Strange Aeons Too?

Game Master Just a Mort

My current spell list lacks group buffs, but Haste and Resist Energy Communal are potential Lv.8/9 spells. I have my reasons for not taking these at 7.

I love Mort’s duration rule, so my starting spells are all spells that last at least 2 encounters.

Question: if I have a shield (or shield cloak), does that stack with magic armor (but not the shield spell, of course).

My current spell list lacks group buffs...

Do you mean on Hanako, or on the new character you will play?

Technically both.

I’m starting my new character with buffs that last 2 encounters or longer, many of which are for spying.

Ok.

Random assorted house rules:

You can buy upgrade dust to sprinkle on your weapon for 2k gp. (For a +1). From +1 to +2, you pay for the upgrade dust piecemeal, like you would in a PFS game. This was done so that in magic-mart scarce APs(which happens quite some), its easier for players to get their stuff upgraded.

Min per level buffs. 5 min and above ,it lasts 2 combats. 10 min, 3. Anything below lasts only a single encounter.

Random Musing:
Strange Aeons, imo is fairly unforgiving as an AP. Probably because it’s pathfinder version of Call of Cthulhu.

Also, if you want to torture NPCs for info, since you don't have NPCs walking the high road(until you meet one of those) in your party, by all means go ahead. I don't have issues with torturing of bad guys for information as a GM.

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Feel free to ask any questions. I have run the AP to completion (with a single gestalt player after the group fell apart), so I should be able to answer them without any issues. However if some are too spoilerific, then I will outright tell you that it's too spoilerish and I can't answer.

I will be honest and say that European timezone isn't exactly a best fit if we're trying to push for speed, since I am on Asian timezone, and will only be awake through your mornings + afternoons. So please cut your GM some slack ;)

Re: Other timezones, that's fine.

@Mort,

So I think min/level is self-explanatory… and I LOVE this houserule! Protection From Evil, Communal would then last one encounter, unless every targets ends up with a 5 min duration (Lv.10, 2 targets).

I’m guessing for hours-long spells like Mage Armor, it simply lasts that many hours.

Do you houserule 10 min/level durations? (…or treat them as “hours” at Lv.6 or so?)

I think your answer to that would give me an idea how Resist Energy Communal would work.

Mage armor will pretty much last a dungeon worth of adventuring even an entire day at later levels. 10min/level duration @ level 7 would mean that if you include familiar, 10 min per party member - so 3 encounters.

Nice!! I ended up ditching Armor since my DEX is so high armor isn’t worth it. So I will cast Mage Armor before entering a “lair.”

What of a 10 min/level duration that isn’t split, such as Message, Barkskin, See Invisibility, etc.?

Happy (belated) Mid-Autumn Festival, Mort!

We celebrated that just now… y’know, ’cause Western Hemisphere.

Thanks. About barkskin/see invis let me think about it. Message not such a big deal as it's a cantrip.

Mostly I ask because I’m noting the duration in my profile.

Excuse me for just saying my thoughts out loud. I'll say under current house rules, there's no difference between 10min/level spells and 1h/level spells assuming it's the same dungeon. Because most dungeons will have 5-6 encounters. So 10 min/level would be at least 21 encounters, which would mean the entire dungeon. Can I live with that? Hmmm, well, why not.

Mind you if there is distance/travelling time in dungeons/between dungeons, then that's where the 10min/level spells may wear off.

Thanks.

Also, PM to GM.

I’m not concerned how I get my new character in. If you already have a plan for that, please run with it and disregard the last bit of my PM.

(Apologies if anyone saw my spell-change PM. Not that I fully understand how my spells work, there is one that I had better take at Lv.7, or I may suffer some DR issues. Haste at Lv.8 as planned!)

Basically you're in town so if you want to do a character switch, feel free. Also does the party have any intention of clearing the rest of Iris Hill after a rest?

I think we should finish what we started. (I mean… despite swapping out characters, Iris Hill still needs to be resolved, I think.)

@Mort,
Please exit both Hanakos and Balhart from the game. (Otherwise I have five character names for this game!

It's the sibling's turn to be unfriendly and surly :) Just figured with the day they've had that they'd not have much interest in talking to random strangers.

Fair enough. I thought we would end up meeting the next morning.

Using her Mockingbird talent to act as if she brought back-up was fun though. And it was a good chance to RP Rose as insane, and not easily intimidated. (Note the Will save.) Violet is a sage, so she is the normal-ish one.

Basically you're in town so if you want to do a character switch, feel free. Also does the party have any intention of clearing the rest of Iris Hill after a rest?

I think that will probably be the plan Mort ;)

Just discovered a fun fact about myself. If I go too long without sleep/get too tired, I lose my appetite.(Was attempting 3/4 elevation worth of mount everest. Not a very comfortable adventure, but insightful.)

Anyway back in the office for now, we'll see how it goes....

@Mort, I think K.Local is what I’m rolling, but Violet has the same bonus for every Knowledge check. So it may be easier to just roll it that way.

Sleepless Detectives. You guys weren't at the inn for a while.

Thanks, Mort. I got this within the last few minutes of the editing window and will post Rose going to the right place later tonight.

I like the sage familiar. Violet and Rose will both have ranks in stealth, but other than that, their skills are different. Diplomacy is not a strong suit though. The Lyrakien Azata has a static +11, though I am thinking an INT headband in her size could be worth it when we start making big bucks.

@Mort, now that I spilled the beans regarding Morphic Weaponry, I’ll tell you up front that I would like to commit to a pattern for posting:

Greater Magic Fang is enhancing ALL natural weapon attacks!

Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Damage: 1d6 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
Damage: 1d6 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17
Damage: 1d6 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

Cornugun Smash: free action vs. damaged foe!
Intimidate: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27
Hurtful: swift action vs. intimidated foe!
Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Damage: 1d6 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12
If hit, foe is shaken!

First, I’ll copy-paste all this from my profile. It is currently written under the assumption that Greater Magic Fang (+1 all natural weapons) is in effect, and I’m power-attacking. The last hit is conditional. Missing cancels intimidation, in case the blue text is unclear.

If I crit, I will copy-paste a Conf. Crit roll for each nat.20 at the end. This is because I will not preview until I have seen all my rolls at once.

Hey! I did crit!

Conf Crit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

Damage: 1d6 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

Please note that my intimidate bonus assumes I do NOT start the game with renown in Thrushmoor. +6 is great, but I think Rose is an unknown at this time. I have no issue with my renown talents being a long-term investment.

@Mort, it was sense motive, but I’m fine with Rose not being able to guess it. Was just curious… but I didn’t really guess as a player until she revealed it, so I agree she keeps her secret well. (Hence, my rolling to get your call.)

Here’s how I picture Rose’s weapons:

With a picture!

That was super lucky! The silent image has a DC16 Will Save. The expectation was they would disbelieve, but not have a target other than Rose as we trigger initiatives.

Now, if you will kindly let me press my luck, I’d like to position Rose so we don’t get bottlenecked.

@Mort, I think I will need to bluff. Rose also has Act, but I just assume being a non-bard, I need Bluff to fool bad guys with good acting.

Hmm… I’m not sure if Violet can do that much in the surprise round. Maybe the starlight needs to be after init is rolled, since Kilarra’s disarm should trigger.

I’ll add Rose’s surprise round action. Rose was about to use message to suggest attacking now, so she was expecting it. I meant to position her near yellow, but his avatar is a giant so I moved Rose to orange instead. Kilarra has better access to yellow though, so it works!

My connection at work stinks, so I’m lucky I can even post right now!

I think surprise rounds only allow for a standard action. I'll check
...

A standard or a move. Free actions are fine.

My thinking is the Rose was already positioned near a foe when she made her bluff.

So standard, free… and bummer if free triggering swift is not allowed, because my crit is swift.

Violet should not use startling appearance until round 1. She doesn’t move until after Kilarra attacks.

Wait… we all get a surprise round? Or just the men and Ann?

If I should NOT have a second surprise, simply disregard my claw attacks.

Also, @Mort, Rose’s init is 8. (+2 from Twitchy trait.)

All of you get surprise and since you beat them init, feel free to take your full round as well.

Restricted Activity
In some situations, you may be unable to take a full round’s worth of actions. In such cases, you are restricted to taking only a single standard action or a single move action (plus free and swift actions as normal). You can’t take a full-round action (though you can start or complete a full-round action by using a standard action; see below).

A swift action consumes a very small amount of time, but represents a larger expenditure of effort than a free action. You can perform one swift action per turn without affecting your ability to perform other actions. In that regard, a swift action is like a free action. You can, however, perform only one single swift action per turn, regardless of what other actions you take. You can take a swift action anytime you would normally be allowed to take a free action. Swift actions usually involve spellcasting, activating a feat, or the activation of magic items.

Looks legit to me

Sorry Mort, I was confused and wasn’t sure if I was doing surprise + normal round, or just normal round. (I meant to put a spoiler around my claw attacks, but forgot, and with my connection at work I’m lucky I was even able to post.)

Does Violet know if victim #1 is alive? (Rolled 18 but healing is untrained, so I believe her roll only succeeds if the DC is no higher than 10.)

Heal does not require training

Moving into the room?

Rose wants to make sure the live-or-die issue is put to bed before pushing forward. That said I might have Violet sneak a peek.

With Rose’s guidance. I’m getting better about remembering that!

Ok not sure if you'll get the resolution you want but good to make your intentions known to the party.

See invisibility is self only.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/see-invisibility/

You cannot cast it on others. Unless you're an alchemist then you can make extracts that can be drunk by others.

Oh! Whoops. So I can cast on Violet and Garrosh can cast on himself then.

Rose only had Violet for so long, so rather than retcon, I just played up the sage correcting the fool. Ready to move as long as everyone else is.

May I suggest we give time so Kilarra can also chime in on this situation?

Don’t wanna break up the momentum, but I would like it if we could have a more evenly balanced posting between all of us - I have to admit I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by Rose and Violet.

May I suggest we give time so Kilarra can also chime in on this situation?

Don’t wanna break up the momentum, but I would like it if we could have a more evenly balanced posting between all of us - I have to admit I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by Rose and Violet.

@Garrosh, I gave it another day. I’m not trying to overwhelm, but I do have a PC pair whose magic, skill and luck (especially that failed will save vs. Silent Image!) are paying off, and their current personal goal is to prove themselves to the rest of the party. If I seem to be taking a disproportionate amount of initiative, that’s the IC rationale.

@Kilarra, if life is busy I actually do hope you and Piotr keep the RP going retroactively in spoilers. (I can keep Rose as a silent observer, as long as she is not spoken to. She gave you a ‘rope’ to support both Piotr’s mercy and Kilarra’s concern with that gesture. She could care less whether you use it to hogtie or hang the nobleman.)

While I 100% want Kilarra to continue the story and would love to go back and forth with Treasure on the moral dilemma of whether to kill that guy, that particular post was on Monday and this is now Friday. So I think personally that moving on is good. If Treasure decides to post putting an end to the guy when we are going after the next bad guy, that is also a lovely story hook and would be great to RP out :)

@Piotr, Agreed.

I’m in another game with TreasureFox. I don’t think he’d mind if we moved ahead, and botted if necessary, based on his response to bottling in that game.

Thanks for the bot. Life caught me offguard

@Kilarra, hope all is well with you!

I won't be posting this coning weekend. Attempting 110k one shot. The whole affair is likely to take 24 hours.

As I remarked earlier, getting the party to decide on moral things imo doesn't really achieve intended results. That's because people will think about this kind of things as and when they feel like it and not on a set timescale. Maybe I'm jaded but most people seem to be into this kind of thing to smack things, and of the things they want to do, moral issues are pretty low down the list.

@Mort, don’t forget that my init is +8, not +6. DEX is +6, with another +2 from the Twitchy trait.

That extra 2 points puts me ahead of the creature instead of behind. That might not make much difference though since we’re letting it come to us.

As I remarked earlier, getting the party to decide on moral things imo doesn't really achieve intended results. That's because people will think about this kind of things as and when they feel like it and not on a set timescale. Maybe I'm jaded but most people seem to be into this kind of thing to smack things, and of the things they want to do, moral issues are pretty low down the list.

Rose doesn’t care about the noble. She sees that Piotr and Kilarra have differing opinions, and that’s interesting to her.

(Violet cares about Rose having a taste for blood, which is why she was checking Rose’s insta-killed victims.)