GM Hawthwile's Birthright Betrayed (Inactive)

Game Master Hawthwile

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

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 any of these expectations, or about anything related to this game, 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.) Let me know what your character is most concerned about with an opponent - otherwise, I'll use my best judgement. 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. Actions will be resolved in the order that they were posted in. While this can do some weird things with a single character acting "twice" before another, it is easier for both players and GM to track the sequence of events this way. 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 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16 (+ buff if applicable)
Justice damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 (+ buff if applicable)

I will happily calculate the final result in these cases. 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 out of character (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.

For your first post here, please use the Reply option on the following post, delete the [quote'] tags, and fill in the provided fields.

Player Name:
Character Name:
PFS Number:
Faction:
Slow Tracking? (Y/N):
Day Job (please roll now):
Special Notes/Abilities: Please replace this text with 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.

zoom, zoom.

"FIRST!"

Player Great Green God
Character Squire Droo Nettlezum
PFS # 139009-2
Faction Sovereign Court
Slow Tracking? (Y/N) 'Slow?' Not just 'no', but HELL NO!
Day Job profession (soldier): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 That, and illegal street-wolf-racing, like in that Opparan stage play, The Fast and the Furriest.
Special Notes/Abilities Has fuchsia hair-

-And a wolf.

Player Name: TriShadow
Character Name: Theld Miasma
PFS Number: 151777-21
Faction: Dark Archive
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (please roll now): Profession (Soldier): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16 May use reroll if available at the end of the senario
Special Notes/Abilities: Theld channels 'entropy' for damage. He feels forsaken by Rovagug, but is now answering to some unknown power. This recent development has lead to him becoming more of a nihilist. Never a sparkling conversationalist, Theld struggles to find words, so often says little. The meager vocalizations come out dry and raspy.

Player Name: SodiumTelluride
Character Name: Gorrig
PFS Number: 89635-15
Faction: Liberty's Edge
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): No
Day Job (please roll now): None
Special Notes/Abilities: Nothing special really. Just a guy who punches things.

Player Name: Watery Soup
Character Name: Bocke Reed
PFS Number: 2358909-3
Faction: Grand Lodge
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (please roll now): Profession (Scribe): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Special Notes/Abilities: Bocke had a traumatic experience with some undead and will be voluntarily shaken in combat with undead until he kills one personally.

Player Name: Gummy Bear
Character Name: Kiango (reporting name)
PFS Number: 74244-15
Faction: Sovereign Court
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): No
Day Job (please roll now): N/A
Special Notes/Abilities: This is my first time fielding this character so RP may be a little rocky.

Paizo's having technical difficulties that don't allow me to choose an avatar for this brand new character, so I'll add that later when I can.

Player Name: Warah
Character Name: Professor Molvil Masaendri
PFS Number: 289224-8
Faction: Dark Archive
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (please roll now): Profession (professor): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Special Notes/Abilities: This strict old professor has the Bruising Intellect feat, allowing her to use INT for Intimidation checks. She will use that liberally in social situations unless someone is quickly effective in another manner.

Ok I finished my build (I think), and I took the Enforcer feat which I will use as often as I can (dealing nonlethal damage with unarmed strikes and then Intimidate to demoralize for a number of rounds equal to the damage).

Paizo's having technical difficulties that don't allow me to choose an avatar for this brand new character, so I'll add that later when I can.

Wow, that's lame. Hopefully you're able to find a picture soon!

Also, if these introductory posts are any indicator of the quality of this game, I have a lot of work to do to keep up! This is gonna be awesome!

I was thinking the same thing. :)

"WOOF!"

Well when GGG drops a first post like that, we can't bring our B-team posts, now can we?!

Not if we don’t want to be left in the dust - literally! X-D

So somebody like Vosk wouldn't just out and say what he does like I had him in his most recent post. However, I just couldn't think of a discrete way of basically saying what I outright typed. Any suggestions on how I could change that up in the future?

If I understand you right, you could say something like:

"I'm in the procurement business-- items, facts, whatever you're looking for."

or

"I specialize in the hard-to-find. If the price is right."

or

"I'm good at making connections. From someone who needs something, to that something."

As Gorrig points out, it's usually an emphasis on the legal aspects of what you do, followed by a hint of the illegal.

For example, in my last adventure, someone wanted a bribe to let us into a theater hall. My character refused to bribe him, but said she'd be amenable to purchasing season tickets in advance.

Think of it like, "Only say what you'd defend at a Senate hearing."

These are great tips, thanks y'all :) It's my first character like this, so it all really helps!

Yea! The Professor has an Icon now. WOOHOO!

Yup! It only took almost a dozen attempts, but at least there was a severe elf woman with gray-ish hair in a bun(-ish).

It looks like it is going very fast!

She's speeding downward at Vosk!

Sorry for the short notice, but I had to handle some stuff all evening (everything is fine now!) and don't have the time/energy to post tonight. I'll catch back up tomorrow, please bot me as necessary!

Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully tomorrow is more sane for you. :)

Thanks, it is :D

I'm ok with giving an IC explanation (I apologize, I assumed that the curator gave y'all the same information she gave us!), but summary text or spoiler reading is, frankly, easier.

Any preferences from anyone?

I'm okay with either but if it's IC, be aware that Bocke barely met Vosk (we had a dozen or so unspoilered posts at the beginning). So even things like "Bacon and Eggs" is confusing to me as a player because Bocke doesn't know whether that's the way Vosk talks, or Vosk knows we're in the BBEG's bakery so he's speaking in code.

To clarify: because Vosk made the DC 15 Bluff check, everyone he intended (which I understand to be the Pathfinders) understands the hidden message. If the baker or someone else wanted to listen in, they wouldn’t understand what’s actually being communicated unless they made a Sense Motive check that met Vosk’s Bluff check.

So the Pathfinders all understand Bacon and Eggs - that spoiler’s open for everyone to read. Jury’s still out on Vinegar though. X-D

TriShadow, I'm loving the contrast that Theld brings to this group. I crack up every time! What is his voice supposed to sound like? Looks like you're using italics and smaller, right?

Thank you Vosk. Glad you are enjoying him. I think there is an abundance of role play in this group, yourself included, which has been so fun to read.

As for the voice, yes, the idea is the smaller italics. A quiet, raspy, rumble of a voice that is reminiscent of a low growl/moan. I have so many characters that talk...a lot. I wanted the challenge of playing character who communicates a great deal by saying as little as possible.

Of course. Discretion. He smiles sweetly at the little Gnome, bending over to pat her on the hand, much like a father would to his young, naive child. "Discretion is when you try to do things without other people knowing what you are doing. Sort of like a secret, but with your actions," he explains.

Literally laughed out loud at work. Well done. Love it.

:)

As far as a series of actions to follow before a roadbump, how about:

We hangout until nightfall
Bacon and Eggs!
Rest
At first light, we head out for our final lead at the guardhouse

Figured this is easier than trying to hash it out IC, as much fun as that is with such personalities in the party :)

I wanted to make sure that nobody has any other preparations to make at the canal. Bocke's skills are rather limited, so other than throwing lighted pebbles around and eating raw seagulls, there's not much he can do.

I thought we were resting first and then doin' the 459. Bocke has used up both of his 1st level spell slots and taken some nonlethal damage with the expectation that he'd be full for the naughty bits of this mission.

Resting earlier is fine with me, as long as it doesn't void our ability to continue with the "naughty bits"!

GM Hawthwile: Is there an uncovered window that we can use to see into the building?

The Professor can use Dimensional Slide to teleport into there and open it from the inside if she can see where she's going.

GM Hawthwile: Professor M would know if Dimensional Slide has a sound or flashy visual component, but I do not. What's your ruling? She would only use this opportunity if she thinks she can do so undetected. As highly as she thinks of herself, she is still a frail old lady.

Yeah, I was debating that one. My thought is that, given that we are not currently in initiative, Molvil could take time and care to use the exploit quietly. Be sure to include a Stealth check in your post.

Again, I would like to remind Team MVG of Neffery's requests as we continue exploring the chandlery. Perhaps it would be best if the entire team knew?

For the sake of simplicity, below is the applicable passage. Neffery's request is in the final two sentences.

"The chandlery’s been in my family for generations, and we’ve always been proud to do our part supplying the navy. That’s how we got our title, back in the 4500’s. Well, when Vernisant took over for his father as the new earl a few years back, he approached me about a ‘silent partnership’ in the chandlery. As an earl, he outranks me by quite a bit, and I should have been more cautious.

"At first it sounded like Vernisant wanted to invest for patriotic reasons. Of course, before I knew it I was sunk deep in debt to him, and he’d transformed my father’s favorite business into a private club for navy officers. They get liquored up enough when they’re tromping through here that they barely notice how much the earl’s hiked the prices - it’s the people paying the tab, not the officers, so what should they care? Now I’m not even allowed in the back office. Did I mention there’s a hidden wall safe I had installed back there? If you think Vernisant’s hiding something, that wall safe might be a good place to look."

The patriarch crosses his arms and give the three Pathfinders a serious look. "Now, if it were my chandlery once again, I certainly wouldn't mind you coming to visit. But since it is mine only in name anymore, I must insist you come when I'm not here. Preferably in the evening, after business hours. I can hardly claim innocence if you walk in past me. And this building is a family heirloom, passed down through countless generations! You must promise me that you won't harm it in the slightest during your investigation. Will you promise an old man that much, won't you?"

These are the things that would have been nice to know when we joined back up. Bocke would have gladly smashed the window to get a clear shot on the guard.

Speaking of whicg, there were no additional promises about the people in the building, were there? Bocke doesn't like killing people because he doesn't like killing people, but if there were promises made not to hurt people, he'd be even less cavalier about using a lethal-only weapon.

These are the things that would have been nice to know when we joined back up. Bocke would have gladly smashed the window to get a clear shot on the guard.

To be fair we were told we could read the spoilers.

But to be fair again, it's not like any of us were actually going to.

Speaking of whicg, there were no additional promises about the people in the building, were there? Bocke doesn't like killing people because he doesn't like killing people, but if there were promises made not to hurt people, he'd be even less cavalier about using a lethal-only weapon.

HEY! There's only one cavalier here, and she's absolutely, 100% a cavalier about everything! So stay in your own lane there, Bucko! ;)

To be fair we were told we could read the spoilers.

But to be fair again, it's not like any of us were actually going to.

I'm sure I missed a few, but I probably opened 90% of them, and read at least 90% of the ones I opened. But trying to catch up on several IRL weeks of posting in an hour or two means that there are a lot of little details that didn't stick.

It was like cramming for an exam.

To be fair, I'm not certain Theld would have acted much differently. I mean, art? Really? A waste of time. We are all going to die. 'Pretty' paintings of a harbor are not going to change that.

I mean, it is 'breaking' and entering. As far as Theld is concerned, we simply did it in the wrong order.

You can disrespect art without destroying it. :)

"Pointless."

The back and forth in gameplay was hysterical XD Such snark! Such pout!

Yeesh, these guys are much sturdier than I expected after the other guy!

Agreed. These were the toughest low tier (level 1-2) non-boss bad guys I have seen.

That’s because the first one never had a chance to rage (and wasn’t really predisposed to do so unless it was an emergency. These two, not so much.