cynarion's Carrion Crown PbP

Game Master cynarion

So, any opinions on Theron getting Focused Study? In the long term it would mean getting +6 to two skills (probably Perception and Sense Motive). Short term... it means Theron would get penalties for shooting into melee for one level, which will make him almost worthless till level 3, hah.

I'm going to have to actually plot out my feats and figure out if I'll be missing anything important if I do this...

Dont go for the skill foci... you can get there on your own. Right now we need you to hit with your bow.

Heh, I'm a bit of a sucker for things that make a character better in the long term even if it makes him weaker early on. Unfortunately, being able to actually hit things is kind of a major thing I guess.

If this were a table top/weekly game? I'd say make the change... but the pace moves slowly in PBP games... I mean we've been at this for 2-3 months but in table top terms? we're maybe 1 or 1 and a bit sessions in. I am making long term plans for Dragomir but truth told? It may take a year real time to get there.

Its your call - what ever is fun for you but if you start missing all the time its gonna get funny. Still... 3rd level aint that far away... maybe 3 months of play or 5-6 big combats, you can buy back the feat at 3rd

Heh, I'm a bit of a sucker for things that make a character better in the long term even if it makes him weaker early on. Unfortunately, being able to actually hit things is kind of a major thing I guess.

Since you are asking for opinions... I wouldn't bother with Focused Study (based on your description of what it does - I don't have the book). You've already got a solid Perception roll. I assume that you'll be adding a rank in it at nearly every level. By about the time you hit +15 Perception - aside from bragging rights or the odd invisible enemy - there really isn't much benefit to amping it that much higher. What would a +20 get you that a +15 wouldn't in the average encounter? In my experience, the answer is "very little".

Hmmm, good points. In addition, I've looked over my feat selections and found that it is pretty tight, so I guess I won't be giving up that starting bonus feat.

Anyone else hate that you have to take *two* feats in order to use ranged attacks in most combats? It basically means only humans and fighters can do archery builds at low levels.

The problem is that monsters usually don't "work from the same rulebook" unless the DM puts a lot of work into each specific one. Players get more and more powerful and it's possible to just one or two-shot (APs specifically) boss monsters with melee attacks.

I'd prefer it if PCs were less powerful, actually, or if monsters all had a lot more hit points.

For the few I did the math on, very often their HP from hit dices (before modifiers) is less than half.

I always figured it was Average round up. It may be a strict half.

Sorry folks. Ill with a migraine. More later.

Get well!

Re:Monsters
I keep it simple as a DM... I usually give every monster max HP. And if I have any doubt it will give the characters a good fight, I'll just tack on the Advanced template to keep it fun. :D

I also like to modify the standards for giggles. So, yeah a Thunderbird is a challenging encounter but it is so much more amusing when you give it some of the special abilities of a ThunderShrike as well. It also justifies those skill points spent on the Knowledge rolls to identify a creature's strengths and weaknesses.

Interesting Idea BUT I like it.

Get well!

Re:Monsters
I keep it simple as a DM... I usually give every monster max HP. And if I have any doubt it will give the characters a good fight, I'll just tack on the Advanced template to keep it fun. :D

I also like to modify the standards for giggles. So, yeah a Thunderbird is a challenging encounter but it is so much more amusing when you give it some of the special abilities of a ThunderShrike as well. It also justifies those skill points spent on the Knowledge rolls to identify a creature's strengths and weaknesses.

By 3.5 monster rules, giving something max HP increase its CR (only skimed PF Monster Creation Rules)

I don't believe CR increases for max HP in PF. At least, I don't recall ever reading a rule about that. But, more to the point, I don't design or balance encounters based on CR.

CR is a tricky one - I find its a useful guideline but not an absolute. I watched a train wreck happen in a campaign because the DM had 'balanced' the CR... only to have the encounter catch the party the wrong way and wipe them out in a TPK... goodbye campaign.

Hey, just a heads up. My wife is about to burst with pregnancy. So if my posting becomes suddenly erratic or sporadic, that's probably what's up.

If it holds up the game, feel free to play me however is needed. I'll try to give a more specific heads up when it happens, though.

Hey, just a heads up. My wife is about to burst with pregnancy. So if my posting becomes suddenly erratic or sporadic, that's probably what's up.

If it holds up the game, feel free to play me however is needed. I'll try to give a more specific heads up when it happens, though.

Congratulations! On the kid, not on the erratic posting ;)

Great news mate-hope it goes smoothly.

On travel all day today (Aussie Monday)

(belated) Happy fathers day to all the dads (and future dads) here.

So for fathers day, I got... a baby girl!

Congrats!!

Congratulations!

Congrats mate!

Firstly, and most importantly, congratulations! I hope everything went well when the time actually came. How did your wife hold up?

###

Secondly, with apologies for the delay, on with the show. : )

So tempting to have the skeleton remove a scapula and hand it over...

Raj looks at the scapula skeptically, throws an arm over the skelly's boney shoulders and says conspiratorially, "Buddy, we really need to discuss the difference between 'literal' and 'figurative'. I was going to say you should 'bone up' on the differences... but I think that would end in tragedy."

How did your wife hold up?

I swapped emails with Eben last night briefly. Mother and Daughter were both doing fine. His wife was sleeping and Eben was up with the newest player in his IRL game. :)

On business travel o/seas atm. Posting may be delayed.

Regarding that, um, zealously bound prisoner's skeleton - perhaps it's best that we destroy it just in case? Strikes me that it could be that of one of Harrowstone's worst. Just an ooc post, but Septimus can RP it out once the scouts return back to the group...

Yea, I have a feeling it would be a good idea for us to deal with this thing now rather than later.

Mwahahaha!

Oops, sorry. I meant:

Mwahahaha!

: D

D:

If anyone doesn't like the idea of disturbing the corpse, I'm fine with you guys leaving. Just make sure to sap me and drag me out too ;p

I'm getting caught up now on the thread. I'll try to get a post up some time today. Sorry to drop like that.. my little girl came nearly a month early.

WE WERE NOT PREPARED!

I'm getting caught up now on the thread. I'll try to get a post up some time today. Sorry to drop like that.. my little girl came nearly a month early.

WE WERE NOT PREPARED!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p73PZIDQuA

Exactly!

After two little ones, I know exactly what a new addition to the family can be like, so don't stress about it. : ) If you need or want to go on hiatus for a while at any time, you are more than welcome. Don't worry about letting us down; family is far more important.

And, congratulations again! I hope everyone is settling in well. : )

I would throw a "can I join?", but considering my schedule right now is very ****ed up.

Holding up the 'T' sign for Time-out...

...his voice is light and somehow full of repressed mirth when he adds, Raj is fine by the way.

No, the intent was that I was trying to let Kendra know that I'd picked up on her interest in Raj.

What the characters know about Raj and Kendra is an unsettled issue. See the refs below I'd like a definitive answer from Cyn on this matter. If he rules that RP trumps the rules - i.e. no rolls are required - then so be it. I'll play through based on that.

My opinion is that no one has yet had reasonable cause or evidence to think anything is going on. At best, glances have occurred and no one has rolled to perceive them or consider what they might mean. As far as I'm concerned, nothing exists outside the rules of the game. So 'RPing' to gain knowledge in place of an actual roll against another character's attempts to be circumspect doesn't fly with me. It's the equivalent of saying that a PC can't bluff another PC because "I know him too well". It essentially nullifies skills and there is nothing in the rules to that effect so far as I know. If you can cite a precedence that proves me wrong - feel free. If Raj and Kendra were being flagrant in their interest, I could see there being no need for rolls... but I don't think that has happened yet. Will it? Most likely.

Now, another argument could be made that it is good RP fun... that other characters want to know about the relationship because they want to be able to react to it, tease Raj, whatever. I get that. However, that has to be weighed against my character's RP fun, should it not? Raj is secretive by nature, unrevealing of details, and generally shy as regards women. His RP 'fun' is in trying to keep things under wraps. His single largest secret is held by Theron alone... not even his ersatz girlfriend knows it. Where I have made him purposefully 'slip', I have included rolls so that other characters can make counter-rolls to ferret out the truth - Raj bluffing Lem about him being agnostic is a case on point. Eventually, the cat will be let out of the bag and Raj will have to come clean... but until he slips, it is a point of pride for him to be the most clandestine rogue he can be. He is a shadow warrior who lives under DEEP cover. Handwaving aside his skills and essentially 'outing' him is - to me - a big letdown as both a character and a player. That's my two cents on the subject but I'll abide by Cyn's decision. If he wants to have Kendra go public by some act (and hopefully a roll that you guys have to roll against), I'm good with it. If he wants to handwave that everyone knows, I'll live with that too though, as I've said, I fundamentally disagree with the approach.

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Raj, you're actually right--especially about there having been some bleed-over between player and character knowledge.

And I'm guilty of it as well.

So folks, unless you're able to beat the DC of a check that is specifically set up to reveal information about their relationship, please try to keep the knowledge of Raj & Kendra's budding romance out of your character's actions and motivations.

And my apologies to you Raj, thanks for bringing me (and everyone else) up on the issue. Whilst there are a couple of things lurking in character backgrounds that would make the revelation of the relationship a great RP opportunity, it should come when it's ready, not be forced into the open.

And rather than retcon or make retroactive checks, let's just do it right from here. I can practically guarantee there will be opportunities to make those rolls shortly down the track. : )

No apologies necessary, Cyn. DMing is a juggling act and sometimes a ball gets dropped. I've dropped enough of them to know that. :)

My apologies to you and the gang if I sounded abrasive. Recently, I've seen the "we don't need to roll when RPing" angle go horribly awry and pretty much kill a fledgling campaign by pissing off every player but the one having the "fun"... so I'm a little skittish of it.

I'd rather play through than do a retcon in any event, so... play on!

Karrik holds up one meaty, gray hand. "I solemnly swear not to give one rat's ass what two scrawny-ass paleskins do when the candles go out. And for the record... some of us can still see in the dark. Gross."

In other words. Works for me.

Hey! HEY! HEY! That is Raj's potential, pseudo-, sorta, lady-love you are talking about there, baldy! Keep a civil tongue!

whats the DC - I have a chance of making it with my Uber sense motive skills :)

Sorry to overstep on a ripe RP opportunity. Raj and Cyn, you're more than right that it should come naturally, and I'm particularly guilty of probably having glossed over a DC that was set up earlier in the thread when I was catching up after I joined in.

We can consider my sideways comment to Kendra stricken from the record!

Kendra's spellbook

Yeah, call me crazy, but the idea that Kendra--as the daughter of a justifiably paranoid 7th level wizard who hunted evil for a living--would have only level-appropriate spells in her spellbook seemed ludicrous. It struck me that Petros would probably have tried to train Kendra in spells that helped to ensure her personal safety; after all, he never knew what was going to happen while he was away.

That was the general idea, anyhow. I'll let you be the judge of whether it stands up to scrutiny. : )

It is quite a nice spellbook. Raj got vicarious wizard-wood just lookin' at it. :D

Also, guys, I'm in team meetings nearly all of Tuesday and Wednesday so I may not have a chance to post. Feel free to NPC me as needed.

The same weekly work-game-work-game-work-prep-work-game of my Thursday to Monday has worn me down a bit. Sorry for the non-action, will try to rectify as soon as I can gather the gusto!