Not at all. Onward!
We are turning into a veritable menagerie. Carry On!
Car broke down coming home from work today. Kinda busy doing repair and travel arrangements. Please bot me for the next couple of days. Thanks and Sorry.
Thanks for botting me, I didn't want to slow things down. I was in a foul mood yesterday when I finally got home, but some sleep has refreshed my spirits.
Good to hear things are looking up. And you got to drop a hobgoblin!
Good to hear things are looking up. And you got to drop a hobgoblin!
Yay!
Stalwart, it's no problem going to Slide 3, but if you wanted to fix it, here's what I do in the game I run:
Each time I put up a new combat map, I go into Campaign Info and edit the link for "Combat Maps." Our link says "Ranger Redoubt Map," you could change the name as well as the destination if you wanted. I update the link to point to the currently active slide.
Again, no problem with things as they are now.
Benedict will take one of the two Masterwork Battleaxes (after the adepts inspect it and the rest of that gear). It does a bit more damage than the scimitar. The scimitar is cold iron so good to keep around, though if somebody else wants it he is willing to hand it off.
Then he starts pondering "prisoner gambit" ideas involving the bounty, this Scarvinious, his Alter Self ability, and fake manacles. Hmmm... Caves are the first priority.
@Grum: did you look at all of the Familiar Archetypes? If the hedgehog is an extension of Grum, the Figment archetype might be thematically fitting. But there are a lot of options.
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Benedict will take one of the two Masterwork Battleaxes (after the adepts inspect it and the rest of that gear). It does a bit more damage than the scimitar. The scimitar is cold iron so good to keep around, though if somebody else wants it he is willing to hand it off.
Then he starts pondering "prisoner gambit" ideas involving the bounty, this Scarvinious, his Alter Self ability, and fake manacles. Hmmm... Caves are the first priority.
@Grum: did you look at all of the Familiar Archetypes? If the hedgehog is an extension of Grum, the Figment archetype might be thematically fitting. But there are a lot of options.
I love it! When I get back on Sunday I’ll update the familiar to be a figment. It’s perfect. Thank you.
Thinking....
Lvl 3: 1 eidolon point skilled (+8 Perception!)
Lvl 7: Improved natural armor x2 (+4 AC)
Lvl 13: Blind Sense
Grum’s eyes and ears!
You also might consider the Minor Magic evolution at 7th, or Tremorsense or Flight.
Actually, you can change it every day, so you can try all sorts of things. His 1-pt evolution could be Skilled one day, Basic Magic the next, and Unnatural Aura the next.
I updated the loot list. Might go back and do this more methodically (like in chronological order) when I have time.
I am pretty sure we have at least 11 CLW potions, so that's 2 each, plus a wand with 21 charges that Grum can try to use. And at least 7 alchemists' fire.
Benedict will take 2 CLW potions, one antitoxin, two alchemists' fire, and the 50' silk rope.
Hey all, sorry for disappearing for a few days. I got slammed by school unexpectedly.
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So...we have no casters. But guess what we can do?
Lvl 5 Fighter Feat
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/advanced-weapon-training-combat
From there can pick Item Mastery
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/item-mastery-feats
So, from there what are cool things that we can grab?
(1) http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/item-mastery-feats/curative-mastery-item-mast ery/
This gives Cure Light Wounds as a SLA 1/day, with +1 use when Fort save reaches +4, +6, +8, +10, and +12.
(2) http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/item-mastery-feats/dispel-mastery-item-master y/
This gives the ability to cast dispel magic 1/day, with +1 casting at Fort +9 and +12.
That is...pretty damn huge. We are going to have alot of problems vs casters. Multiple castings of dispel magic can *really* help us.
(3) http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/item-mastery-feats/flight-mastery-item-master y/
This lets you cast fly 1/day, with +1 casting at Fort +9 and +12
Awesome for fighters, right?
(4) http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/item-mastery-feats/restoration-mastery-item-m astery/
Casting of lessor restoration, and eventually remove blindness/deafness and remove paralysis? Sounds useful.
The problem is that they require a magic item to use it from. Now, one way to get around that problem fairly easily? Wands.
Example. Let's say that at lvl 5 someone wants to pick up the curative mastery, so that you can get a few castings of CLW each day. Well, a wand of cure light wounds works as an item to master. So now that wand of CLW? It has rechargeable healing, based on your Fort save.
If we can ever find a place to buy wands, then buy a wand with 1 charge. This would be especially useful for the restoration mastery item.
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Now, what is sad is that we can't break the feat. According to a guide I found, what can be done is dip into brawler for martial flexibility. This allows you, as a move action, to get a combat feat...which can be advanced weapon training...letting you to pick whichever feat you want on the fly. With a single wand with a restoration spell, you can then get CLW, Lessor Restoration, Cure Blindness/Deafness, and Cure Paralysis pretty much whenever you need it. And if you have other items, you can do some cool shenanigans. Like using ability mastery to get 24 hour long stat buffs.
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That said, this is certainly an option we can use.
Another thing to throw out here is this:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/weapon-mastery-feats/spellcut-weapon-mastery/
It requires BaB 9, Cut from the Air (a feat that lets you knock a ranged attack away with a melee attack roll) and 1 rank of spellcraft.
When a spell only targets you, or is a reflex spell, then once per round you can use your BaB instead of your saving throw!
So, for example. You are a fighter, with Wis10. At lvl 9, you have +3 will save. You also have a cloak of resistance +1, making it +4.
Well, once per round, you can make that will save +9 instead! That's huge. And, if you want to rules lawyer it...you can make a good case for the cloak of resistance pushing it up to +10.
So as a fighter, once per round you can reliably pass most saving throws.
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Anyways, just throwing out some tools in the fighter toolbox to make it through this campaign without any actual casters.
Anybody can take Item Mastery feats.
The strength of using the Advanced Weapon Training feat to select it is twofold:
1) You ignore the prerequisites, which are usually Fort saves and UMD ranks - Grum will have those anyway;
2) You can use Martial Flexibility to pick up whichever Item Mastery feat you need at the time.
But brawlers don't get Advanced Weapon Training and can't take the feat. It's good for Brw1/FtrX. And, fighters can take the Barroom Brawler feat to get that flexibility once a day. With another Advanced Weapon Training option (Abundant Tactics), they can use Barroom Brawler multiple times a day.
The downside of using the Advanced Weapon Training route is that you need Weapon Training. And there are some compelling alternative uses for the 1 per 5 levels you are allowed - Warrior Spirit, for example.
Jie and Amkarang don't get Weapon Training, and Benedict only gets it at 9th level. So we would be taking the Item Mastery feats with our regular feats if we wanted to get them. Not a bad idea - the Aegis of Recovery works for Curative Item Mastery. And I think it can be passed around if there are multiple "item masters".
Wands, scrolls, and potions cannot be used for item mastery feats. (See here.) But we may come across some more wondrous items or magic armor and take the feats that they enable.
Good idea, though.
On Spellcut, I explicitly asked the designer if NOTHING else counted, just the BAB (here), even asking about resistance bonuses, and he confirmed that was the case. My usual benchmark for "typical in-combat" saves is >= level, so Spellcut is not really worth it in most parties, when you have common boosts like Heroism and Prayer making it easy to get saves >= level. And there's a ton that Spellcut doesn't apply to, like Confusion. Benedict is going to take Craft Wondrous Item at 5th as per Shisumo's old ruling, so Knight's Pennon (Battle) brings Heroism back into play. As well as better cloaks than +1. I am pretty sure we can keep Grum >= level on Will saves.
Now, Smash from the Air is fantastic because it can deflect ranged touch attacks. Not quite as good as Snake Style (which can foil melee touch including incorporeals as well as ranged attacks) but on the other hand Smash from the Air can be used more than 1/round.
Benedict is probably going to take Lastwall Phalanx as his shareable teamwork feat at 5. That's a nice boost to AC and saves vs evil foes. Depending on our needs, Shake it Off could also be an option.
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Thanks for the breakdown! I’m using your advice on a different character.
Also...I have found that I have to go to some national guard mandatory fun in June. From the 3rd to the 23rd I’ll have limited internet connectivity. While I’ll finally learn how to use an m249 light machine gun...it’ll limit my posting. My apologies in advance.
To all my games: I'm on vacation for the next week. I might be able to jump on for a quick post, but otherwise don't expect a lot out of me. You're free to bot me if I'm a player, or just banter and discuss things if I'm your GM.
Hey all, I'll be camping without much, if any signal. Please bot me if I'm playing in a game, or if I'm GMing, just sit tight for a few days until I'm back.
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Grum charged and killed things. It was glorious.
Isn't that how it always goes?
But welcome back!
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Jie lets out a little shout of triumph when her blow lands, causing a small gash on the lizards back. When Grum follows her blow with a devastating strike, she can't feel but envious for her companion's strength.
The Grum school of melee Combat:
I’ve found in Pathfinder, the most consistent way to get damage dealt is with a two handed weapon, Power Attack, and Str18. Two handed means 1.5 str modifier, Str18 means +6 damage (a big jump over Str 16’s +4), and Power Attack just scales so well. To me this is just the best option, especially as with Shield Brace or Unhindered Shield you can use a shield/Buckler as well!
My favorite build is a nodachi/heavy shield using shield brace. Thematically it is sword and board, only with the killyness of a two handed weapon.
The next best option for doing damage is Dex, with modifiers. Either sneak attack, or my preference, a Swashbuckler’s +Lvl to damage. This will not keep up with two handing, but can come close.
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For Jie considering her stats, I highly recommend getting precise shot, rapid shot and manyshot asap. With Str13 she will always lack close quarters punch. But with Dex16 she makes a good archer.
The numbers won’t be as big as Grum’s, but she’ll have range and more attacks. So long as the enemy has to close, she may well out damage Grum too.
I wasn't complaining about Jie's build. It was merely a compliment. She is a roughrider currently without her horse. She will eventually buy her STR to 14, get Two Weapon Attack and hopefully be a threat at any range. In either case, Welcome Back!
Benedict can get to 18 Str with his Alter Self SLA 1/day, and two-hand the battleaxe for 1d8+6. He doesn't have Power Attack yet, but I tend to place a high premium on accuracy and will be taking enough of a hit with the -1 from the buckler.
His stat spread was heavily determined by his role as skill-monkey. Even the 4/level from Tactician archetype doesn't go that far when the whole party are fighters, so the 14 Int was needed.
Hey all, I’ve returned from camping.
Welcome back!
Congratulations!
And don't worry, she'll start sleeping through the night... eventually.
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Congratulations!
As it happens, we just welcomed our second son two weeks ago (on Fathers' Day). The older one is 3 and a very good big brother.
Thats great!!
Quick heads up everyone: I'm away for the weekend and I don't have my book with me. I didn't expect you to check out the east room so soon (which is totally valid, by the way).
So, just banter if you like and I'll try to get the next chamber up Monday evening.
I am very sick right now. Please bot.
I am very sick right now. Please bot.
In light of this, GM, can you bot Jie?
Will do. If she hasn't gone before Grum posts, then I'll bot her.
With the exception of the derro skeletons (which can be dealt with later) and the gem-eating critter (which could be kept appeased or slain), you've effectively cleared out the Trog caves!
The site's recent issues haven't made it easy there at the end, but hopefully it's stabilized and we won't have the downtime like we have been.
Jie hasn't posted in a while, which is hopefully due to the site issues and not bad health. If she doesn't come back in a few days (especially if the site is stable during those days) though, we will need to talk about adding another player (or two, given that I'm DMPCing Amelie).
I'd like your thoughts on whether we should add one or two players (or just post a recruitment thread and decide then -- as they say, indecision is the key to flexibility).
Feel free to rp, pick a fight with the crystal critter, go back to get the refugees, keep searching the various nooks and crannies of the caves, etc. in the meantime. I'd like to give Jie a few more days in which to post (it's also a U.S. holiday weekend, which could throw things off for her as well).
Benedict will definitely Take 20 on Perception checks throughout the caves once we have cleared them. Then get the refugees. As to the crystal creature, he'll pick up Terran as soon as he gains a level.
I think it probably is worth recruiting again - or specifically inviting PCs from the other table.
I think this PC could be a good addition: http://paizo.com/people/AerelTruthseeker. Archer with VMC rogue. The player is still active on the forums. When last seen, the PC was in danger of being squished by ogres, so maybe we spring to the rescue?
We could still welcome back Jie if they can return.
If we wanted two, http://paizo.com/people/BunkoDerwerrid could be an option (that player is also still around). The Drill Sergeant archetype is quite nice although I don't think Stealth Synergy is a great option for the short-duration Tactician ability.
Some of the players are no longer around. Shisumo is back and might want to be a player? Although it looks from his posting like he loves PF2.
I’d second the notion for Shisumo.
So is Shisumo interested in joining as a player?
Or, if not, one of the two I mentioned from the other table?
I added all the gear from the caverns and troglodytes to the loot sheet at the bottom. Probably location-by-location is a better way to track it going forward though it would take me quite a while to go back and change the old loot to that format.
Thanks for your work, Benedict!
It's certainly seeming like Jie is not going to be returning anytime soon. So is there a consensus in offering a spot to Shisumo? Did you want me to reach out to him?
Any word from the other table as well?
I'll try to get a post up to get everyone back with the group and let you know what's been going on with them.
I did not reach out to the players from the other table yet, was waiting to hear about Shisumo first.
Are our provision points that low after our haul from the caves?
Was at 41, they ate 31 (down to 10), we brought back 25 (up to 35).
Did the people manage to gather anything from Survival checks?
And there should be +7 from the livestock.
The request for the militia was:
"As many as needed to watch the animals given the weather. Some strong arms and sharp eyes on watch duty. Healers, do your best. Everybody else, gather what food you can, but stay near camp. We'll return by evening."
Including untrained checks for foraging (here).
Our five usual Survival NPCs gather about 18 on typical rolls. Even an untrained NPC can gather some food with good rolls.
Just want to make sure we have a buffer, to prepare for another day lost to moving.
The provisions do not factor in the foodstuffs from the caves. I assumed you did not pack up all the meat and dried goods and carried it to the cabin just so it could be brought back. When the refugees travel to the caves, I'll include those in the total.
And I forgot about you having everyone not herding the animals or healing make untrained checks, so I'll do that here:
=7 more provision points
Edit: In other news, no word back yet from my PM to Shisumo. Do you want to extend the invite to the players from the other table, or shall we post a recruitment thread?
Ah, okay, good to know. That food will (hopefully) be there when we get back to the caves.
I'll write the other players now.
Anyone mind if Amkarang takes the ring of protection and maybe the con belt?
Fine with me.
Grum, want anything? The Dex belt?