking position on the same critter. I've only had it long enough to use it once or twice, but I'm still in love with the idea.
Mirror Dodge is one of the ways that I make up for having an 11 AC (via Dual Path [Trickster]).
I'm totally fine with that DM Variel. Sent by the Queen to the front is something like his dream. He'd totally go!
Yes, I already have Mirror Dodge. I'd not seen it before, but loved the possibilities! I just fear I'm going to burn through all my mythic points, hehehe.
I'll checkout that headband, thanks.
2 crotchety pc's? Oh man, THIS is gonna be interesting. :P
Thurin called out in a clear and authoritative voice. "We approach in peace! This is Dranok, Paladin of Gorum! Wielder of radiance, as bestowed upon him by Sir Arigoder."
Yeah, that was a mistake on my part. Someone once told me back in the day(I wish I could remember who) that a mistake by a player can turn into some fun RP in game. So here we are. :)
And tomorrow I'll get to that post I was supposed to last night. I freaking totally forgot last night. That's my bad.
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I just wanted this all in one spot. Easier for me to reference. Good info in here.
Baphomet, the Lord of the Minotaurs, the Horned Lord, the Master of the Ivory Labyrinth, first came to the Worldwound in 4650 AR, 44 years after the blight opened in lost Sarkoris. Deskari enlisted Baphomet not for his mastery over labyrinths or association with minotaurs, but because the Lord of the Locust Host wanted to use the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth as a tool to further the corruption and destruction of the Mendevian Crusade from within. An alliance with Baphomet was, to Deskari, an unfortunate necessity, but in the long run, it has exceeded the demon lord’s expectations. The Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth have fully infiltrated the crusade, and it was only recently, with the actions of the heroes of Kenabres, that the Templars’ influence has begun to falter.
Baphomet knew Deskari wanted his cult and not his direct influence, of course, but he was nothing if not a master of Abyssal politics. He increasingly put his cult, his children, and even himself to work at supporting the Worldwound agenda, intending to reach a point where he could wrest control of the region from Deskari and use it to draw much of Golarion into his Abyssal realm in the same way he stole an endless maze from Cania, the eighth layer of Hell, after escaping imprisonment at the hands of Asmodeus so long ago.
Yet the actions of the heroes of Kenabres have stymied his plans. They’ve slaughtered his greatest agents, disrupted Templar command, destroyed the flow of Nahyndrian crystals, and perhaps most insulting of all, defeated his favorite daughter. It was this final affront that moved Baphomet to act, and in a hasty and ill-conceived fit of rage he used his daughter’s soul as a conduit to invade the Midnight Isles, fully intending to slaughter the PCs himself. Yet he forgot one important thing: the Midnight Isles are ruled by a demon lord who specializes in the assassination of her own kind.
As Baphomet materialized in the Midnight Isles, Nocticula made her move. More as a reaction to having her realm invaded than any real sense of allegiance to the heroes whom she had granted permission to remain in her realm, Nocticula struck at the Lord of the Minotaurs, in the instant after he physically manifested. Baphomet realized his fatal error too late and tried to f lee, but Nocticula’s wrath followed him through the
barrier between planes and struck him, for the briefest of moments, dead.
He immediately resurrected in the heart of his realm, shaken at his close brush with oblivion. And across all worlds, his cult reeled as well at the momentary interruption to their divine powers. Now, Baphomet’s brashness and self-confidence are shaken, and he has retreated to his fortress at the heart of the Ivory Labyrinth, for if he is slain again before a year can pass and his realm can recover from bringing him back to life, his death will be lasting. Fearful that Nocticula may come to finish the job, or that Deskari might seek him out to castigate him for his various failures, he clings to one final advantage: the abduction of Iomedae’s herald.
This abduction ranks high among his more recent audacious accomplishments. While the being known as the Hand of the Inheritor is powerful, he is no match for a demon lord, and he relied on the protection of his mistress to shield him. Yet even a goddess can lose track of her agents. When a desperate priest called upon Iomedae’s herald to aid in an attack on the demon-ruled city of Raliscrad, Baphomet saw his chance. He dispatched Ylleshka, the warden of his great Ineluctable Prison, to the battle. Her capture of the herald and retreat to the Abyss broke the crusader army and saved Raliscrad from a critical defeat, and now one of Iomedae’s closest agents is the Horned Lord’s prisoner.
“You are worthy to champion me against Baphomet, for mandate prohibits the interaction of the divine in even such matters as personal as the loss of a herald. I charge you as worthy souls to go into the darkness of the Abyss, into the Ivory Labyrinth of my enemy, and seek out my herald. If he be dead or worse, I trust you shall finish things as befits those of your boldness. Heed the advice I have given you. Go forth on a road of honor, swiftly and with great justice, to defeat Baphomet and return or avenge my herald. In so doing may you find the strength to face the true peril that lies ahead. Deskari always watches, and the time shall soon come when the Worldwound must be closed forever lest it consume your world."
With that, the cathedral flashes white once again, and an instant later the you have returned to where you left the Material Plane. Yet in each of your hands is a simple token: a bronze holy symbol of Iomedae. Each of you knows that you need but hold the symbol in a fist and concentrate
to be transported into the Ivory Labyrinth, one final “gift” from Iomedae to speed you on your way. Beyond this, she cannot aid you in the trials to come.
The Ivory Labyrinth is a layer of the Abyss ruled by Baphomet, a sprawling maze world the true size of which none have ever been able to determine, for it seems to fold back in on itself, shifting and growing randomly.
Navigation of the Ivory Labyrinth is difficult but not impossible. One experienced in trailblazing and navigation (Survival) and planar geography (Knowledge [planes]) can navigate the labyrinth to known locations, provided the traveler does so within the rules of the maze and doesn’t attempt to cheat via flying over the labyrinth’s walls. Teleportation offers the easiest method of travel, provided the teleporter knows the location he wishes to visit.
Entire mountain ranges, vast forests, sprawling underground tangles, swamps, plains of bones, and more terrible expanses exist within the Ivory Labyrinth, including two sprawling cities— Blackburgh and Echostal. Of those two, Blackburgh is the realm’s capital, and at the city’s heart rises Baphomet’s Tower. Blackburgh can be thought of as the “center” of the Ivory Labyrinth, and it is here that one is most likely to learn of current events in the realm.
The Ivory Labyrinth was originally designed by Asmodeus as a prison to contain Baphomet, but when Baphomet escaped it, he took it with him into the Abyss to make it his home. A fraction of that original prison is said to be hidden deep within the maze realm of the Breathless Fountains. This so-called “Ineluctable Prison” is where Baphomet keeps his favorite prisoners. This prison is shielded from magical observation from beyond its walls— even from the sight of the gods themselves.
Ivory Labyrinth Planar Traits
As with all Abyssal realms, the exact nature of the Ivory Labyrinth’s planar traits varies slightly from the standard traits for the Abyss as detailed in the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide. The Ivory Labyrinth has the following traits:
•
Highly Morphic and Sentient: Baphomet can alter the layout of the Ivory Labyrinth at will, but it changes itself as well. Only Baphomet can keep the ever-changing layout clear in his mind.
•
Strongly Chaos-Aligned and Strongly Evil-Aligned: A –2 circumstance penalty applies on all Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based checks attempted by creatures that aren’t chaotic or evil. The penalties for the chaotic and evil components of the alignment trait stack.
•
Enhanced Magic: Spells and spell-like abilities with the chaotic or evil descriptor are enhanced, as is maze.
•
Impeded Magic: Spells and spell-like abilities with the lawful or good descriptor are impeded, as are any divination spells that aid in navigation, such as discern location, find the path, and locate object.
•
Self-Contained Shape: The Ivory Labyrinth covers an area roughly 10 times the size of the Inner Sea region, yet many of the passageways on its “edges” connect to other points in the maze. A few passageways lead out to nearby Abyssal realms like the Undersump, the Spiral Path, or Kurnugia, but such exits from the realm are rare and well hidden.
•
Direction: The direction of north in the Ivory Labyrinth is not static, for items that normally detect north instead point to Baphomet’s Tower. As the exact location of this tower shifts, “north” can shift as well between visits.
Morgrym do you want to catch up the new recruits on the mission coming up?
Lershim, are you ok with being sent by Queen Galfrey to Drezen to help out with the 5th crusade? Makes it the easiest to add a 3rd newcomer.
Will wait for Lershim to show up and then Morgrym can hit them all at the same time. (Not literally) ;)
I think I have everything finalized finally. Tweaked a few things last night and this morning, but I'm done. The choices have been made. :)
Should I be posting and just show up with the others?
Never heard of any Ivory Labyrinth, but assaults seem right up my alley!
@GM: Being CG, what are the odds that for my Weapon Bond class ability, I could swap in Anarchic to replace Axiomatic? Not that it will prove overly useful, since Demons are CE, so Anarchic won't help against them but you never know what tool will be the right one for a job!
Hmmm, probably I should arm myself with at least some ranged weapon. I can add in a +1 bow, just in case there are flying things that need to be made dead.
Soooo, with Smite, and Weapon Bond all up and running, I'm not convinced that at 16th level I can't one-shot a Balrog, errr, Balor! Look at me, I'm Gandalf!
Can I get an answer here GM?
Sorry for missing that. At this level it doesn’t really matter as you will he bypassing Dr with mythic powers or doing enough damage to blow past it. Go ahead though
The extra 2d6 damage is also welcome though!
As the GM knows I’m traveling for 2 months. Will have eSIM and WiFi so I’ll still post. But just wanted to let everyone know. :)
Okay, I don't know where this is going, but Morgrym is not going to take any crap from Dranok. He's not. And Dranok is not gonna take any crap from Morgrym. And if you're end game is to fight him, then so be it, I guess. Although, I'm not a fan of PVP at all.
But Morgrym has zero respect for this guy. None. He's done nothing to endear himself to anyone. Heck, if Dranok was a MUTE, that would've earned him more respect than he's earned now. He's never getting that from Morgrym at this point. Unless he does a complete 180 with his attitude. Which, is not happening if we're being honest.
And them battling would ultimately come down to who makes better rolls. Simple as that. Which would probably be you because more often that not, I roll like crap. Have for my entire time, over all my games, on the boards. It sucks but it's true.
And while Morgrym will NEVER stand down to Dranok and can keep going all day long with the back and forth... I can't because it's wearing ME out. Mainly because I don't see an end to this except for combat and death.
We would have to fight, and one of us would have to kill the other. Or seriously wound the other to the point of submitting or whatever. And regardless of which one of us would win, and taking into account that we survived, there is still NO WAY that Morgrym will change his opinion of Dranok. No more so than Dranok about Morgrym.
Barring some form of drastic... I don't know... something changing. But that's not happening with these two a$$e$. Not that I can tell, anyway.
So, ultimately, there is no "good" ending to this. Either one of us kills the others or we just flat-out do not acknowledge one another.
I've been in this game for like close to 10 years or thereabouts. And it's been fun. I want to keep having fun. This makes it difficult. I can't keep this up like Morgrym can. He can do this all day because he doesn't give a flying flip. He's actually a nice guy. You can ask 9 or 10 of the pc's he's ran with back in the day. He might be a bit gruff, but he cares. :P
I'm sorry, but Dranok just rubbed him the wrong way from the get-go, and he's too stubborn to let that slide. Pride and all that jazz you know.
And what I also know is, that this is NOT fun for the other players. And now I'm feeling bad about that.
So, respond however you want to respond to Morgrym, I don't give a crap anymore. And Morgrym will just brush you off as a crybaby or something, and just move on.
Because I'm not gonna fight another player. Nothing good comes of it. Ever. Like I say, the winner will be the one who gets the better rolls because we're pretty much even mechanically. You are probably actually a little more powerful because you came in at WBL and got to build your guy from scratch with all the bells and whistles. Morgrym would definitely be built differently if he came in at this level.
But that's neither here nor there. I guess the best thing is that the two don't speak to each other since it doesn't appear they will never get along. I can't see it anyway. That would probably be wisest at this point. Because I don't believe anything good can come from it and I don't want to keep going back and forth. I don't have the energy. Between work and some RL difficulties currently, I'm tired of coming home and having to figure out how to respond to Dranok "in kind".
It gets old, it's wearisome, and it's just not fun. As Popeye would say, "I've had all I can stands, I can't stands no more." Except he'd say it with more gusto.
I'm just too tired for gusto. :P
Wait, what? I don't think it's necessary for anyone to leave. Can't you nod at each other gruffly and put each other's face on the foes that need to be killed? You know, passively dislike each other until the greater threat is past?
Not going to lie, Dranok's voice set me on edge pretty quickly, so I responded the way I did, but my follow-up was also sincere - she's said her part, now to focus on the larger concerns.
But, Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan, please do not leave.
If there is a way for this to be settled and find a common ground then I would appreciate you staying Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan. However, if it has reached a point of no return then I understand. Perhaps a compromise would be to stay under the guise of another character that the party and your character can settle in with amicably.
Wait, what? I don't think it's necessary for anyone to leave. Can't you nod at each other gruffly and put each other's face on the foes that need to be killed? You know, passively dislike each other until the greater threat is past?
But, Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan, please do not leave.
I COMPLETELY agree with ALL OF THIS. Whatever it takes. PLEASE do not leave.
If there is a way for this to be settled and find a common ground then I would appreciate you staying Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan.
I'd be up for this. I can and will be better at keeping the peace. I'm not saying we have to like each other or be buddies or anything like that, but that doesn't mean I can't AT THE VERY LEAST keep the peace.
Look, bud, there's a reason I asked you, and Grumbaki, and Euan to this one. You all are consistent posters, solid writers, reliable, and you all are the kind of players this game deserves. And, it's also the reason I asked Ansha to this one as well a few years ago(or however long it's been now). Through a million players over a dozen years, Variel has kept it going like a beast. And I feel like you all are top-notch folks who can see this thing to the end.
You all are a rare breed on these boards. You really are. Now, you all might THINK there's a ton of y'all out there, but I'm telling you, there just isn't. I know SEVERAL players that quit this game years ago, and yet, I still see them signing up for other games. I don't know. I guess I'm the mentality of, 'If you sign up for a game, stay until you are either killed, the game dies, or you part ways amicably for whatever reason.' Most left due to RL issues and whatnot, I get that. But when said issues settle down and you return to some type of normalcy, and you're back on the boards, why not see if you can jump back in? I would at least give it a shot. Totally. But, they never do.
There's just not a lot of folks like y'all around.
So, please, Zahir, don't leave. I'd really prefer you to stay.
We'll figure something out. We can make it work. I'll cut the crap. Also, like Nasira, that very first remark just kind of set me off. And I'm thinking, "Morgrym is not going to like this guy". And I guess it was a timebomb just waiting to go off.
And it did. Instead of the huge stir In-game, though, I'm thinking I should've said something in the discussion. That would've been wiser. But instead, I went with, "Well, Morgrym is gonna be Morgrym". And if I've learned ANYTHING about pbp in my time, it's that, "Well, that's what my character would do." is the STUPIDEST motto you could possibly run your pc by! But for some dumb reason, I blew it. No excuses because I have none.
So in that regard, I apologize for that, bud. I did take it too far and shouldn't have. That's on me.
But I'd really like you to stay. And hope you change your mind.
I’m always in favor of mind control magic as the solution to intraparty squabbles (or any sort of squabble, really.) I even hear Nocticula’s brand of it ignores paladins’ immunities. ;P
Lol! Good one, Ansha. :)
Moving into the labyrinth tomorrow.
@Variel: What about the Instant Fortress? Did Lershim figure out how to activate it with his roll?
Yes he has it all figured out. Thanks for asking again
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If you are ever worried a roll doesn't succeed and wish to use a mythic point for a surge please roll that as part of your post. If your first roll succeeds I will let you know so you didn't waste the mythic point.
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For any who are wondering I am fast forwarding. Some of these areas that are suppose to have random encounters. I fee it would just drag the play down and it doesn’t add to the story at all. Each new area that you go through and pass a survival check at the end means you understand enough of that region to get back to it if you want automatically or have a chance to reroll the percentile to alnew refion when leaving an area.
I keep forgetting to ask when we have downtime. Can we assume my staff of healing has been fully charged? Did we have enough rest time to invest spell slots in it?
With our change of personnel, do we want Damiel back in the party? He can be more ranger than rogue since that slot is capably filled.
Thanks for saying I'm 'capable' sight unseen! I hope to live up to it... hehehe.
Yes the staff is fully charged.
I am fine with Damiel back in the group.
With our change of personnel, do we want Damiel back in the party? He can be more ranger than rogue since that slot is capably filled.
In my opinion? Not really. He feels more like an NPC to me. The only reason we kept him around was for traps anyway. And now we got a guy that can do all that.
Plus, I think this crew is stout enough to handle anything. I'm not really worried about ranged issues.
But that's just me. *shrugs*
My thoughts in favor: Damiel has mobility no one in the party can touch without magic and ranged attacks that we are still sorely lacking in. He’s fine as an NPC, I’m not saying he’s going to contribute significantly to the dialog. He’s also more hit points that an enemy has to deal with while he’s filling them full of missiles from range.
Thanks regarding the staff, Variel. For the record, Nasira always has Remove Disease prepared. She defaults to a healer spell loadout. What she doesn’t have are skills to any useful level.
I will assume Damiel is quietly scouting for the party unless the party votes him out.
Hope I didn’t lead anyone astray. If there is something you guys want to do or search for or ask about please do so. I just don’t want to bog anything down pbp wise if not needed.
Honestly I can’t imagine we really would have a need for a resupply run in a town anyway, given the instant fortress and several high-level magic users.
I don't have a reason to stop in the community. Busy time at work, so I've been quiet, but I'm checking in regularly.
While I don’t think we have a reason to stop there, it is really atmospheric. I’m loving the otherworldly nature of the maze, and how everything seems fine on the surface but certainly isn’t.
The only thing I’m lost (ha!) is on how we are supposed to find our target. But I think that is by design.
Thinking this over are we making a mistake? It seems like the town might have an NPC or two with info that is needed.
Follow your gut. Variel's going to give us the player agency to do what we feel is right.
Morgrym and I had a sidebar about the future of Damiel. In short, he doesn't have one. I will leave it to Variel to decide what happens to him in Echostal, if he makes it back to the Material Plane, and how.
I surrender my control of the archer.
So long as you are happy with the decision.
So long as you are happy with the decision.
Meh. I’m fine. Better if we had a paladin to wield Radiance, but I’m not bringing in a new character at this point.
I honestly don’t care either way with Damiel. He does add range support to the group and has some skill support at high ranks if needed but like the fact that others take the lead first and only ask for help if needed.
As for current direction I can give you guys a combat from another section if you are wanting to enter the town and capture/bribe/entreat one of the locals for information. Or we can keep going with general exploration until you randomly get a location that has a set piece to it.
I’m not interested in going into town to pick a fight, but Nasira will sigh and follow if her allies chose to do so.
It's been too long. For the life of me, I can't remember if Morgrym ever met Arueshalae.
I'm gonna go with "maybe". Feel free to correct me however any of you wish. All good to me.