Ruins of Azlant

Game Master Aldizog

I sense a romance brewing ...

I would enjoy some Mummy Mask again... had an alchemist ready to play.

Huh, oops. I thought I'd posted earlier but I guess not. I shouldn't check in on my phone. It's too much trouble to do posts by phone but I then sometimes lose my place by the time I'm at my laptop.

Watched The Tomorrow War over the weekend. Was not expecting much, but I really enjoyed it. They fought these monsters that they called 'White Spikes', and I thought, 'Wow, that would make an awesome RPG monster'. If you have 2.5 hours to kill, I found it to be a good time.

Back in society. Catching up...

I hope you had a good time. And checked for ticks . . .

Quite good. It's been some time since I've been disconnected for that long.

Busy day today. Will try and get a post up tonight. Brannart, stay safe. Looks like Henri is coming your way.

Thanks! If I am AWOL it will be because my power is out, but even then I should be able to post from my phone.

So my inclination as it applies to other similar spells is No.
However when my turn comes up I was considering casting Thorn Javalin so I can stay at range from the Skum in the grease on the ramp.

Would I be able to attack with (throw) a thorn the same round I cast the spell?

Again I think the answer is no because it is similar to other spells like Produce flame. But it would be nice to work the other way.

So my inclination as it applies to other similar spells is No.

However when my turn comes up I was considering casting Thorn Javalin so I can stay at range from the Skum in the grease on the ramp.

Would I be able to attack with (throw) a thorn the same round I cast the spell?

Again I think the answer is no because it is similar to other spells like Produce flame. But it would be nice to work the other way.

I spent some time researching this but could not find a definitive answer. It takes a Standard Action to cast Thorn Javelin, but to attack would be another Standard Action. I don't think the rules allow for the spell to be cast and used for attack in the same round.

While researching, I found something about 5th Edition and spells with Bonus Actions. I could not find anything, but does Pathfinder have some type of feat that allows something similar?

Anyone, please feel free to chime in with your experience.

LOL

I just pulled up the map.

"I got chills, they're multiplying."

I took a look at a few comparable spells to see how they worked (if there was any mention of it). Pathfinder isn't very consistent.

Summon Weapon has an instantaneous casting time so by extension could be used for an attack in the same round.

Twilight Knife is a standard round to cast and doesn't say whether an attack can be made.

Spiritual Weapon is a standard action to cast and an attack can be made in the casting round.

Scorching Ray is a standard action to cast and an attack can be made in the casting round.

So the one that seems to me the odd one out is Summon Weapon with it's instantaneous casting time.

If it were ME making the decision, I'd throw Twilight Knife in with Spiritual Weapon and say it can be used to attack in the casting round. This would make energy and force attacks (even if shaped like a weapon) usable in the casting round.

Since Summon Weapon produces a physically wielded weapon AND specifies instantaneous casting to make it usable in the same round, I'd say Thorn Javelin can't be used to attack in the same round because it requires a standard action to cast. This would make all summoned and physically wielded weapons consistent.

BUT, I only looked at a few spells so I might be finding a false distinction.

Thanks for the analysis Fenna.

LOL

I just pulled up the map.

"I got chills, they're multiplying."

"And I'm losing control"

I Love Grease and Vexas is a very funny boy for his usage.

Grease is definitely one of the greatest 1st-level spells. I've used it to great effect with many of my casters. I just need to beef up the DC since our halflings INT isn't exactly mage-optimal (yet).

I debated what I did vs. casting it on the large skum's ornate spear, but ultimately landed on giving them something hazardous to pass through.

It probably would be in character for Brannart to stand in there and keep fighting the thing until it drops, but stepping back was mostly a metagaming decision to let Vexas have a chance to shine with his Hand of the Apprentice if he wants it.

Don't forget the +2 to hit and damage and the chance to roll twice on the attack.

It probably would be in character for Brannart to stand in there and keep fighting the thing until it drops, but stepping back was mostly a metagaming decision to let Vexas have a chance to shine with his Hand of the Apprentice if he wants it.

Don't forget the +2 to hit and damage and the chance to roll twice on the attack.

While Brannart is a great fighter build, I also see him as a tactician with his veteran status in the crusades. I would say stepping back would also be in-character. And if the little guy drops the big guy, even better.

Will be on the roads this week end, bot me as needed (shooting at foes with Deadly aim and Precise shot, with a comp bow STR 14 mostly)

Happy Travels Sho!

A bit fried after a long week. Will try to get something up tomorrow morning. My niece is getting married tomorrow afternoon, so will be away until sometime on Sunday.

Going to be away from 9/3 - 9/8. The wife wants to go to the National Aviary in Pittsburgh for her birthday, so we are going to trek out there for a few days, check out the birds, and maybe catch a Pirates game.

I might get a bit busy around here. I am trying to get work nice and cleaned up before I take a few days off. Also, the remnants of Ida might dump several inches of rain Wednesday and Thursday. Our rivers are already fairly high; therefore, I might have to deal with some flooding.

So, if you do not hear from me until around the ninth, you know why.

Stay safe everyone and Happy Trails.

Have fun!

Shout out to Malakar. Looks like the storms were real bad in your vicinity. Hope you made it through alright.

All good. They hit hard all around me but where I was at was just bad wind and rain. A coworker tho had almost an hour extra commute because of downed trees and lines.

Worst that happened to me was while leaving the doctor's yesterday I got a 2nd shower :/

I am back but had a long day catching up on things. Tomorrow, going to see our niece perform at half-time during her high school football game. Will catch up over the weekend.

Sounds good! I hope your trip was great!

Welcome back!

Welcome again!

Post is finally up. Apologies for the delay. We finally had a beautiful Saturday with fall-like temps and low humidity. Perfect for an all-day hike.

I believe the post gets us updated. If I missed something, let me know.

The trip was great. Pittsburgh is an old city with some amazing architecture. The The Parador Inn we stayed at is an old, presumably haunted, mansion on the North Shore. It has a caribbean vibe and is in walking distance to the National Aviary and the stadiums. Amy, my wife, loves behind-the-scenes tours when we visit places like the National Aviary. We got to hand-feed penguins, and hold a hawk and a huge Eurasian Eagle-Owl named Dumbledore.

A Seaborne ranseur is somewhat of an odd design choice, since the main value of a Seaborne weapon is that it can be used underwater without penalty. This is great for slashing or bludgeoning weapons, but piercing weapons already do well underwater in most cases. That's why Brannart took a ranseur in the first place.

Still, the +1 to hit and damage is nice, as is the additional +2 on Swim checks.

Brannart would like to use it if nobody else wants it. I think Sho is the only other one proficient in it.

A Seaborne ranseur is somewhat of an odd design choice, since the main value of a Seaborne weapon is that it can be used underwater without penalty. This is great for slashing or bludgeoning weapons, but piercing weapons already do well underwater in most cases. That's why Brannart took a ranseur in the first place.

Still, the +1 to hit and damage is nice, as is the additional +2 on Swim checks.

Brannart would like to use it if nobody else wants it. I think Sho is the only other one proficient in it.

In the AP, the actual weapon is a +1 Seaborne Glaive, but the AP did note that the GM may want to use discretion since magical weapons may be hard to come by early on in the AP. Since Brannart's weapon of choice is the ranseur, it made sense to me to make the change. I am open to suggestions if there is another preference on weapon or magical augmentation.

Brannart has no particular preference for any one kind of weapon at this point - he has no Weapon Focus feat and no Weapon Training, for example.

Combat Reflexes, which he has, does work well with a reach weapon. But a key feat that it enables, Stand Still, doesn't work with reach weapons at all. Various other higher-level Fighter feats and abilities also only work on adjacent squares. That's the big question I've been pondering, to keep Reach or switch to something without.

A Seaborne weapon of any kind would let him swap out Aquatic Combatant (his level 2 fighter bonus feat) for a different feat at level 4, using the free fighter retraining.

Anyway, make the weapon whatever you want. At higher levels, Brannart might look to add Transformative to it.

A +2 equivalent weapon is a huge boon for a level-3 PC and I don't mean to be either ungrateful or greedy. I would happily use it if it helps the party survive.

Long day today. I'll catch up tomorrow.

I gave some thought regarding the Seaborne Ranseur. Let's leave it as is, but the bonus to the Swim skill will be +4. Also, the dolphins that decorate the secondary blades offer a form of echo-location. (While under water and holding the weapon, the wielder gains a +2 to Perception)

Hopefully this will make the weapon slightly more interesting.

Thoughts?

The Seaborne Ranseur would be a fine weapon with or without those changes. Brannart will happily use it.

Didn't we also find a magic sword earlier? Maybe Fenna or Sho should have that.

Does anybody want the sword that Brannart linked to? Could try the Spellcraft check in the post . . .

Thanks Brannart for finding this post. You get a +2 on a roll of your choice.

Argh! I really must stop checking in by phone. I don't post by phone, too hard, then I forget I need to post.

As for the sword, Fenna can take it if nobody else wants it. But it seems like it's maybe better for Sho. In situations where it's hard to use a bow or magical weapons are needed she'll have a good backup weapon.

Fenna already has a +1 spear as her primary weapon and the reach attacks help keep her alive.

As for future plans, as with Brannart I'm wondering what to do with Fenna in the combat realm. Her damage will quickly become insignificant, though I still have a couple of booster options like Arcane Strike.

I'm wondering if it might be worthwhile to build a defensive aid style direction. It takes several feats: Combat Expertise -> Body Guard -> Combat Reflexes - > (Probably) Swift Aid. Then she could support frontliners by boosting their AC. But on the other hand that's quite a few feats for only a small AC increase, it's really something that works for Halflings.

It can be done with fewer feats and better AC bonuses with a 1 level dip into Oracle for the Succor mystery. But I'm also hesitant to interrupt Fenna's Bard progression.

Anyway, if anyone has any comments or opinions on the subject please let me know.

@Vexas: Related to the previous subject, are you familiar with the Magic Trick feat?

The Mage Hand option for aid another is what brought it to mind, but there are other spell options you might like too. It seems to fit Vexas well.

Wow, that is interesting (and does fit well). Well, I've got time before a choice to figure out which spell I would pick.

Thanks!

@Fenna - I have been a lot about what sort of group tactics we would want to use.

It seems like our preferred approach will be to have Malakar and Brannart in front, with Fenna in the second rank and Vexas and Sho providing ranged support. Fenna's damage isn't that far behind right now. Eventually, combat maneuvers can be a good thing to do with reach weapons, although bards don't have the best attack bonuses (Gallant Inspiration can help but doesn't stack with Inspire Courage).

I like the idea of a defensive aid build (I play one in Tyrant's Grasp) but bards don't get any bonus feats so it would take a very long time to come online. And I have found that positioning requirements often make it more challenging in practice than I anticipated. Taking Lastwall Phalanx plus the Shared Training spell might be a less feat-intensive way of boosting AC (and saves), although only against evil foes.

For the time being, Brannart is going to remain flexible. Using a reach weapon at the start of the fight to get AOOs as the foes close for combat, then dropping it and switching to the sword if necessary. He's not going to typically charge into combat, since advancing on foes wastes a reach advantage. His AC will improve once he gets Unhindering Shield next level, enabling him to keep his buckler bonus to AC even with a two-handed weapon.

Weapons are kind of a temporary thing for Malakar. My archetype delays wild shape to level 6. I do have an option now to gain a Bite attack for a minute but I have been saving it for tough encounters where full attacking with sword and mouth would be a boon.

Wanted to give you all a heads up on my schedule. Next week is going to be a blur. I have 3 back-to-back doctor appointments mid-week. Then next weekend into the early following week, my wife and I will be away for our 19th anniversary. If you do not see many posts for the next week and a half, I am still around.

No problem Boss!

I spend way too much time disassociating by scrolling through TikTok and found one that shows fish can miss people so this is Razor and I when Malakar next gets an adventure break.

Happy fishy

I spend way too much time disassociating by scrolling through TikTok

Oh good, it's not just me (lol, swim shady).

Hey There Colonists,

I am trying to muster some energy together to get back to this. After my slew of doctor appointments last week, I had a nice long anniversary weekend. Now, trying to catch up on work by putting in some longer hours.

Thanks for the patience and understanding.

No worries Mioki. I've been slammed at work so I haven't had much free time either.

No worries. While I have been habitually checking out of add brain and slowness at work I am more than willing to wait as long as needed.

Hey everyone. I'll be away in the wilderness this weekend, Starting Friday evening and through Sunday evening (Pacific time). Thursday night is likely the last time I can post beforehand, but I should be able to catch up Sunday night!

Have fun on that trip. This time of year is awesome for some backpacking.

I almost have a post ready. The map is done. I just have to set the scene better than I have it written now. I am out of gas for the night, but I should be able to get this game back up tomorrow. Again, thanks for your patience and understanding.

this is the slight fall lull that the PNW gets between "summer" and "monsoon" seasons :P