GM Hawthwile - To Scale the Dragon (Inactive)

Game Master Hawthwile

First off, thank you all for being willing to come on an adventure with me! Now, to business.

Please discuss amongst yourselves here which characters you would like to bring (check out some mechanics we'll be using on the handouts). Once you decide on which character you will be playing, post the following information here:

Player’s Name:
Character’s Name:
PFS #:
Faction:
Slow Tracking? (Y/N):
Day Job (Please roll now):
Special Notes/Abilities: Please describe anything unusual about your character here, such as “I always deal non-lethal damage and use the Enforcer feat to demoralize as a free action” or “I ride a Huge serpent mount, but it’s got both the Narrow Frame feat and a Belt of the Weasel so it can fit through a 5-ft hallway easily.” This will help both you as a player not have to type the same thing over and over again and me as the GM prepare so the game runs more smoothly.

Please have your entire character sheet available in your character’s profile page and basic statistics next to your name in your posts. Feel free to ask me for more details or assistance.

Expectations
- I will post every day. I hope everyone can post every weekday and at least once over the weekend, but stuff happens - which leads me to:
- I will bot you if we haven't heard from you in 24 hours. Please include botting instructions in your character profile, or I will have to get creative in the most entertaining (for me) way possible. Please also let me know if you are expecting an extended period of absence so I can PM you and preemptively hash out major decision points to keep the story moving. On a related note:
- I will make "reactive" rolls to keep the story moving along. If you want to make a roll as part of an action/decision/etc, please do so. I might modify the skill used or add circumstantial bonuses/penalties based on circumstances. Which brings me to my final point:
- I will happily add circumstantial bonuses (or penalties) for roleplaying. I hope, for example, that you will accompany your diplomacy check with what your character is actually saying. It makes it so much easier for me to respond if you give me material, and we make such a more fulfilling and exciting story together.

If you're worried or concerned about something, post it here or PM me. We can figure something out so you have a good time.

In addition to making “reactive” rolls for characters, I also like to roll Knowledge checks for players so I can tailor what a character might remember about a creature. (For example, a fighter will probably care more about a golem’s DR while a wizard would remember that it’s immune to spells and an alchemist is super excited that it blows up when it dies.) If this will be a problem for you, let me know (either here or via PM) and we’ll work something out.

We’ll be using block initiative during encounters. Please discuss amongst yourselves how you can support each other and work together as a team - both in and out of combat. I highly encourage tactics such as:

McSwordFace waits until her friend Blessings Galore has a chance to cast a buff before she attacks the horrible people kicking puppies.

Sword of Justice: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21 + buff if applicable
Justice damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 + buff if applicable

This helps us work effectively as a team even if posting schedules don’t line up in a beneficial way.

If your post is entirely OOC, let’s put it here instead of in the Gameplay thread.

About Me: I’ve done a bit of PFS and PbP GMing, but I am certainly not perfect. If you have ideas for how I could do something better, a disagreement with a decision, or confusion over what I’m saying, please let me know via the Discussion thread or PM.

Player’s Name: neodam
Character’s Name: Malek
PFS #: 137484-7
Faction: GL
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): Normal
Day Job (Please roll now): no day job
Special Notes/Abilities:

Okay, well if we want to take a bit of time to discuss which characters we're bringing, I've got three eligible for this scenario.

First, and the one I'd prefer to play if the option is there, is my lvl 5 fighter. She's a greatsword, power attack, step up specialist. Very frontline-y. She also has a decent Diplomacy score in case that comes up.

Second is my skald (spell warrior) 4/fire elementalist wizard 1 halfling. He pews from range and summons flame beasties. Spell warrior means he can also use his weapon song to grant enhancement bonuses or abilities to ally weapons.

Option three is my life oracle. He makes the boo-boos go away really well, but also has a couple offensive/control spells he can throw into the mix when needed.

In the meantime, here's the reporting information for my preferred character.

Player’s Name: Mjolbeard89
Character’s Name: Inghinn MacBruthe
PFS #: 177216-1
Faction: Sovereign Court
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (Please roll now): Craft (armor): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
Special Notes/Abilities: Step Up and Following Step

We need someone with handle animal skill. I don't have character with that skill. I can only play pregen with that skill (Druid , Hunter or Ranger).

Player’s Name: Nathanael Love
Character’s Name: Jarrett Drendar
PFS #: 105323-15
Faction: sovereign court
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): no
Day Job (Please roll now): none
Special Notes/Abilities: this character is a "swashmonkler", so he relies on using Slashing Grace with the temple sword to mix in flurry of blows.

he also uses a lot of reactions- Deflect Arrows, and opportune parry-riposte, with combat Reflexes so up to 1 arrow deflected and 4 attacks of opportunity per round.

He's the scaled fist unchained monk archetype- which swaps charisma for all the wisdom related monk things, so he has unarmored AC of 19.

I am still finishing the fine details after applying my GM credit, but I will have that completed tonight.

I only have one character in this range, and I freed her up to play this just to find out she can't do the dogsled. At all. She's got a -2 Handle Animal. But, I'd still prefer to play Bremi. She hits things pretty hard pretty consistently, and usually isn't hit in the meantime.

If we NEED that Handle Animal character, I'll be willing to bring along the Pregen Skald, as he seems to have the highest Handle Animal.

Astute readers may notice that each dogsled can carry up to 600 lbs. What’s the lowest number of sleds needed for the entire party? Or perhaps someone has an idea for completely avoiding the need for ground transportation on a 20-mile trip?

Let me bring Untir Jonrot then, my shaman. He’s got handle animal of +7. Not fantastic. And looks like we might need a healer for the group. But we will likely need 2 sleds.

Did we decide to play the lower tier?
Well, I have absolutely no characters with handle animals :)
For 5-6 I have a gnome gunslinger/paladin, who isn't terribly efficient in combat right now (only 1 attack per round) - but he can act as a wand-user or diplomancer. Plus he can speak with animals once per day, which might help with the sleds.

Other option is an arcanist, who is more of an arcane, ranged blunt instrument. Very efficient in combat, knows everything, and can smooth-talk as well. There's almost nothing he can't do! Unfortunately, handling animals falls into the "almost nothing" category :D

Are we more in need of knowledges or off-combat healer?

Looks like it would be low tier since the other characters are Lvl 5-7.

Can we hire an NPC to drive a sled?

Player’s Name: kuey
Character’s Name: Untir Jonrot
PFS #: 215076-10
Faction: Scarab Sages
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (Please roll now): profession(fortune-teller): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23 Will use reroll if not used by end of game.
Special Notes/Abilities:
Untir is a life shaman, so rather typical buff debuff. Only real thing of note is that Untir has a bunch of ancestral spirits living in him. I style his spells and especially his hexes as the manifestations of the spirits, but that is pure cosmetic.

OK I will play with pregen skald so that we can keep Bremi in game.

GM I will keep my old character name (Malek) but I will switch to pregen skald level 7.

So for now we have:

1. Untir Jonrot - Shaman 5 (handle animal of +7)
2. Bremi - Brawler 5 / Savage Technologist Barbarian 1
3. Jarrett Drendar - Swashbuckler 3 / Unchained Monk (Scaled Fist) 2
4. Malek Huk - Skald 7 (handle animal of +18)
5. Inghinn MacBruthe - Fighter 5

APL for now without Karma's character is 5.6

Mjolbeard character update!

Okay, just double checked my characters and remembered that my oracle has Handle Animal +8. Since it seems like that's going to be an important aspect of this scenario, I'll go ahead and switch to him. It also seems we have melee combatants in spades, so it might be good to get a dedicated healer on the ground.

Here's the updated info, GM.

Player’s Name: Mjolbeard89
Character’s Name: Friar Robun
PFS #: 177216-3
Faction: Grand Lodge
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (Please roll now): Profession (scribe): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Special Notes/Abilities: Oracle Revelations below

At the start of the scenario, I'll set up a life link with one or two other PCs, then will remain toward the back. While I soak up some of the damage our front liners take, I'll heal myself or give out buffs if everybody's at full health.

update :)

1. Untir Jonrot - Shaman 5 (Handle animal +7)
2. Bremi - Brawler 5 / Savage Technologist Barbarian 1
3. Jarrett Drendar - Swashbuckler 3 / Unchained Monk (Scaled Fist) 2
4. Malek Huk - Skald 7 (Handle animal +18)
5. Friar Robun - Oracle of Sarenrae 5 (Handle Animal +8)

APL for now without Karma's character is 5.6

All right, I'll take my gunslinger/paladin - just because he has a very special pair of skis he might get to use.

Player’s Name: -Karma-
Character’s Name: Roudantaimi
PFS #: 96960-7
Faction: Silver Crusade
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (Please roll now): Craft (alchemy): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Special Notes/Abilities: Gunslinger things, paladin things (2d6 channel or lay of hands). Shared Precision (If Roudantaimi hits enemy, Precise shot to allies) . Rides a giant gecko (although the scenario sounds like he is better left home)

Untir and Robun occupy similar niches as healers (both are life domans), with Robun being a better one. Since I think we only need two with handle animal, and if Malek plays the pregen Skald, then I think we only need only one. Mjolbeard89 could still play Inghinn, or I could switch to my ranged inquisitor (a niche not filled yet). Or do you guys think having 3 people with handle animal is better?

@Robun, wouldn't your channel energy by 3d6 at level 5?

If everyone can tally up how much their character (including any equipment they might want to bring) weighs, we could determine if we need 2 or 3 sleds.

Ah! Right you are, Untir! Must've forgotten to update that bit on my character sheet when I leveled up to 5.

As for character selection, do you have any particular character preferences? I originally stated that I'd prefer to play Inghinn, and that's mainly due to her personal backstory, as she's originally from Galt and it would be fun to dig into that from a roleplay perspective.

If you would rather play your inquisitor, though, I'm definitely open to playing Robun. He's a lot of fun to play as well for sure!

Malek has cca 200 lbs. Can we just say that we all will fit in 2 sleds so that we can start to play as soon as possible?

Ah! Right you are, Untir! Must've forgotten to update that bit on my character sheet when I leveled up to 5.

As for character selection, do you have any particular character preferences? I originally stated that I'd prefer to play Inghinn, and that's mainly due to her personal backstory, as she's originally from Galt and it would be fun to dig into that from a roleplay perspective.

If you would rather play your inquisitor, though, I'm definitely open to playing Robun. He's a lot of fun to play as well for sure!

I'm indifferent to either, so go ahead Inghinn!

I should be able to purchase a masterwork tool for handling dogs in sledding to get a +2 bonus.

Alright, I'll stick with Inghinn then. Sorry for the flip-flopping, Hawthwile.

I'll get Inghinn's gear tallied up shortly so we can get our sled load-out figured out and be on our way.

--EDIT--
Total of Inghinn's weight + gear: 206.25 lbs

I have handle animal +12; sorry my skills were still in Flux as I finished this character. . .

I have to do a final tally on my gear, but since he's unarmored it will be less than 200 lbs, but I have a wolf companion as well through the Animal Ally feat (a wolf, not a fox, but alas!)

Roudantaimi is 57 lbs with gear (as long as he keeps his carryon gear in haversack and endless bandolier)

Great, we have someone with better handle animal, so I'll save on the mw tool then. I'll still stick to Untir though since it looks like having a healer/buffer/debuff could be useful.

I've never really fixed Untir's weight so let's say 140lbs? I imagine him to be rather lean, living in the desert and all. So total weight is 195.5lbs.

Player’s Name: XHums
Character’s Name: Bremi
PFS #: 295369-3
Faction: Liberty's Edge
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (Please roll now): N
Special Notes/Abilities: Dragon style allows me to charge through allies and deals 1.5x strength on my first hit.

Thanks to everybody for waiting for me!

Well. Oops. I forgot to buy some spellcasting services. I've got a Bane on one of my chronicle sheets that states I've got a 20% chance of being subject to nightmare any time I sleep during a scenario without some very specific spell combo. Since I bet most people here can't cast that, here we go to see if my rage is turned off for the following day, since I assume we're sleeping.

please be higher than 20%: 1d100 ⇒ 58 Phew.

This is what I get for praying to an elder god. haha.

Untir will purchase all the remaining scrolls that Inghinn doesn't get. He'll use Malek's 10 gp to purchase one calm animal (which we must use in this game or it's gone).

So Malek and Jarett will drive one sled each? Untir will go with Jarett's to aid him in the handle animal skill then, since Malek's better.

A: Malek, ??, ??
B: Jarett, Untir, ?? (Might need a strong melee here, in case Jarett is tied up with driving. Untir is not much use in melee combat.)

Inghinn can ride with Jarett and Untir. That that’ll spread out the melee folks a bit.

We need two sleds, or 3?

Looks like we need only 2.

A:Malek (cca 200lbs), Bremi (???lbs), Roudantaimi (57 lbs)= ??? lbs - I hope less then 600lbs

B:Jarett (less then 200lbs), Untir (195.5 lbs), Inghinn (206.25 lbs) = less then 601.75 lbs

Three sleds, each with a half-dozen eager dogs, await the Pathfinders. Each one looks like it can hold about 600 lbs, or two medium creatures with gear.
]

OR do we need use all 3 sleds?

Bremi, equipment and all, weights about 225 lbs. She should fit just fine.

Though, if we're using the two medium creatures rule, that'll complicate things (we only have 2 Handle Animal people, yes?)

Untir also has Handle Animal but only +7, so good if we can squeeze into 2 sleds. Jarrett has a wolf though so not sure how that adds up. But then, shouldn't the wolf be running with the dogs and not riding the sled?

If you have the drivers, it might not be a bad plan to bring an extra sled - just in case.

Yeah, I assume the wolf is running with the dogs not sitting in the sled.

If you have the drivers, it might not be a bad plan to bring an extra sled - just in case.

Ok good point. Untir will drive the 3rd one for now.

So if we take three sleds, we this be good setup:
1: Malek, Bremi
2: Jarrett, Roudantaimi
3: Untir, Inghinn

So bit of melee and magic/ranged on each sled?

Is it too late for me to get masterwork tools (handle animal - dog sled) for 50gp?

Is it too late for me to get masterwork tools (handle animal - dog sled) for 50gp?

That is acceptable. Someone at the waystation most likely has one.

Given the length of time it has taken to travel this far, the party can set their speed to whatever they wish. I do need a number though - I'll take the average of everyone's decisions to determine travel times.

I'm fine with suggested speed of "8".
Also, should combat happen, Roudantaimi can remove the fatigued conditions with lay on hands.

@Bremi: Paladin's mercy can remove fatigue, but it lasts only for an hour, so I think its best used when preparing for combat.

I'll be going for a short vacation from Fri to Sun. I'll likely only be able to check my games intermittently so please bot where necessary, and sorry for any inconvenience caused...

Hey there, folks! Just a quick heads up that I'll be out of town this weekend, through Sunday evening. If I'm holding things up by my absence, please feel free to bot me

Will we finish this game before start of Outpost II?

I believe so - we're almost at the end and Outpost doesn't start until March 11.

And there we go! I'll keep this thread active for a couple of days until everyone has had a chance to download their chronicle sheet.

And while you're here, I'd love to hear any feedback you might have about how the game was run. What went well? What was frustrating? What was unclear or confusing? What was really fun?

Thanks for the game everyone! See you 'round the boards!

Oops, I wanted to reroll my dayjob, if it's not too late?

profession(fortune-teller), reroll, GM-star: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 13 + 2 = 31

Done!

It was fun and simple - I think I prefer more straightforward scenarios, especially on PBP (good ole season 0). The sled ride was a bit confusing on play-by-post, though - but I think we did ok.

But man, the rewards on the chronicle are low :o I think the "normal" gold for a 5-6 scenario is around 2,5k(?) Or were the standards just different in season 0..?
Well, "...all I got was a sack of bones", indeed :D

Chronicle received and looks good! Thanks for a fun game, everyone!

I'd agree with Roudantaimi that the sled scene was a bit confusing on PbP, but I think you ran it well given the circumstances! Overall, it was a pretty fun, straightforward scenario!