GM Zer0darkfire's Witchwar Legacy (Inactive)

Game Master asdffghjkl01

Or Disintegrate, apparently.

Ok then. :)

Now I understand why more recent scenarios just cheat by granting the big bad free wishes/resurrection/plot immunity.

So what was up with someone needing to stay as guardian?

If you had killed the witch, everyone that left would need a DC 30 will save or would be forced to remain in the chamber forever as its guardian. They would be compelled to immediately attack any creature that entered the chamber, which is why the witch attacked you immediately.

I think in PFS terms, your character would be considered dead unless you had a wish or powerful remove curse.

DC 30 Will check is almost automatic for some but can be challenging for others. Nice for the others that we she did not die. :)

I think with Rinaldo's aid the Demon is quite dead. :)

I'll be working on and uploading chronicle sheets when I get a chance. Let me know if you have any last-minute changes such as using your reroll on your day job or switch to slow/standard.

To be fair it isn't just Witchwar. In Academy of Secrets we had a 4 player party, Minimal buffing, And Tuwo pretty much solod all the combats.

I'll take 10 on Craft(Alchemy) with Crafter's Fortune for a 45 for my day job.

Zen Archer really changed the game as far as player power level, and nothing written without it mind can cope. And anything written specifically to cool a Zen Archer would probably make things difficult for any party that lacks one. It's part of why they created 2nd edition. :)

It is really a time-lag issue. Recent high level scenarios can be brutal on PCs to keep up with the power creep of Zen Archers and others which can dismantle non-optimized parties.

Other optimized Melee PCs are potentially more damaging then Zen Archers who really do not deal the most damage (although damage is still very good). Pounce/Charge/Bladed Dash/Dimension Door builds bypass the difficulties that Zen Archer will face with heavy winds which are now more frequent.

It was fun to play and steamrolling an adventure now and again is fine by me.

Thanks so much to the GM.

Edit - I quickly checked but did not find it. Is the Torc an Artifact or Minor Artifact? This is for a Dark Archives rewards sheet.

Thanks so much for running Zer0darkfire! Was a fun game.

I wish it could have been a little more challenging; not sure I would have had fun as a player, but there wasn't anything I could really do there.

I've pretty much switched to 2e exclusively because of the power balance issues of 1e. Everything has been consistently challenging in 2e, even with groups of power gamers or not.

I'll miss the niche combos, extreme number crunch, and the classical feel of the variety of rules, but I think 2e has been a significant improvement to gameplay.

The Torc is a minor artifact. You couldn't read its auras earlier because it was protected from all forms of divination and attempts to locate it.

Playing this adventure in Core with a party of four characters would make it much more difficult. Sure some of the combats would still be meaningless but others would be quite deadly.

I much prefer Core over 2nd edition. I am glad that some people are enjoying 2nd edition. :)

I like having a ton of options, thats the fun of a d20 RPG in my opinion, but I like when the options aren't significantly different power levels so I've really like CORE with the lack of choices compared to standard.

Chronicle Sheets

I don't think I ever got Messa's information so I haven't made her a chronicle.

Dorothy is busy with work, so here are Messa's chronicle details:

Player Name: Dorothy Lindman
Character name: Messa Flutterfoot
ID: 50490-01
Faction: Liberty's Edge
Normal progression

Cash is huge on this adventure. :)

Of course will I be able to play this character again? That is the real question.

Flint is waiting on Rinaldo to buff as he actually lost initiative!
That is a new one. ;)

Just curious on what they expect us to do with a Black Robe of the Archmagi? seems a silly thing to put on a PFS Chronicle...

GM, for this timeline: ;-)

You said assume all buffs are up; would we have been expecting a Fear effect? If so, I would have Rallying Cry already going. If not, I have to make that save first, then start it up. I don't have faith in my Will save ... ;)

Tuwo is waiting for Rinaldo and Rinaldo is waiting for an answer to his question.

I would say round expenditure stuff you probably wouldn't have going, but you're already at a huge disadvantage so sure. All round expenditure and rounds/level buffs are active.

That makes a huge difference on whether Rinaldo participates in this event. ;-)

@GM Zer0darkfire - Does Flint need to make a Will save DC 37 or is it a Fort save? I am a bit confused. :)

He misread it as a fort save. The initial save is Will and if you fail the later saves are fort.

Much better for us. :) Still our Fort saves are solid as well.

yeah, the initial save is will, in three/two turns he would have needed a fort save as well

-6 to all attack rolls is something. :)

I am glad that this is not for keeps.

I'm beginning the move into my first house. The internet won't be up until Saturday and I'll be moving furniture and boxes around. I know this section is for fun anyway, but I might be unavailable to post.

Dorothy is busy with work, so here are Messa's chronicle details:

Player Name: Dorothy Lindman
Character name: Messa Flutterfoot
ID: 50490-01
Faction: Liberty's Edge
Normal progression

I've added that chronicle to the folder chronicle

I'm honestly curious how they gave a caster an AC of 50+

Gear amulet of natural armor +5, apple of eternal sleepUE, Baba Yaga’s besom (see page 62), belt of mighty constitution +6, bracelet of second chancesUE, cackling hag’s blouseUE, corset of dire witchcraftUE, ebony fly figurine of wondrous power, gem of seeing, Grandmother’s basket (as a portable hole), Grandmother’s shawl (as a cloak of resistance +5), grim lanternUE, hat of disguise, haunted shoesUE, headband of alluring charisma +6, hexing doll, orb of foul AbaddonUE, pearl of power (5th level), ring of elemental command (fire), ring of freedom of movement (slotless), ring of protection +5; in addition to the gear listed here, Baba Yaga has access to a wide variety of other magic items that she can use at the GM’s discretion.

Str 17, Dex 20, Con 26, Int 46, Wis 24, Cha 32

Forceful Presence (Ex) Baba Yaga adds her Charisma modifier as an insight bonus to her Armor Class and on all of her saving throws. In addition, Baba Yaga uses her Charisma score as well as her Constitution score when calculating hit points. This ability increases her total CR by 1.

AC 51, touch 31, flat-footed 46 (+13 armor, +5 deflection, +5 Dex, +11 insight, +7 natural

She is a level 20 Witch with 10 mythic archmage ranks.

51 AC is not unreasonable at this level. In fact I can see the either Tuwo or Flint rocking a 50+ AC after spending some of the loot earned in this adventure.

Baba Yaga is level 30! :)

@ GM Zer0darkfire - Have fun moving into your first home. There is nothing quite like it. We can definitely be patient to finish off the first challenging battle of the entire adventure.

How many rounds are we shaken for?

1 minute of being shaken

Tuwo and Flint are Monks and not pure casters though. +13 armor and +11 insight explain it.

"How many rounds are we shaken for?"

Only if you want to be. Rinaldo is granting you a reroll using his Intimidate check.

No, if you pass the will save and have no mythic ranks you're shaken for 1 minute

Better than panicked, though. ;-)

Oh. Then -2 more to Tuwo's attacks.

Zen Archer really changed the game as far as player power level, and nothing written without it mind can cope. And anything written specifically to cool a Zen Archer would probably make things difficult for any party that lacks one. It's part of why they created 2nd edition. :)

(Finally catching up on the discussion thread.)

Actually, Wind Wall and Fickle Winds both shut any archer down completely, with little impact on anyone else. There is only one item that I'm aware of (the Silver Nocking Point) that can get an arrow past those spells, and that comes with a -8 to hit penalty.

The Lob Shot feat would definitely beat Wind Wall, but it only works outdoors or in 55-foot caverns ("You can’t use this feat unless you have headroom equal to at least half the attack’s range."). And it would probably take you a couple of shots to figure out how high the wall goes.

You could argue that Lob Shot should overcome Fickle Winds, but that depends on whether the GM reads "column of air" to have a "roof" on it.

Actually, there is a 'fix' for that in the Great Archery Arms Race (TM).

Cyclonic ammunition deals with those pesky wind problems ;-)

Been awhile. How much does 50 +2 arrows cost? Asking for a friend ;)

@Messa - That is why it is better to have a reasonable backup to the bow. My character has backup scrolls and his melee attacks are reasonable with Bane/Judgments. I will probably buy him some high level scrolls to UMD like Limited Wish, Maze etc. 120K is a lot of cash.

@Gaius - There is always a counter to the original counter. That reminds me of the sword fight in The Princess Bride...

@Tuwo - +2 Arrows are the same as a +2 weapon so 8,000gp plus 300gp for masterwork plus 1 gp for cost of materials. Why bother with this?

-8 to hit is pretty brutal. Just because casters can dispel the wind doesn't mean they want to spend the action to do so. And 8k is not a big deal at this level.

Actually, there is a 'fix' for that in the Great Archery Arms Race (TM).

Cyclonic ammunition deals with those pesky wind problems ;-)

I've had GMs argue that since cyclonic doesn't say "even magical winds" that it doesn't counter wind spells.

My Zen Archer who was shut down by Fickle Winds had a minimum of
3 separate wind-effect reducing tricks (trait, racial bonus, at least 2 magic items, etc.), and the GM ruled that only the silver nocking point applied. At that point, she was 20-fishing.

(I won't say who the GM was, but he is someone that 4 five-star GMs at the table deferred to. This wasn't a random "let's mess up the players" kind of ruling.)

I don't think it needs to specify magical winds vs non-magical winds. I don't think you need a +2 enhancement bonus effect to ignore standard wind effects.

I would have loved to try and fight Baba Yaga as my non-mythic tetori. Based on my reading of her statblock, I'd only have to survive whatever first effect she threw at me before I got to grapple her and keep her from doing anything.

Is she dead yet or should Flint try to escape the Maze?

She is not defeated yet

My character is chilling out in the extra-dimensional penalty box.
2 minutes for high sticking! :)

Remember she is level 30 with a +8 con bonus. Well over 300 hp before any feats or mythic abilities. And she is regenerating each round.

@GM Zer0darkfire - I hope that you are enjoying your first house. There is just something special about it. :)