Another thing to consider, Price is designed to be an infiltrator and at 4th level she is really coming in to her own in a couple of ways.
Here are the stats and abilities that should work in our favor in terms of infiltration:
Bluff* +12
Diplo* +9
Intimidate +14
Sense Motive +14
Perception +14
Steath* +11
5/day Blessed Infiltration - roll two d20s on any Diplomacy, Bluff, or Stealth check and take the higher result.
Blessed Infiltration gives me some nice wiggle room in terms of telling lies, etc. So, if can figure out some scam to get Price working at Balentyne or in the house of the head mucky-mucks... I'm willing to give it a shot.
Fargo, Teon, and Sir Eldon's head are all updated.
Fargo would be willing to play the merchant, though Shulme might be better, not sure. Fargo is up to a 10 bluff.
OK, questions for Mark:
1) Have we opened Kargeld's lockbox? If not, let's have Gwyn and/or Cain check it for traps before we do.
2) Given the size of the town we are approaching - will it look suspicious if we do a whole bunch of buying and selling? Does this town get a lot of merchant traffic?
3) Will selling arms and armor raise eyebrows? What about if we wash off the bloodstains? :D
3) (If we have any guess at this instead of having to get into town to suss out the situation) Can we purchase big ticket items - magical goodies and whatnot here? If we can, can it be done inconspicuously or will it set jaws wagging and gossips clucking?
Here's my first thought, guys. Much as I'd love to unload all these goods and go on an occult buying streak - we may have to hold off on most of that if it will bring us too much attention. If Mark is inclined to say it won't be a problem - we can go hog wild.
We may want to go overland, get close to town, and then send in just a couple of people to recon the situation, see how much attention strangers draw, if it's a backwater or a major hub.
I'm loving the idea of us being strangers traveling together for safety... with a couple of different merchants, porters, guards, a holy man or two, however y'all want to go with that. We just need to figure out which goods we can safely hock, which we have to hide, and who is going to be a merchant of what.
Brief Answers, I'll try to do better later (and address Cain's question).
1) I assumed the box was opened.
2) The town (if I recall) is approximately 1800 individuals. It's a soldeir town and as such it's standard trades would be those catering to a soldier's lifestyle. It's known for the number of smiths the town has produced. I'll double check the GP limit when I get home. It also receives a significant amount of trade, so no a group of traders coming through buying and selling would not be suspicious. In fact it would be expected.
3) Selling arms and armor, no. Bloodstains, maybe.
3?) I'll check the GP limit, but it does matter on what. Buying a +1 Longsword is expected. A +1 Unholy angelbane greataxe would raise suspicions.
Sigh. 4th level is a boring one for us wizards.
Next level though...
1) I assumed the box was opened.
No worries. I just wasn't clear what if any of the loot list had come from inside it.
A +1 Unholy angelbane greataxe would raise suspicions.
What? It's a gift for a friend. It really makes a great can-opener.
Well, I'm working on a shopping/wish list for Gwyn. I'll have her new stats up in a minute.
Gwyn's wish list:
Masterwork Composite Longbow - 400gp (She'll nab some of the arrows from the loot.)
+1 to Mithril Chain Shirt - 1000gp
+1 to Carnwennan - 4000gp
+1 to Artgetlam's Claw - 2000gp
total:7400 gp or 9400 gp if we toss in a +1 to the bow.
Obviously this isn't all going to be at this level, but I did put it in order of need/want. Firing into melee is going to be painful until next level, but once Precise Shot comes into play...
Also, would Xanos begin "experimenting" on Gwyn during out stay at Aldencross,or would that come later?
I do have my portable lab in my trunk. If we find a temporary base of operations I could probably start the process. Not sure how we're going to get a hold of vampire blood though.
Could always "fish" for one. I hear they like virgins of weak mind and pure heart.
One out of three could work, right?
I didn't know you were a virgin. :p
Didn't really say it, but it was implied in her backstory.
And in case that was a joke directed at me, You have to have a social life to get laid. I never really bothered with that, and my views on that tend to conflict with the social norm, so yeah...
Anyway, back to planning the vampire fishing trip. Do we have an idea of how common vampires are in Talingarde? (My guess is "very rare" (: )
Fargo wants a bag of holding or similar that gets rid of his encumbrance. Other than that, I think I mainly want to save up.
Of you get Regeneration or Fast Heal while you're a virgin, would your hymen try to grow back?
Xanos knows a few vampires back in his old stomping grounds. Half the local government there is made up of squabbling vampire counts. It's one of the reasons Xanos retreated from public. Vampires kind of piss him off. Lucky for Gwyn, this whole vamp experiment to remove their weaknesses and bloodlust is something he's had in mind for quite a while. he just never had a willing test subject before.
I might be able to get a vampire from back home to send me one of their thralls to draw blood from.
All of my research seems to show the same thing. Lycanthropes can speak in hybrid form. There's lots of evidence by omission to support this, but the biggest evidence in my opinion is this line from The PRD
Languages Common
If they couldn't speak, this is where it would say so, and it doesn't. So yes, lycanthropes can speak while in hybrid form.
Now on that topic, I do believe making them sound like scooby doo would be pretty awesome.
"Jinkys! It's the Talingarde Throttler! Quick, run! Oh, wait, don't worry about it. Scooby is ripping his throat out, again. Looks like it's Old King Markadian up to his holy tricks again."
This won't take long to figure out when you get to town, but Aldencross's base value is 1,400gp. Now there will of course be better items available as per the whole town rules on magic items and availability, but that's what you'll have access to for now. To find out much more, you'll have to go there and find out for yourself.
When you have your disguises all ready, I'll move us along. I should be back later today, probably 6-7pm EST. Then I'll try to get updates in as needed. I won't be able to post much during the day, just an FYI.
All of my research seems to show the same thing. Lycanthropes can speak in hybrid form. There's lots of evidence by omission to support this, but the biggest evidence in my opinion is this line from The PRD
Languages CommonIf they couldn't speak, this is where it would say so, and it doesn't. So yes, lycanthropes can speak while in hybrid form.
Now on that topic, I do believe making them sound like scooby doo would be pretty awesome.
"Jinkys! It's the Talingarde Throttler! Quick, run! Oh, wait, don't worry about it. Scooby is ripping his throat out, again. Looks like it's Old King Markadian up to his holy tricks again."
Rokay!
This won't take long to figure out when you get to town, but Aldencross's base value is 1,400gp. Now there will of course be better items available as per the whole town rules on magic items and availability, but that's what you'll have access to for now. To find out much more, you'll have to go there and find out for yourself.
Non-GM question here... where can i find info to find out what all that means?
EDIT: Nvm. Found it. So what does this mean for items over that base value?
Also, it's probably obvious, but we should be expecting our names and descriptions to be showing up in most towns, right? It's been a chunk of time since our escape from Branderscar.
For disguises, I don't know if having Gwyn pose as a washer woman would work. First she doesn't know how to do laundry (more than likely.) Second, she can sing. So perhaps a bard that was invited along to provide entertainment to Fargo the merchant? As for her disguise, something more flamboyant than what she has, but not too much so. She'd also have her hair cut and dyed a different color if they can the materials before entering Aldencross. If not, she'll use the iron headband to change the color until she can get what she needs to do it physically.
So to add to the list:
-Hair dye/bleach
-Entertainer's outfit, or at least clothes better suited to a bard than the black ones she's currently wearing.
-Hat if she needed to use the iron headband to disguise herself.
If she does use the Iron headband, she'll make it appear that her clothing is too far gone to fix or use for anything besides rags.
No wait, Fargo would be even more interested in a charisma head band
Fargo and Shulme, have you guys decided what your cover is going to be? Cain – playing the part of the merchant guard (or bodyguard) – will simply attach his cover story to whichever other cover story seems the most plausible. If one of you are playing the merchant, then Cain will go that direction.
If no one is doing that, then Cain could be Gwyn's hired muscle/bodyguard, assuming she goes the wandering entertainer angle.
Either way, Cain will be using Thorn's disguise crown thingy to once again slightly alter his appearance, but he'll keep his story pretty simple and fairly close to his own personal story... to avoid having to Bluff as much as possible.
Looking at Shulme, his statblock is not showing a value for bluff, leading me to believe that he does not have any points in it and that Fargo is better. So unless there is any disagreement on that point, Fargo will play the merchant.
Has anyone had the forethought that I lacked to keep track of all the loot that we have?
Okay. So, summary (to forward conversation). Thse are grouped intentionally:
Fargo - merchant coming to sell a shipment of Ivory. I'd suggest his story be as simple as "I got a deal on all this from a merchant captain of possible shady repute, and i'm looking to off-load it."
Gwyn - Young traveling performer. Trying to establish a name and collect some stories for song, maybe?
Cain - Hired sword named Abell. Hired by Fargo. Ex-con who has a hard time getting work because of his past. Fargo hired him through a recommendation of a mutual acquaintance… a guy who spent time in the slammer with "Abell". Cain will shave his head, pull some clothes off one of the sailors, and use the Iron circlet to give himself unremarkable brown eyes.
Xanos - Traveling man of the cloth. I'll let him elaborate on any background stuff he wants to provide. It makes sense that a traveling preacher would attach himself to a merchant train for safety and "spreading the word" purposes, so maybe Xanos is actually part of the above group? Slave is an acolyte?
Price - Her Milla story. Given that she's playing a bit of a sob story, maybe she comes in on her own? We can set her up to enter town from another direction?
Shulme - don't know yet. Possibly connect to Xanos's story? Or another hired guard for Fargo? One with a unique set of skills?
----
Does anyone have the details on the Iron circlet thingies we got from Thorn? I can't find the post when it was detailed.
Also, I guess we're assuming Kalina is out?
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Loot that I can find. And this is assuming a 50% sell-back price on gear and what-not. Xz, let me know if that's incorrect.
Odenkirk Ambush
- MW Greataxe (160g)
2 Throwing Axes (claimed by Cain)
hide armor (7.5g)
12 shortswords (60g)
12 shortbows (180g)
174 arrows (8.7g)
12 studden leather armor (150g)
12 bucklers (60g)
42 little purses of 250g each (10,500g)
116 gp, 458 sp, 1945 cp (181.25g)
"Emergency Rations" - 9 bottles of fine whiskey (90g)
Trade w/ White Tusk
- Horn (Xanos)
a bunch of ivory (7,500g)
------
Price was suggesting that she bring the weapons looted from the sailors and sell them as her father's stuff. Given that we're going to fire the ships, I still think it's a bit suspicious if there are about 12 bodies at the burned ships and she shows up with roughly 12 men worth of weapons. This either needs to be woven into her story in a believable way or we need to dispose of the bodies in a way that their numbers are masked.
The fine whiskey: these can either be used as we try to work our way into Balentyne. Or it makes sense that Fargo (as the merchant) would come trying to get a good price for his whiskeys and his ivory shipment.
So, adding up all that loot (and not counting Xanos's horn, the two throwing axes for Cain, and the whiskey stash), it comes to 18,807.45 g (or 3,134.57 split 6 ways)
Did I miss anything? Or are there other thoughts on the loot usage?
And also, just to add to the confusion.
For the short term, Cain is interested in the following items (in this order):
Efficient Quiver (1800g)
Ring of Protection +1 (2000g)
Mithral Breastplate (4,200g)
Cain will also be looking for a few more ammo/weapon purchases. Another few throwing axes if the Efficient Quiver is unavailable. If the Efficient Quiver is available at Aldencross, he'll probably look to pick up about 10 chakram, a backup melee weapon, and maybe a few other weapons. :D
Does Abell have a brother, Cain? :)
I think pulling off the Milla story without suspicion depends on how we disposed of the boats. If we took them back out into deep water and fired them, then there really isn't too much evidence left. It'd be even better if we torched them in deep water that wasn't visible from the local towns. If we don't want to get too greedy and don't mind offloading some of this stuff later, Milla could roll in with just 5 or 6 swords and roughly the same number of shields and armor - just the best looking stuff.
I think having her tagging along behind Fargo the rich merchant makes sense. Otherwise we've got a woman alone dragging a sledge of weapons through the wild. Having Priest Xanos insist that Merchant Fargo take pity on the woman for her safety (as they passed her on the road) is probably an easy sell. If we want to split the arrivals, it'd be easier to have Gwyn circle around and come from another direction.
I thought the circlets acted as a persistent Disguise Self.
I meant I don't remember exactly what he circlet physically looked like (and what slot it took up). A head item? Collar of some sort?
I think it goes on your brow and appears as part of your disguise.
True, but if things go awry she has no backup.
Her bluff is good enough that I don't think they will, but you never know.
I think I'll go with the bard who's had a rough trip, still plays up Gwyn's singing, but also allows her to come in a lot worse for the wear.
She'd still need the hair dye and the hair cut though.
Does Abell have a brother, Cain? :)
I think pulling off the Milla story without suspicion depends on how we disposed of the boats. If we took them back out into deep water and fired them, then there really isn't too much evidence left. It'd be even better if we torched them in deep water that wasn't visible from the local towns.
Shulme can take them out to deep water and then transform to swim back. The lake is described as mist covered so we should not need to worry about being seen.
As far as Shulme's disguise, there are two options I'm favoring at the moment.
-partner/acolyte connected with Xanos. Would be amusing.
-generic porter. Then once we get into town, find some guy who lives alone, off him, and have Shulme-as-him put up the traveling preacher as a guest, out of religious devotion. Would give us a possible backup base of operations in case we need one not as public as an inn.
True, but if things go awry she has no backup.
Her bluff is good enough that I don't think they will, but you never know.
You talking about Gwyn or Price? Gwyn – if she rides in with Fargo's merchant group – doesn't have to go off on her own, as far as I can tell.
Gwyn. They were saying that a Bard on her own was less suspicious than a woman carting a dozen sets of gear around on her own.
I thought Price was going to bring the armor into town as part of her cover story. And that Gwyn was going to be the young bard hitching a safe ride across the country with Fargo's merchant-cart.
Or did I misunderstand? (I'm sure you'll be floored to hear it happens often) :D
Someone had suggested the possibility of us all not entering town as a single group. I said that IF we wanted to go that route, given the story I'd woven around Milla... dragging a sledge full of weapons from far away, kinda naive, yada yada yada that her coming in to town by herself stretched it. It's not like she could run from bandits with a sledge, she's carrying something bandits would want to steal, and the world is a dangerous place. So I offered the opinion that if we chose to enter town separately, a footloose and fancy free bard coming into town by herself made more sense - they are roaming entertainers after all.
Okay, just read through the plans and it doesn't look like your entry has been decided yet (though close). I just need a confirmed plan of entry so I know how to have the townsfolk interact.
Also, just to confirm, I have not gotten a response back from Kalina. At this point, feel free to use her temporarily as you enter town, maybe have her guard wherever you bunk out. I'll be looking to remove her unless I hear something soon.
Her player hasn't posted since early last month, it looks like. I think real life may have got him again.
Separate entrances is a good idea.
Shulme and I can come in together as traveling priests. Caine and Kalina could come in as out of work mercenaries. Fargo, Price and Gwen could be traveling merchants.
Shulme and I might be kind of memorable, but the rest of you should be pretty much ignored.
Not Fargo, he is getting by on charisma and the circlet.
Cain and Kalina escort Price and Fargo, Xanos and Shulme on a different route as priests, and then Gwyn as a bard on a third route. Does that work?
Gwyn's plan sounds about right to me. Although Shulme hasn't committed to a role yet.
So, it would be:
Road 1:
Merchant Fargo (alias?) w/ guards/porters Cain (Abell) & Kalina (Nona)
Ersatz merchant Price (Milla) tagging along for safety
Road 2:
Bard Gwyn (alias?)
Road 3:
Priest Xanos (alias?)
X? Shulme (alias?)
Mark did ask us to come up with aliases... so pick some names, folks.
I'm thinkin'! You can't rush these things.
(I'll have one tomorrow.)
I will be a traveling monk named Brother Locke.
Okay, final answer.
Cain is going as Abell Smithson (I'm hoping this is the fantasy analog of Jones or Smith), ex-con who finally landed a merchant-guard gig with Fargo (alias not yet chosen) via a mutual acquaintance who knew Abell when he was behind bars. Given that his past is dark, he generally doesn't want to talk about it. To help complete the cover, Cain will have his head shaved, then use the circlet (which will remain in place as a circlet to avoid obvious mis-cues if someone happens to touch it) to make his eyes a light brown and give himself a tattoo of a snake wrapping around his neck and climbing up onto his right cheek.
The reason for the tattoo: I want to keep the disguise as simple as possible, but on the very real chance that our names and descriptions have circulated as we were on the boats, I want to give everyone we run into something specific and memorable to latch onto about Abell.... not see that this could very easily be Cain with his head shaved.
Xz: Is the circlet a completed circlet that has to rest atop a person' head to work? Or is it a semi-circle? I ask because if I can make it look like a distinctive necklace or collar, that would be ideal for this cover.
Let me know.
Fargo will be the Merchant Bis'marek, who looks to have less human in him that Fargo and at least twenty years on him, as well as darker skin and lighter hair. The circlet of disguise will take the shape of a slender silver circlet. He is looking to sell some items that he acquired in the course of trade, but are outside of his normal wares, sustainably harvested exotic woods.
For clarification on the circlet, the circlet in it's base form appears as an iron circlet (full circle) worn on the head. When in use, you can change it's form to match your disguise, but it still needs to appear as some form of head adornment. Such as a hat or ribbon, etc.
Gwyn will have her hair cut before the party splits up, she'll keep enough gold to buy an artisan's outfit and a few nights at the inn and a bath. Then she can sing for her supper or what ever to keep the disguise up. She'll also entrust Artgetlam's Claw to Price or Fargo. DO NOT sell it, please.
Alias: Talliree Yndercook or just Talli if you're in a hurry.
She's a bard trying to make a name for herself, but unfortunately she was accosted by a couple of bandits while traveling, She uses the circlet to appear as a red-headed version of herself with close cropped hair (if you're thinking the Pixie haircut that was popular a few years ago, you're close.) Her clothes will appear too-far gone to save, and the circlet will be a torn and tattered hat. The dirt and maybe a bruise or two will be real. (Cain, if you'll do the honors.)
Plan is to come to town, buy some new clothes, a new hat, and then find a place to clean-up and rest. If someone could sneak her some hair dye the same color as her disguise, that'd be great. If not, well, I'm sure Gwyn can make do.
"Please don't tell anyone I dye my hair! I did it because people remember red-heads more often than some one with just plain black hair.
Please, oh please, oh please keep it a secret!"
Thoughts? Suggestions?
(Cain, if you'll do the honors.)
Cain's your guy. Whatever bruises you request, you got.
For clarification on the circlet, the circlet in it's base form appears as an iron circlet (full circle) worn on the head. When in use, you can change it's form to match your disguise, but it still needs to appear as some form of head adornment. Such as a hat or ribbon, etc.
Cool. Then Abell looks like what I described above, plus the snake tattoo, plus a head circlet thing... a gift to him that he'll be reluctant to talk about.
All we lack is Shulme's final decision on his cover, right? Either one looks good to me. Playing Xanos's acolyte gives Xanos some backup on the off-chance that something should go down. Though I guess Slave is backup of a form (if the non-thinking kind).
I'm fine with either direction.