Sho, we could use a Knowledge Nature check on Faedwyr from you to get the discovery.
Question regarding Malakar and Razor (and Animal Companions in general):
How does Malakar and Razor communicate with each other? I could not find anything in the rules other than teaching tricks to Animal Companions.
For example: if Razor senses danger due to a successful Perception check, how will Razor communicate that to Malakar?
Reading the rules under the Handle Animal Skill, it looks like the GM should roll a Handle Animal Check DC 20 (for either the Defend trick or Track trick) or maybe a DC 15 for a Seek trick. I do see in Malakar’s Profile that Razor knows the Track trick.
For game and story purposes, has Malakar taught Razor any other tricks, and how would you like them described? I could also forego the narrative and simply say, “Razor flips his fin in a way that he signals that danger is ahead”.
For this to be successful, the GM should roll a successful Perception check and then a Successful Handle Animal check? (+4 Circumstance Bonus on HA check) Does this sound about right? I am open to interpretation and thoughts on this?
Thanks!
I mean I would leave it up to you. Razor is only a 1 int animal so he only gets 3 tricks before animal companion bonus. I would assume until a point at which we can either speak or have telepathy he would have to do something physically to get my attention. If it is something he isn't scared of maybe he swims a circle near it. If it is something he deems dangerous he maybe swims to my side and points his snout toward it?
Well, now that we all have our theme songs, it won't be long until we have a movie deal.
Sho, in my glory days I had the 'Welcome to the Jungle' scream down and that was my go to karaoke song. Ah, the good ol' days.
OK, back to business. Was too nice of a day yesterday, but will be working on a post after dinner.
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Of course we'll have that movie deal. It will require casting of course so the next game is cast your character!
Since it's my idea naturally I'll go first. It was a very tough decision not because there were many possible choices, but because there are two very good ones. Both Sophia Lillis and Jessie Buckley are excellent matches for the character art.
But Jessie Buckley's eye color matches, while Sophia Lillis's doesn't.
The part goes to Jessie Buckley
Sophia Lillis isn't upset with a second place finish though.
Beautiful choice Fenna! I would love to see Fenna and the rest of this band of characters come to life on the big screen.
Hopefully the movie deal will include a Narrator.
Sir David Attenborough would be my choice.
It has been a long two days for me. I believe Malakar has been equally busy. I'll give him and Razor until tomorrow evening, then I'll bot him, if needed.
Hey folks, site was down earlier. Ran out of time to post tonight. Celebrating 18th anniversary tomorrow. Will try to post, but looking more like Tuesday.
Hey Folks,
I would like to get your thoughts.
I am obviously having trouble posting on a regular basis.
We have some new contracts at work, and I am putting in some extra hours implementing them at all of my locations. By the time I get home from work, work-out, and eat dinner, I am totally fried and have no desire to get back on the computer.
This will probably last a few more weeks along with a week long vacation thrown in there. Autumn weekends I want to focus on time with my wife and time on the trail.
So my question is: Are you folks enjoying the game enough that if I put this on a few weeks of hiatus, you would be interested in returning or should we call it?
I am enjoying the game and playing with all of you, and when I have the energy to be creative I really enjoy this medium. That being said, I do not want to give it up, but I do not want to string you along on my currently busy schedule. Especially if your interested has waned due to my lack of attentiveness.
If you can, let me know and we can go from there. And please be honest. No hard feelings if you are not enjoying the game.
Thank you for being forthcoming.
I am greatly enjoying this game and do wish to continue.
I know that momentum in a PbP is important, but so is your sanity. I think we could get back after a break of a few weeks.
I'm fine with a Hiatus. obviously, there is the worry of getting back into it with some momentum after but I think that we can cross that bridge when we come to it.
I'm enjoying it for sure. I know the feeling of being fried at the end of some long days, so I empathize completely.
I'm perfectly okay with whatever break is needed, and I know I'll be able to pick it back up after because I'll be on here playing other games anyway.
I agree with Brannart, thanks for telling us what's up. It's all about good communication really.
I'm absolutely wanting to continue, I love this game.
Breaks like this have to happen. Nobody (okay there's an exception here or there) can realistically expect to post near daily for four or five years without having anything come up that requires they take a break.
Just let us know when you're ready and I'll be around.
I would add, and this is just my opinion, that sometimes it is just fine to check in with a short post.
You typically post very well-written posts with great descriptions and attention to character. And it's great to have those as the bulk of the GM's contributions.
But I know those take time. Don't feel obligated to make every post like that.
On many days you might not envision yourself having a big enough block of time to do something like that.
Sometimes, the only time you have to post is ten minutes on your phone while you are waiting in line. And while a short post like that can't really move along a complex combat or delve deep into the storyline, it can help nudge some things along and also take some pressure off of you. Because I know that with some GMs, the longer they are away, the more pressure they place on themselves, and the more they dread sitting down for that next post. Wouldn't want that to be the case.
I am glad to hear that you are enjoying the game. It has given me some new life and energy for the game.
A new post is up.
Brannart - Thank you for the advice.
I am going to do my best to keep this going instead of taking a break. At least for this next week. I am away for a week-long Appalachian Trail hike from 10/18 - 10/25, but will hopefully pick back up on 10/26.
But for now, you have some Grindylows to fight.
I am with everyone else. I don't mind the slower pace and am dealing with some seasonal depression myself. I will keep my eye on the page and look for new posts to continue when you feel you are up to it.
Malakar, I hope that you are able to work through what is going on.
I am back and ready to go. I have Fenna, Malakar, and Razor up in the GamePlay thread.
They've been up for a week. It is possible that life has gotten in the way, but for the sake of the game's momentum I would suggest botting them at this point and PM'ing the players.
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They've been up for a week. It is possible that life has gotten in the way, but for the sake of the game's momentum I would suggest botting them at this point and PM'ing the players.
I messaged both players. I'll play their turns tomorrow (probably around 3-4pm ESt) if they are unable to post.
Sorry was at the PA renfaire yesterday and than worked today so didn't check the site.
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Missed the part about being up. I did the same as you though and got out of town with my son. We went up to the Olympic Peninsula for a long weekend and did some day hiking and beach walking.
No bears, plenty of banana slugs and starfish.
LOL. I am picturing Vexas being bowled under the water in some kind of weird upside-down volleyball game. His cherubic smile just going along with it while thinking, 'I am so gonna stab these guys one day.'
Will be setting up a post shortly to move the game along. Need coffee first.
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There! I think Fenna has come up with a good fix for Vexas's problem.
Great idea Fenna!
I am actually using Vexas's rolls to disable the trap. I'll have a post up shortly.
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So next level he'll take a level in wizard and get touch of the sea. As HiLaRiOuS as this can be, we probably don't want it to be a campaign-long trope.
Have any of you played through or GM'd any of these AP's, and if so, which would be your top choice.
Hell's Rebels
Ironfang Invasion
Giantslayer
Shattered Star
My local TT (currently Zoom) game (still playing 3.5 homebrew) will be concluding soon and our current DM wants to play instead of DM. I am considering these AP's since they all sound really good.
Any thoughts on any of these? Any other favorites you have played through?
Appreciate any feedback.
I am in an all-fighter Ironfang Invasion that I really love. I think it might be too easy with a "classic" party especially if there were a wizard focused on Will saves. There are lots of martial-classed foes.
The opening sequence keeps the pressure up and is dramatic and tense. Then it gets a bit more sandboxy.
I'd love to get into a PbP Giantslayer game one day. I was in one that died before the first encounter.
Shattered Star and Hell's Rebels are both in my que to be run.
I have heard great things about Ironfang. I have heard bad things about Giantslayers but I suspect that was from a bad GM
I have some experience with all of them except Shattered Star. I'll take them chronologically since that makes a difference. Paizo has always had a particular approach with their adventure paths, but I'd say their formula really gets locked down around the time they released Reign of Winter. The ones before it are more variable in their quality, with some of the best and some of the worst. The ones after tend to deliver consistently, but without the highs of some of their early best stuff like Curse of the Crimson Throne.
So Shattered Star is for people who like dungeon crawls. It's very MacGuffin centered. There's an artifact. It's important it be recovered. However the artifact is scattered about in parts. The players go to dungeon, get the piece, and deliver it. Rinse and repeat at increasing degrees of difficulty. It's old school in the sense that it's more about roaming about in dungeons rather than following a strong narrative plot.
Giant Slayer is an homage the the old AD&D Against the Giants series. There's lots and lots of giants. I haven't played this one but did listen to a play podcast through about book 5. To me it seemed repetitive. There might also be problems with balance. If the party is dialed in to killing giants, it's probably fairly easy. If they are not dialed in to killing giants they are absolutely done for. Keeping things balanced between it being a walk in the park or completely suicidal might be difficult.
Hell's Rebels is my personal favorite of the four. It's certainly the most role play intensive of the four, which I favor. The villains are interesting, and the plot is well developed. It's my hard luck AP. I've started in about 4 attempts to play it here on the boards, and none of the games lasted all the way to the end of book 1. Because it mostly takes place in a single city, and the social aspects of the game are important I think it probably takes the most work for a GM to run. It does a good job of making the party feel like they face impossible odds without actually confronting them with impossible odds because the plot does the work. If your players don't like lots of RP and tend to avoid situations that require social skills do NOT choose this AP.
So now I'm going to bring in the Nazis. If Hell's Rebels feels a bit like playing Resistance fighters in Paris or Amsterdam, Ironfang Invasion feels like playing Yugoslav Partisans in the forests. Both have game subsystems that allow the party to organize a resistance to fight the invaders, and both present scenarios where some form of asymmetrical warfare takes place. I played in a PbP version here on the boards that didn't last to the end of the first book, but I've heard very good things about it. It's very much a wilderness adventure and so it's more of a sandbox AP as Brannart mentioned, at least in some places. That can mean more prep work for the GM to run it. PbP seems to favor adventures in which the party is given a clear direction to go in, rails if you like. My feeling is it's Hell's Rebels for players who'd rather fight than talk.
I think all of them are good in their own ways. Mostly it's a matter of knowing what your players prefer and choosing an AP to match their tastes.
I've always wanted to play through hells rebels.
This is an FYI that I'm going to be away and without access to internet this coming Saturday and Sunday. I will return Sunday evening, when I will catch up on weekend posts.
I had played part 1 of Hell's Rebels in a PFS PbP, but we had a lot of attrition and some players who did not understand that you cannot just leave a trail of corpses in a city under martial law. Especially corpses of the occupying force or their allies.
PFS often carries an assumption of "Kick in the door and use violence," whereas the "urban intrigue under occupation" style requires more finesse to avoid reprisals on innocent civilians. Eventually we got that figured out, once the other players understood the Notoriety mechanic. But then the campaign ran into the Great Paizo Board Outage of August 2018. It was probably on life support even before that (just not a dedicated group of players). Still finished Book 1.
But yeah, the players really need to understand the difference between a resistance and a rebellion.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. This was very helpful.
Vexas, hope you are going away for fun. Watch out for bears.
I might also be quiet this weekend. The weather is going to be spectacular here in Pennsylvania, and I will probably take advantage of as much sunshine as I can.
Fun yes, not bear country :) (though we sometimes do, but West Coast bears).
sorry guys, fell asleep on my 'chair' right after dinner tonight. Week has been just a bit 'stressful'.
brain is mush and Paizo site acting a little wonky tonight. hope to catch up tomorrow.
Brannart, I'm fine with using the Luck Point.
Be safe out there.
Only using it if the Queen rolls a nat 20 on her AOO on me, of course.
Brannart can take a regular hit.
You folks did well in that fight. Not sure if you just rolled above average or if the encounter was not as challenging as I thought it would be.
Yes, Fenna almost died, but most of you were unscathed.
I'll be the first one to admit that I never want to kill a character. That being said, are the encounters exciting for you or should I consider strengthening some encounters moving forward?
Basically, your guys are easily killing my guys.
I am just rambling off some thoughts, but I am open to suggestions if you want more challenging encounters.
Pathfinder in the low levels can be a bit swingy. I make difficulty calls ad hoc. Sure you never want to invalidate players but if they one shot a bunch of stuff making the next guy bigger, angrier or stronger can be fun.
Bosses in my opinion as a forever GM aren't fun if there isn't a chance of failure. Would LotR be as good if Frodo didn't have his failings? Stabbed by the ring wraith, stabbed by a troll nearly killed by Shelob. He could have just used an eagle but that wouldn't be fun and dramatic.
That said by RAW as a 6 person party we are 1 apl higher than a normal party. Also we are 20 point buy which is a bit of a power increase especially at low levels. So for most encounters you could add 1 more CR to encounter budget and we should be fine.
All of that said at the moment I feel pretty good about our power. I feel like our bigger party is just skewing the nubers up a bit. I have see plenty of bad rolls but because we have numbers the odds are in our favor for someone to roll well.
I think you are doing a good job and I do feel a sense of risk.
I think the game requires the GM to be willing to kill characters if that's how the dice fall. As Malakar says, there has to be a chance of failure. And the risk should push us to play smart.
We do have a large party as Malakar notes, and we have Hero Points to cheat death, and then Brannart will also take an ability at level 3 to help. Going negative underwater is bad.
Unconscious characters must begin making Constitution checks immediately upon being submerged (or upon becoming unconscious if the character was conscious when submerged). Once she fails one of these checks, she immediately drops to –1 (or loses 1 additional hit point, if her total is below –1). On the following round, she drowns.
Increasing enemies' offense can make the combats even swingier. Increasing their defense might not be a bad idea (like more HP). You could get away with a larger increase if you simultaneously increased enemies' defense and decreased their offense (like giving the Grindylow Queen a heavy shield and a one-handed weapon instead of a two-handed weapon).
Some APs are even swingier... I am in a combat in Tyrant's Grasp where the boss is using a scythe (x4 crit) and just dropped a frontliner PC from full to negative in a single round without critting. But Tyrant's Grasp is supposed to be survival horror.
One other factor where our large party might have an advantage is skill checks and Aid Another. There are both rules and judgment calls limiting this, but if you are very lenient we will just blow by every DC.
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Maybe we should make some home rules on skills and aid another, like
-2 maximum succesful aid another rolls (everyone can roll)
or
-3 maximum rolls may be attempted (whether succesful or not!)
-to aid another on a trained only skill (Knowledges skills for exemple), you must have at least 1 rank in the skill
I don't have much of a handle on the math behind Pathfinder, it's never really been a big interest of mine and I'm not a GM so I can mostly dodge having to deal with it.
As for how encounters are playing in this game, they feel about the same difficulty level as any of the other games I've played. As others have mentioned, during the first three levels or so things are very swingy, and a couple of good or bad dices rolls can have a big impact.
I've read a couple of forum discussions about balance and PC fatalities and there seemed to be some broad agreement that character deaths tend to cluster in a couple of places. Deaths spike in levels 1 - 3, where they mostly occur due to random bad luck. Later on, around the mid teen levels combat gets very unforgiving and weak builds or slow parties on the initiative suffer. I've barely played above 10 level so I don't have much of an idea how things change myself.
I haven't myself seen skills become a game balance issue. Aid in combat is usually a subpar choice for using actions outside of specific emergencies unless a character is built specifically for it. Outside of combat skill successes tend to enhance the game by revealing the plot more completely and adding flavorful information. There are exceptions, like War for the Crown, where skills are the bread and butter of success. But outside social/intrigue games, skills are secondary to combat, and tend to get supplanted by magic at higher levels anyway.
I'd suggest waiting until 3rd or 4th level to look at difficulty and balance. I think by then we'll see better whether it's systematic or a few flukes.
Later on, around the mid teen levels combat gets very unforgiving and weak builds or slow parties on the initiative suffer.
Just on this point, I have many high-level PCs with mediocre Init, but then again I also tend to invest in fairly decent defenses.
And that is because I have found "rocket tag" to be not that much fun.
With good defense, fights can go a few rounds and everybody can use some of their capabilities. There can be tension and drama. Moves, counter-moves, tactics.
Brannart will certainly have solid offense as a fighter, but he'll have a lot of investment in defense as well and he won't be built to one-round foes of equal CR.
It's looking like the group as a whole is building for more long drawn out strategic fights which I have always found preferable.
Thanks for the input. Your knowledge of the game and willing to share it is invaluable. You are all fun players to have in the game.
When it comes down to it, as long as you are enjoying the game and have at least some sense of risk, then I feel I am doing my job.
I did tweak the Queen a bit. I added the Clam Shell Armor to boost her AC and help set the scene, but I guess it still was not enough. I'll continue to tweak small things until I find a better game balance. Like I mentioned before, I do not like killing characters, and it will never be my goal, but let the dice fall where they may.
Thanks again!
Off to work on a post now.
So Malakar is making an appearance in a physical game I am playing with some friends because they all really liked his description I told them about from this game.
I noticed I made one different build choice with the new Malakar that I didn't with this version which I wonder if I can change as I haven't used the other part as of yet.
This Malakar has a spell like ability from Undine(chill touch for the rimesoul undine) on the new Malakar I traded that with the alternative racial trait of amphibious. Which guves up the sla and allows me to breath( and thus cast spells) under water.
I can make either version work but as a Primary caster from druid already I can't really ever see myself casting the Chill Touch SLA.
Edit: Also at that game my fiancée got distracted and sketched our characters I will have to remember to scan and upload it someplace to show to you guys.
Look forward to viewing the sketches.
The changes are fine by me.
Regarding the spear: It technically is a longspear since I had the Queen use it as a reach weapon. If Fenna prefers her pike, I have no issue with it becoming a short spear.
This is a tricky AP to dole out the magic items you want, and I want happy players. Happy players are more engaged, and when players are engaged, I am engaged.
Off to eat dinner, then I will work on a post.
Longspear is identical stat wise to the boarding pike Fenna uses so I say leave it a Longspear let her have it. Will try to remember to scan the pic this weekend need to clean mu desk to gain access to the computer.