Will Cooper's RPGSS 2012 Playtest (Inactive)

Game Master Will Cooper

If we decide to carry on, I'd like to try Surveen as a monk, and I'd rather to start at 4 or we try another scenario with level 6, then continue to a module. I don't really want to go back to level 1.

As for this taster, rather confused by the haunt ... but then haunts are a bit like that.

I'm ok going back to level one, but I will probably change my class. I have a level 1 magus going in another campaign. I might keep Hawke about the same if we did a series of increasingly higher level modules.

I'm pretty much up for anything. This was a solid group so I'm willing to go with the flow (with emphasis on the GM's flow since he has thew most work to do). Whatever we decide is going to work. Just not Serpent Skull or Legacy of Fire since I'm doing those AP's.

I'm fine with going back to level one. Modules would also be an interesting way to go.

Deevor doesn't want to start over at level 1, so I spent the afternoon revamping my level 4 Tudan. I think he's better now.

I am leaning towards picking a level 4 appropriate module to run. I'll have a browse and come back with a suggestion. By the time we get through the first module we won't care whether we started at level 1 or not.

Agreed. I'm not rich by any stretch, but if you have to purchase a module, I'd be happy to pick this one up for the group. You know, do my part.

If it comes to it, I can pitch in some as well.

I took a quick glance, and it looks like slim pickings for level 4. FWIW, I can make a 5th- or 6th-level version of Tudan in an evening.

I took a quick glance, and it looks like slim pickings for level 4. FWIW, I can make a 5th- or 6th-level version of Tudan in an evening.

same

I really want to keep this group together. If none of the PFRPG modules are speaking to you, how about the 3.5 ones? It's a bit self-serving of me, since it's more work for you (to adapt) and Tudan is wilderness-capable, but the W modules look interesting.

It's a month away still, I think, but isn't Midnight Mirror (last year's Superstar winner) level 4? I'm thinking I might try to run that. (Sorry, was just snooping in your thread, Will.)

Midnight mirror's a good suggestion Mott - cheers :)

Hey guys, sorry for the long quiet. I have hit a bit of a snag. I am going to be away from my home computer traveling for the next few weeks. For nor,al stuff this is fine; I have my iPad and that's perfect for posting. But! I can't unzip any new purchases from Paizo (or Drive By RPG, etc). This means I'm stuck with whatever scenarios I happen to have on my iPad or available in Dropbox.

The list is, unfortunately, limited. I have:
Jade Regent part 1 - level 1, already running it for another group
Rise of the Runelords - level 1.
Master of the Fallen Fortress - level 1.
A bunch of PFS scenarios - multiple levels from 1 to 9
Masks of the Living God - level 3.
Realm of the Fellnight Queen - level 7.
Coliseum Morpheuon - level 16.

The only way for me to run something else is for someone to buy it, unzip it, and put it online somewhere that I can get to it. Unfortunately that's probably against Paizo's terms of use.

So does anything in that list appeal to people?

A quick Google later...

I highly recommend "iUnArchive Lite". Works perfectly and is free. Reviews are all 4+.

Any of the above works for me other than Fallen Fortress.

Realm of the Fellnight Queen sounds interesting.

I'm already in a Rise of the Runelords campaign, so I'd rather not do that one.

Of the others my preference would be to go for Jade Regent. Not sure if that makes life easier for you Will or not .. otherwise Fellnight Queen.

Hey Fredrik, thanks for that tip. I'll have a look into it next time I get to a free wifi spot (can't download apps over the cellular plan).

Let's do Fellnight Queen. See how good Neil Spicer is (or was two years ago).

So, everyone level up to 7, with appropriate equipment. You have been adventuring as a group for some time, so feel free to discuss joint tactics, shared equipment, teamwork feats etc.

Wagons roll :)

Working on it! I've never played a character up to that level organically, so I'm trying to pay attention to details; for example, making sure that I have B/S/P weapons, and also cold iron and silver.

I won't finish it tonight, so there's time for feedback if anyone thinks it's too cheesy or unoptimized for me to take a level of barbarian. I think it's practical, and I can always come up with a RP justification.

OK .. Surveen will turn to level 7 monk ... I've never had a monk before... Won't be able to do anything until Monday now ... should have a first pass then.

OK, sorry I haven't been about. I got food poisoning on Wednesday and that sucked. Now my wife has it so I'm on baby duty. Been fun.

I can definitely get a level 7 put together by or early on Monday.

Before I make a Magus, though, I wondering if I'm not stepping too much on Sharadon Vos' toes. Should I make something else so we don't have two sword and sorcery types?

Surveen Walsh: That's okay, this will take me longer than I thought. ;)

Gideon Hawke: I was watching you two in that encounter with a healer's eye, and trust me, you're very different. For Tudan, a sword-fighter who can cast spells and a spell-caster who can use swords are nothing alike. I can't speak for Sharadon (of course), but your overlap -- being able to use each other's spellbooks -- looks synergistic to me, not redundant.

Question for my teammates: I noticed that even upgrading to a heavy horse, I still have about 2.5 times its HP. Are mundane mounts too fragile at this level? Should I treat it like a riding horse and stable it whenever possible? Maybe even just walk?

Question for Sharadon Vos: I want to use a fortifying stone on my relatively-fragile +1 halfling sling staff. However, make whole doesn't really fit Tudan's flavor as an oracle of life. Does that sound like a spell you'd want?

Surveen Walsh: That's okay, this will take me longer than I thought. ;)

Gideon Hawke: I was watching you two in that encounter with a healer's eye; and trust me, you're very different. For Tudan, a sword-fighter who could cast spells and a spell-caster who could use swords were nothing alike... and that was before you could use medium armor. I can't speak for Sharadon (of course), but your overlap -- being able to use each other's spellbooks -- looks synergistic to me, not redundant.

Question for my teammates: I noticed that even upgrading to a heavy horse, I still have about 2.5 times its HP. Are mundane mounts too fragile at this level? Should I treat it like a riding horse and stable it whenever possible? Maybe even just walk?

Question for Sharadon Vos: I want to use a fortifying stone on my delicate wooden +1 halfling sling staff. However, make whole doesn't really fit Tudan's flavor as an oracle of life. Does that sound like a spell you'd want?

Mundane mounts are pretty fragile. On the bright side, with Mounted Combat and a decent Ride score, you can ignore the occasional attack to your horse. But that won't help you if you both get caught in a breath attack or something.

Mounted Combat isn't really an option, when I'm still trying to decide between Combat Casting and Craft Magical Arms & Armor -- and that's just in the 'C's. (Alertness, Expanded Arcana, Extra Channel, Extra Revelation, Leadership, Oracular Intuition, Point-Blank Shot, Selective Channeling, Self-Sufficient...) I guess I'll keep it for traveling between villages?

So, GM...

Leadership: How much would a base, fort, guildhouse, stronghold or whatever cost? Could I just decline the followers and take the cohort?

Q for my teammates: Is that even a good idea? Or does being two levels lower make them grave bait?

Craft Magic Arms & Armor: Could I assume that I made everyone's magic weapons, armor, and shields? Would we all get 1/2 off the price of the magic components (though not of the masterwork item and special material components)?

Sorry, really unfamiliar with play at this level. Looking forward to changing that! 8) And if anyone has any suggestions for choosing between the feats mentioned in the above post, I'd welcome them. ;)

Working on the level up. Sorry for the delay but I should be ready to rock later tonight (monday).

Did you see my question a few posts above, about make whole?

I'll take a look at Leadership - it hasn't come up in My campaigns before but I'm happy to consider it. Will just need to read the guidelines and have a think...

Re craft magic arms and armor: the game is balanced around certain amounts of gear at certain levels, AKA the wealth by level guidelines. Going too far outside these guidelines can lead to a less challenging and less fun game. However, characters certainly deserve some reward for an investment of feats and skill points.

As a proposal, and open to further discussion, how about this: if someone in the part can make a type of magic item, then everyone can have one such item at cost (that is, half price). That gives a benefit but doesn't break the game.

As it happens, I've pretty much settled on Combat Casting, since it wouldn't be much fun to play a spell-caster who couldn't get his spells off when he needed to. Also, Tudan has turned into something of a wand master (thanks to Use Magic Device and obscene wealth).

So. Tactics! Tudan is pretty self-sufficient. His handy haversack is stuffed to the brim with everything he might ever possibly need (except for Str-oriented stuff like a block & tackle, crowbar, saw, or portable ram). Although Tudan can load his +1 halfling sling staff one-handed as a free action, he has so many other things he can do that I'm not sure how much use it will see.

In particular, when faced with a larger group of foes, Tudan likes to cast sanctuary and then start summoning monsters to his aid. (If they're expecting a squad of crossbowmen or the like, then he can also Use Magic Device a wand of protection from arrows beforehand.) This takes him out of the fight for two rounds, but then he has an extra action each round through the monster... and that can keep on going up if he keeps on summoning more.

Generally, Tudan prefers to wait until at least two of his teammates need some healing before channeling positive energy, since it's more efficient that way. However, if one takes a particularly heavy hit, then he can use his Acrobatics skill -- which he can surprisingly use even while laden with gear -- to make his way to them and cast cure serious wounds. In the meantime, he can cast bull's strength on those in melee to help them take their opponents down faster, and shield of faith to prevent damage that he then won't have to heal.

How does that sound?

Quick question for ya Will. How's Peferred Spell and Spontanous Metafocus work for a wizard? Am I thinking, for example, that it'd let me toss around maximized scorching rays as a 2nd level spell?

I meant to ask, are we still using the same 15 point buy?

Also, Gideon is, I think, done except for skills.

@Sharadan: spontaneous meta focus only affects the casting time, not the spell slot required. So a maximized searing ray would still be level 5. There is a trait that reduces the level adjustment from metamagic feats, but nothing that eliminates it altogether, I think.

@YeunglingDragon: yest let's stick with 15 point buy. I've never used them before :)

@Tudan: for that much prep / resources, I'm happy with the insane mobility. Couple of thoughts on your tactics section - sanctuary is a level 1 spell, so its save DC will be relatively easy for monsters to make at level 7. Bear's strength will not stack with any permanent strength enhancing items that your companions may have bought.

Otherwise I really like the idea of writing a tactics paragraph, and would encourage everyone else to do the same. You would all know by now how each other fights, and it might shake loose some ideas for joined-up tactics.

@Will Cooper: Thank you, I thought that would be the case. ;) On tactics: hmmm. I think that I will keep sanctuary for when facing a larger group -- which is the same situation where Tudan would most want to summon monsters to his aid -- since the more NPCs rolling saves, the more will fail.

Besides, I replaced the wand of protection from arrows with a potion, in order to not be relying on UMD when suddenly confronted with a squad of crossbowmen after rounding a corner. Still, I appreciate the heads-up that sanctuary won't be as much use against a higher-level opponent.

Also, a modification: unless we're facing undead, Channel Energy will probably be a post-combat thing.

The question of bull's strength is a tougher one. I'd like find traps, grace, make whole, or silence, except that I want to stay in the flavor of an oracle of life; and as for aid, the only part that stacks with bless is the temporary hp. Hey teammates, got any suggestions or preferences? Is it even an issue?

I think Make Whole is very appropriate for Tudan. It's basically a healing spell for stuff.

Also, I think you're short one spell known at each level. My guess is that you're not giving him the free Cure spells.

In addition to the spells gained by oracles as they gain levels, each oracle also adds all of either the cure spells or the inflict spells to her list of spells known (cure spells include all spells with “cure” in the name, inflict spells include all spells with “inflict” in the name). These spells are added as soon as the oracle is capable of casting them.

You might consider Hold Person for level 2. It's not damaging which fits flavor and might allow us to take a prisoner instead of killing someone.

At level 3, Maybe Prayer, Nap Stack, Blindness/Deafness, Bestow Curse, or Searing Light.

Gideon is done now including a tactics block.

Tudan Trivia: I seriously considered changing to the Haunted curse for versatile cantrips and greater mobility. I only didn't because then I would've had to completely re-write his background from scratch -- and I was afraid of what our GM could do with Haunted. ;)

I will definitely be taking a second look at grace, hold person, and make whole as possible replacements for bull's strength; so the tactics in my profile are not necessarily the final version.

Right you are, my friend. I had completely missed the level of Barbarian. I am aware that I'm short on languages but I was still thinking. I think Aquos is a great idea, though.

A monk is here...

OK, languages are picked and Spark, my Lyrakien familiar, has a stat block in a spoiler down towards the bottom of the page.

I've actually never played a character with a familiar. I plan to have her sit on my shoulder or something of that nature. Is she targetable by attackers? What happens when I am caught in an area of effect spell like fireball?

Question two, how do you want to deal with Chill Touch and Spellstrike? If I cast it I have seven uses of it when my weapon hits. Are charges wasted if I miss or do they follow rules for held touch? Can I cast another spell while using Chill Touch? If Chill Touch is basically a number of held touches, then I lose it if I cast another spell. But what it says is that I can "use it a number of times equal to my level." Not very specific to my mind.

Cool guys. I'll read the characters over the next couple of days, and then we'll get going. Gideon, Tudan, I've noted your questions and will answer them today / tomorrow.

Thank you kindly, sir. No particular rush, your answer doesn't change my choices at all, just how I play.

Likewise no rush. Still having trouble deciding what to take in that one level 2 slot.

Tudan Trivia: If he ever got a hat of disguise, Tudan would be able to look like a demon, elemental, or other outsider at will -- but he'd still have to use the Disguise skill to look like a human, even though all it would really take is covering up his hair. The reason is because the magic works off of a creature's base type, and Tudan is an Outsider (Native).

In addition to Hold Person, which I still think rocks, Ancestral Communion is cool but between me and Vos, we can do a lot of Knowledge. Ghostbane Dirge is also cool but I don't know how much incorporeal stuff we'd face.

Honestly, Tudan would be more likely to learn Remove Paralysis, Remove Curse, Remove Blindness/Deafness, and Remove Disease than their opposites. With only a few of us, he thinks it's more important to keep us all up to snuff than to have a special trick to play on the endless foes, when he could always just whack them with a stick.

Anyway, I've pretty much settled on Grace instead of Bull's Strength, in order for him to perform his prime function of keeping you guys alive. ;) I can't be sure, but from my other PbPs I expect that battlefield mobility will be critical to actually doing what you could in theory.

Grace is not a terribly impressive spell for me. First, its personal only so it lacks versatility. Second, it has a short duration. Third, attacks of opportunity are often either weak or entirely avoidable. Fourth, if you paralyze or blind someone, their ability to make an AoO is severely hampered/non-existant.

You make a strong argument. You know what? I think I'm going to go back to my original choice. After second-guessing myself, I now have a much better idea of all the many alternatives; but bull's strength makes sense for the character, and it looks really useful to me.

ETA: Wait. It wouldn't help Gideon at all? Tudan would know that, so the jury is still out. I'll figure this out by the end of the day, I swear.

ETAx2: I like make whole, you like make whole, it fits with the character, it would keep us all going in the wilderness despite a lucky sunder; and it would save me 450 gp in a wand with only 5 charges, that would only work for low-level things like my fortifying stone anyway (whereas I could heal a +1 or other 3rd-level magic item). Sound good to everybody?

@Gideon: your familiar is safe when it is directly with you - can't be separately targeted or damaged by area of effect spells. When off on an errand for you it is vulnerable. This is basically a time and attention saving abstraction.

With chill touch, my read is that it acts as a multi-use held touch. So they are not wasted if you miss, but remaining charges are lost if you cast a different spell. This makes most sense form a perspective of vancian spell casting, and means that chill touch finds a nice balance between giving you a whole combat worth of spellstrike, as opposed to burning resources on higher damage spells that can only be used once.

Our GM generously ruled that Tudan's upbringing gave him halflings' weapon familiarity -- which gave me a very tough choice to make. I finally settled on Expanded Arcana for my last feat, and finalized my tactics. Whew!