Sorry for the lack of much introduction in the gameplay thread. I was aware that there are some prep docs for the Emerald Spire PFS introductions, but I went looking for them and wasn't able to find anything deeper than level 10.
If anyone (or their characters) is new to the Emerald Spire, let me know. I can try to give some spoiler-lite background information.
Edit: Just put up the maps link. You should be able to add a mini for your character and move things around. Let me know if you have any problems.
Does anyone have trap spotter? Our investigator maybe?
Taking 10 is fine while you're out of combat and the like: although it does slow the group down a lot, that's less of a problem with the longer spell durations at this level.
What is your take 10 Perception vs traps? Your tagline says +24 generic Perception, but I'm seeing +18 generic/+22 traps on your character sheet.
For everyone: be sure to declare any game actions you are taking rather than just describing them. At the moment, that's mostly spell pre-casting.
I'm dragging my feet a little bit on opening the door since not everyone has checked in yet. We'll get there soon.
As far as I know, taking 10 doesn’t slow anything doesn’t mechanically, only taking 20 does that.
Taking 10 isn't the slowing part. Stopping to check for traps every 10' is. These aren't passive perception checks, so they take a move action. Basically, the party moves at 10' per round.
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Check square move check either 1 or 2 square a whole large flip mat is full searched between 12 and 18 min. This can be made more efficient if you are willing to take a -1 and check more squares in round three from 10ft away.
That's why the Professor is discussing things in character to identify if someone has a lot of 1min per level buffs we can change the strategy. 10min or more should be fine for this type of dungeon crawl.
Some 'running the party' notes I didn't think of before. I see a lot of Heightened Awareness being pre-cast right now, and I don't know how many of you cast that just to use it for initiative every combat. My personal baseline is to use it for Knowledge and Perception checks, so that's what I'm assuming until I hear otherwise.
Also, we have an animal companion in the party. Lacking a prior negotiation on how to handle that, I'm placing them on a separate initiative. They'll need to be given a trick order before they do anything. You can assume that they were told to defend Otto before the scenario if you like.
Also, in the interest of keeping the game moving forward I'll recommend that everyone should choose a 'botting buddy' from someone among the party. It's awkward for the GM to bot someone since I have more information than you guys do. This won't prevent me from botting someone if needed, but it's preferable in my view if a player does it.
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I'm usually pretty prompt in posting, but Deno'thar will usually begin inspire courage and position himself within 30' of the fight with his first round of actions, so that people benefit from +2 morale to attack and damage, as well as +3 competence to attack and damage.
If thing we're fighting looks particularly nasty, I'll use Heightened Awareness but Deno's initiaitve is pretty good regardless.
The spear weilding mini is Deno. He would generally not be in the front line for opening he door, but just behind it.
You can move yourselves around in the area near the door. I didn't even know who I was placing other than Toshiro, anyway.
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For expedience, I went ahead and grabbed the minis and put them in some kind of an order that makes sense (Professor at the door, since he picked the lock), our samurai next to him, myself and Karn shortly behind, with our Zen Archer (who presumably ignore cover) and our druid behind them. Please move yourself as desired.
Edit: I made Otto large as well
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Yes, Otto will burn HA for initiative every time (and since Allison is going on a separate initiative count, he'll use a wand charge on her as well, also burning that one). He'll also generally delay so that the two of them can act on the same initiative count (unless there's some obvious urgent reason not to - it's just easier that way). And he'll go ahead and reuse the wand after each combat (2 charges).
And yes, Otto is Large (I think I forgot to mention it in my last post, but his standard operating procedure is to be wild shaped as a freshwater Merrow). He has enough uses and duration to spend all day wildshaped if need be.
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Just to keep everything above board I'm going to post the fully buffed attack bonus for this pc for future fights with action economy.
He keeps a reduce person in hand (see character sheet) which he can drink as a move action (barbarian archetype), then study as a swift, and free rage with furious.
Attack = BAB 8 + dex 5 + mutagen 2 dex + 1 dex + 4 Study + 2 rage + 2 furious + 2 heroism + 1 weapon + 1 weapon focus + 1 size
Attack = 29
This gets him to his max dex for his armour etc.
AC = 10 + 9 armor + 8 dex + 5 natural armor (mut + bark) + 1 ring of prot + 1 size + 3 shield + 1 insight -2 rage
AC= 36
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the morale bonus comes from banner of the ancient kings and flagbearer. The specific text is “As long as you hold your clan, house, or party’s flag, members of that allegiance within 30 feet who can see the flag (including yourself )...” My flag is a glyph of the open road for pathfinders. I would think it would apply to animal companions, but that is up to the gm.
Since the dinosaur has Int 3, I'll leave the question of whether the companion benefits up to the player. Lower than Int 3 is pretty sketchy.
Ok, thanks. I'll include the bonus for the animal companion (which is also how I rule such things when I'm on the other side of the table). It would be different if it were language dependent, but this isn't.
I need the party's thoughts on something. We have an encounter coming up eventually that is important to the story of this level but that is trap-based. As written, the scenario seems to assume that trap spotter (which Professor Kaldosian is mimicking) doesn't work like I believe it does. It seems clear that the scenario expects the trap to go off in almost all circumstances and it has language that seems intended to force that occurrence, but that I think is hogwash.
So I have two basic options:
1. Run "trap spotter" correctly, which probably means that you guys bypass the encounter entirely. I wouldn't complain if it were a bunch of random mooks or a fireball to the face you would miss out on, but it isn't.
2. Run "trap spotter" incorrectly and the encounter is likely to occur. This option is made worse because Professor Kaldosian has just detected a trap that he couldn't do anything about for no particularly good reason.
I'm personally unhappy with both options.
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No problem. I avoid playing him is skill focused scenarios as he can run the table and I don't like taking away from other players. I think there will be enough butt kicking on this floor for everyone.
I away struggle with the encounters that paizo writes that don't follow the rules. They come up pretty often. I have never come up with a solution I really like. If players find a way to bypass I will use a vision or some discovery that allows them to figure what would have happened as to not miss story, but that can still be unsatisfying and unbalance a scenario.
I don't know the trap but you could have the trap start and Professor can roll for the number of rounds it takes to disable it. Then the other folks can deal with what is happen while he works. It sucks for me as I will be just watching the combat. But it might be in line with the rules.
Something I've been forgetting to bring up: Deno'thar mentioned earlier that they use the Bodyguard feat. The last time I looked into it, you need to threaten both the target you are bodyguarding and the attacker to make use of that feat. That was a long time ago though: if memory serves, the cause was interaction between the Aid Another rules and the text of Bodyguard.
Anyhow, if anyone has a different understanding of how that works, let me know. Even better if you can provide a link to support it.
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Not quite, you must be adjacent to the target you’re bodyguarding (per bodyguard) and threaten the enemy (per aid another). If you had to threaten the person you’re aiding, aid another would basically be worthless in pathfinder (especially since flanking is also +2).
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you’re in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent’s next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.
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I think this is the FAQ you are thinking about.
Bodyguard: The Bodyguard feat says that I can spend one of my attacks of opportunity to aid another the AC of an adjacent ally, but it doesn’t say one way or the other whether this removes other restrictions on aid another? Particularly, do I need to threaten the attacking enemy? Also, has that enemy provoked an attack of opportunity from me?
You still need to fulfill all requirements of aid another, including threatening the attacking enemy. Bodyguard uses up one of your attacks of opportunity for the round, but the enemy hasn’t provoked an attack of opportunity from you, nor are you making one (which is relevant for abilities like Paired Opportunist).
Sounds like what I was trying to say, just with better terminology. Good to clear up a detail. Thanks.
I'm hitting a busy patch starting tonight and going through until Monday. Over the weekend in particular I'll be away from my books, so I might not be able to respond very well. I'll still try to keep up the best I can, but if it goes sluggish don't worry too much.
Sorry I was so quiet over the weekend. It turned out to be a lot busier than I expected going in.
Back from the holidays! Sorry for the delay.
Deno'thar, I just had an idea of something you could do from outside the fog if you want to make use of your actions. You guys still don't completely understand the original fog, and Detect Magic would clear that up after a few rounds.
I'm at least not aware of anything that says that bardic performance requires concentration.
Oddly, you can talk and cast spells while singing. Whee!
Had a lazy weekend. We don't have Professor Kaldosian or Coreleus for this combat round yet, so I'm waiting a bit more. I'll post later today if I don't see them though.
Deno'thar: I've only been having the saving throws trigger when people start their round, not when they enter the aura. That might not be right, but it's cleaner to stay with what I've been doing. But you can get those HP back and finish your intended move.
It's possible that I'm not directing the party enough. Unless you want to go brave the loop traps back on the entrance, the only known way to progress is to the south.
Do you want to go there?
If the holidays are gumming up the works for everyone, we could also declare a hiatus until Christmas is over.
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Going south sounds fine to me. I would guess we’re all pretty much fine with any direction of progress (especially since we don’t have meaningful ways of discerning which is better, left or right, when generally facing those choices in dungeons). As long as we’re in marching order moving us forward to the next interesting thing (room, trap, horrible face eating monster...) makes a lot of sense to me.
I suspect things may slow down over Christmas but lets see how things go would be my vote, I check things on my phone way too often personally :)