This is the discussion thread for the Outpost III online convention game: Overflow Archives. In order to play in this game you have to have first signed up for it on the Outpost III sign up sheet. General admission sign-up begins on Monday, March 2, 2020.
As this is a discussion thread, we talk about stuff here. But before we do, if everyone who is interested in playing could please provide me with the following info:
Player Name
Character Name
PFS #
Faction
Day Job Roll (if any)
Level Progression Speed (slow or standard)
Initiative Modifier
Perception Modifier
Sense Motive Modifier
If you could then "ghost dot" on the Gameplay thread with the character you are playing so that this game shows up on your campaign page.
- A few quick notes
- • This is a CORE game, so CORE and chronicle source-based characters only. Do not bring your Leshy Investigator here--at least not without some damn good sources.
- • It is a Tier 1-5 game, so your character must be between 1st and 5th level to play.
- • Content in “The Overflow Archives” contributes directly to the ongoing 6th season storyline of the Dark Archive faction.
- • Other than that there are no real special requirements for this adventure (i.e. you do not need a character to have a certain aptitude for Diplomacy or Stealth, nor do you need someone who can survive on their own in arctic-cold or underwater).
About me I am not a pushy GM, but I would like to finish on time. I hate botting people. I'll do it at need, but I have more than enough NPCs to play as it is. You are signing up to play in an RPG game, so play it. Things happen sure, but in general you should be present, and not just for my sake, but for everyone else at the game table too.
I don't put your character in front of the next door they have to kick down, and I certainly don't kick it down for them. That's called: writing a novel. We are here to game. Your character can do as they like (or not) within the game world. You guys are the heroes here, so you move the story. I'm just here to guide you through the world, and to judge the results.
Our official start date is Monday, March 30th.
Stay thirsty my friends.
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Player Name: philipjcormier
Character Name: Hannar the Wild
PFS #: 55792-8
Faction: Grand Lodge
Day Job Roll (if any): None
Level Progression Speed (slow or standard): Standard
Initiative Modifier: +4
Perception Modifier: +0
Sense Motive Modifier: +0
Notes: Hannar the Wild has Resist Fire: 10 and has 5 6L scrolls of Mage Armor purchased from The Confirmation. Any questions, please feel free to ask.
For those who don't know, but were curious....
DETERMINING AVERAGE PARTY LEVEL
In order to determine which subtier a mixed-level group of PCs must play in, calculate the group’s Average Party Level (APL).APL = sum of character levels/number of characters
Divide the total number of character levels by the number of characters in the party, rounding to the nearest whole number. If the result of the Average Party Level calculation ends with 0.5, the players should decide whether to round up or down....
Starting with Season 4, scenarios were designed for six characters and contained methods to adjust for tables with four players. When the APL of a table is between two subtiers (like APL 3 for a Tier 1–5 scenario), a party of four characters must play the lower tier without any adjustments for party size. A party of five to seven characters whose APL falls between two subtiers must play the higher tier with the "four-character adjustments" found throughout the scenario....
At present we are playing high (level 4-5) tier (2,3,3,4,5,5).
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That works for me. In general, I don't mind playing slightly higher than my character's level. The rewards are richer that way. It's also good for Yangrit's ego. This character could become downright insufferable if no one pulled at least as much weight as her. ;)
On that note, for anyone who hasn't played with Yangrit: She's really, really grouchy. Essentially like a combination of Oscar the Grouch and Debbie Downer, on a PMS day (so much less charming). So far, whenever I've asked, people have said they liked the role play. However, if you ever feel it's too much, please let me know. I'll apologize and adjust appropriately. I certainly don't want her to be so toxic as to reduce anyone's enjoyment of the game.
With over 80% of the participants present, and signed in, I'd like to go over a few not-so-last-minute items.
1. First, thanks for coming!
2. If folks could (if you haven't already) head over to the second page of the google slides document and post some more statistical info about your characters in the space provided, that would be great. (Yeah, I know some of it is a repeat, but I didn't think about it until now.)
3. Marching Order! Consider your marching order, with the idea that folks in the even numbered positions might move up a spot when you can stand in two rows. Also, remember to place your pets if any. Take a look at each other's sheets to get a handle on what folks can do in an emergency situation.
HANDY DANDY MARCHING ORDER ORGANIZER
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
4. Bernard mentioned he's played this scenario before anyone else? If so at what level? As this is an investigative adventure, please keep in mind the difference between in- and out-of-character knowledge. Don't spoil things, but also don't hold back from providing info your character might rightfully know.
5. Finally, feel free to post in the gameplay play thread. We cannot officially start the module until the end of the month, but feel free to RP and get to know one another. Describe your characters in appearance, action in speech. I should note that I despise the typical "We all show up in a meeting room for a briefing" intros... I despise the typical "We all show up in a meeting room for a briefing" intros, so pay attention to that first post in the Gameplay thread.
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What are we playing again....oh yeah....let me look....well now, It appears I did play this in standard format in June of 2016. I might remember things as we go, but really don't have much of a clue.
Looks like we are missing the other monk. Assuming they will take one of the first two positions along with Yangrit, I will take 3 or 4 along with Deluge. If that sounds good with the others, that is.
HANDY DANDY MARCHING ORDER ORGANIZER
1. Yangrit
2.
3. Deluge
4. Hannar
5. Bernard
6.
YOUR HANDY DANDY MARCHING ORDER ORGANIZER
1. Yangrit
2. Pau
3. Deluge
4. Hannar
5. Bernard
6. Xusius
Feel free to adjust.
More questions! Have any of the participating PCs had any interaction with Dean and Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shaine, or Zarta Dralneen the head of the Dark Archive faction within the Pathfinder Society? If so, how did it go? Did anything notable happen?
Well, if the NPCs in question didn't make that much of an impression on your character I wouldn't worry about it. I'm just asking for the sake of historical verisimilitude. I've had PCs who made fun of Shaine's Hot Tub Rose Bed Time Machine in The Sky Key Solution, and a CORE paladin who smacked Sheila Heidmarch during Race for the Runecarved Key. (Spoiler--if you ever play that scenario with a paladin you too might find yourself doing the same.)
If you wanted to though, you could do a product search using the NPCs names on this site, or a search of your own character's past posts, or look them up on one of the various Pathfinder wikis (which will offer a partial list in the bibliography). At best these are all incomplete fixes. I don't know of a truly comprehensive list. The Confirmation springs to mind for Shane though, and Zarta was in First Steps I.
I don't remember a significant encounter, even though Deluge is a Dark Archives member.
Yangrit was in one of your Confirmation runs. I don't recall anything particular between her and the NPCs.
It is not terrifically significant. If you don't remember them chances are they wouldn't remember your PC. It is mostly for role-playing reasons. Yangrit (and any voyeurs) here's the couple of times that I know your character met the Grand Lodge's Master of Scrolls (1, 2).
On other topics; we are playing in the high-tier for this game.
I'm just waiting on Pau to check in. I put feelers out for all the stray cats in my herd tonight.
We cannot officially start until the 30th. I'm not actually sure when the 30th "officially" begins since this is world-wide event, but we still have time, so you have a few days to finalize you characters, figure out who you are playing with, and chat in-character on the Gameplay thread (if your PC happens to be a social night owl), or here out-of-character.
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Yangrit was in one of your Confirmation runs. I don't recall anything particular between her and the NPCs.It is not terrifically significant. If you don't remember them chances are they wouldn't remember your PC. It is mostly for role-playing reasons. Yangrit (and any voyeurs) here's the couple of times that I know your character met the Grand Lodge's Master of Scrolls (1, 2).
Yeah, I did look up the Confirmation to see if she had any significant interaction with him. It didn't look like she acted in such a way as to make a particularly strong impression, though I didn't read through all of it. She's certainly gotten more surly since then.
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Monks are the best for Mage Armor. My monk/inquisitor bought a pearl of power and a runestone of power for the purpose of enticing spell casters to buff her using her lesser metamagic rod of extend just so she could have the thing running all day and night long. And she has a wand of mage armor and trained UMD as a backup. And just in case that didn't work out because she has to sleep, she keeps a potion of mage armor by her bedside :)
Oh, and make friends with a druid. Barskin, particularly at higher levels, is worth some grovelling.
If permissible, As the group gathers together, Hannar will take 5 scrolls out of his backpack. He will cast the first on himself, then the remaining ones on whoever would like. The 5 scrolls are Mage Armor (6L; The Confirmation).
If not permissible, please advise.
Certainly.
The flaming sphere bounces off him, drops into water beneath, and then goes out with a hiss.
I for one am not sure anyone can truly say they understand this spell the way it is written. There are so many rules questions about flaming sphere that go well beyond movement, but I will try my best to break my thinking down. First, the description:
A burning globe of fire rolls in whichever direction you point and burns those it strikes. It moves 30 feet per round. As part of this movement, it can ascend or jump up to 30 feet to strike a target. If it enters a space with a creature, it stops moving for the round and deals 3d6 points of fire damage to that creature, though a successful Reflex save negates that damage. A flaming sphere rolls over barriers less than 4 feet tall. It ignites flammable substances it touches and illuminates the same area as a torch would.
The sphere moves as long as you actively direct it (a move action for you); otherwise, it merely stays at rest and burns. It can be extinguished by any means that would put out a normal fire of its size. The surface of the sphere has a spongy, yielding consistency and so does not cause damage except by its flame. It cannot push aside unwilling creatures or batter down large obstacles. A flaming sphere winks out if it exceeds the spell’s range.
Just to be clear, this is my interpretation only, if there is a clear-cut official FAQ ruling on this anywhere I'll be happy to look at it. With that out of the way, the flaming sphere itself seems to "roll" at foes not fly. Rolling is something that most things do on a surface like the ground. While it can "ascend"--a term often used for going up stairs--that is still not specifically "flying" and that gets to the crux of my argument. The fact that the rules say it can "jump 30' to strike a target" sort of seals it for me. It indicates (again, to me) that the sphere is not completely immune to gravity. Why say it otherwise? Can it move it's maximum distance and then jump an additional 30'? No. What is it even jumping off of if its hovering? Why say "jump" at all? Why not leave it at the unhelpfully vague term "ascend". I think they added "ascend" to avoid the "well, most things only roll downhill, so does it only do that?" argument. Again, just thinking out loud.
Regardless it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Assuming that the sphere must return to earth after jumping, it would in this case fall into a foot of water that is directly beneath the spot it stopped in to deal damage, and of course water can extinguish it normally.
Basically, it looks like the developers specifically went out of their way to not say "fly" in its description, and if you can't fly and end your movement five-feet over water you typically fall in. If this happened somewhere dry then the sphere could hop back up at Albatross again (assuming he was still in range).
Remember too, that this is/was primarily a 2D game. More modern games' permutations of the spell (like Pathfinder 2: the Electric Boogaloo and D&D Fifth Edition) look like they canonize the whole "it rolls around on a solid surface" thing.
Thoughts?
Find the point in the video where you want to begin using that red progress bar at the bottom. Right click on the spot and select "copy url at current time" (or something like that). You can fine tune the starting point as the last number in the url address is the number of seconds into the video you are starting at so if it's too soon you can just add a second or two. Too late? Just knock off a few.
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Unfortunately, Druids have a pathetic spell list when it comes to combat. At least core druids do. It's either a situational spell like entangle, warp wood, or heat metal at that level, or you go with flaming sphere or flame blade. They do have some decent buff spells though.
How about produce flame?
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Unfortunately, Druids have a pathetic spell list when it comes to combat. At least core druids do. It's either a situational spell like entangle, warp wood, or heat metal at that level, or you go with flaming sphere or flame blade. They do have some decent buff spells though.How about produce flame?
I’m a big fan of Produce Flame. Decent little ranged spell, I think.
I'm pretty certain that I have never actually played a druid, but I have seen produce flame used to great effect.
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Xusius has light going and Glitterdust has a 10' radius sphere of effect. I would think if I can see at least 1' of it's head I can center the burst 5' above that.
It's kind of like targeting a fireball to detonate behind and above a giant so the party doesn't get roasted as well.
But then again, I am not the GM, so it's up to you. I can cast on the other target or delay if I can't see that one either.
It's not the most intuitive thing on a 2D map--where we have (pardon the pun) a bird's eye view, but these are my thoughts on the subject.
First though--player participation time! Stand up and step 10' away from a 10-foot-tall wall, or other similar obstacle. Now try to imagine seeing something that is vaguely the same height as that (or even a 2 feet taller) behind another such obstacle about 30' away on the other side of that obstacle. No cheating Shaquille! Now imagine your co-workers (whom you can hear, but again I don't think you can see) are somewhere between you, and your target.
That's sort of where I am coming from. I don't think that Hallar can realistically see even the target area from where he is currently standing just based upon the angles of things.