| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Greetings Company!
Valais Durant has hand-picked you to come explore Xin Edasseril!
Player Name > Zachary Seldon
Character Name > DM rainzax
Society ID > #2366390-200X
Faction > Dungeon Master's Association
Downtime > Navigate Campaign Tab Lore = = 5 copper x 8 days = 0.40 gold
Network Items > Lesser Laptop + Spotty Internet Connection
Slotted Boons > Longtime Home DM + 1 GM Star (almost) + Pencil and Paper Tendency
|
I'm really excited to be able to play Rose here. Thank-you for choosing her.
Player Name > Sedoriku
Character Name > Rose "the ex-Scout" Thesar
Society ID > 108507-2004
Faction > Envoy's Alliance
Downtime > Success! 8 days・5 cp=40 cp earned.
Could I ask you to create a gameplay thread? We don't have to start jsut yet, but even posting something in it an immediately deleting it adds the entire campaign to our campaign page where we can immediately see updates and what not. Helps keep things organized and prevent us from having to hunt down the thread.
|
Player Name > Tarondor
Character Name > Imiriax
Society ID > 2405-2001
Faction > Vigilant Seal
Downtime >
Imiriax bounces into the room. "Think of it! Xin-Edesseril! We will be among the very first to see it over a hundred centuries! Did you know it was entombed in time until just two years ago? It was ruled by one of the fabled Runelords!"
Player Name > Doug Hahn
Character Name > Apollon Zamp
Society ID > #232159-2003
Faction > Envoy's Alliance
Downtime > Pass (not rolling anything; 0 for Earn Income)
Let us hope piles of treasure and fabulous histories await — enough to excite even a tired old charlatan like myself!
|
|
Hi, all. Looking forward to this adventure with you.
Player Name > Iff
Character Name > Helène Yolescu
Society ID > #175548-2002
Faction > Envoy's Aliance
Downtime > Earn Income with Diplomacy (through Bargain hunter). = 5 copper x 8 days = 0.40 gold
"Treasure isn't everything... I used to think so, but I'd like to believe I've grown wiser since."
Zamp smilingly nods his head. By no means is treasure "everything," but few — if any — have ever quibbled about the thrill of finding it. Unless it's inconveniently heavy. But one must always hope for the best.
Interesting Development
The Module's Map is wrong about where exactly Xin-Edasseril is.
I have made a correction on the Slides, cross-referencing with the Lost Omens World Guide.
Interesting mix--I think our only hard front-liner is a monk/sorcerer, Kunsheng is the only healer, and the rest of us are rogues, spellcasters, or both.
Which means I have no one to cast magic weapon on.
GM, can those of us with spell books trade spells during the voyage?
Players,
I had one player quit and another unresponsive, so I went ahead and filled out our 5th and 6th party slots. I will have our 6th introduce themselves shortly.
Tarondor,
Once you get the mission briefing, I'll have you make your Phase Two choices (which includes preparing spells and similar considerations), as I believe you will be able to make a more informed decision by then. It may likely end up feeling a bit like a narrative retro-action, which I am hoping you will be okay with, and could be explained as your characters having in-game knowledge of what to expect ahead of time, even if their "player" is still catching up.
As for Learning a Spell - or any Exploration / Downtime for that matter - if you can think of an in-game reason to justify your activities, and explain such in the Gameplay thread, while not breaking Society rules, I tend towards a loose whistle as concerns adjudication and arbitration.
...
If anyone has further out-game questions, please do not hesitate to ask in this Discussion thread. As I stated earlier, my goal is to show you a good time!
|
|
Hi Rose, welcome back.
Regarding the 7-player party: I've never been in one, and I can only assume that there were good reasons why the campaign leadership chose to ban them. Rainzax, could you please take a close look at encounter difficulty and make sure we don't run into anything impossible because of the 7-player party and corresponding party challenge points? Also, will the 1st-level characters get a level bump because we're at 19 challenge points now?
To be clear, I would never attempt this at an in-person table. Psychologically, my experience is that a seventh tips the table towards continued low-incidence distracted inattention, something we don't have to worry about in this medium. I suspect Leadership chose to enact a ban for similar reasons, but that is just me speculating.
I will defer the question about a Level Bump to our more experienced GMs here. My gut says that as we are playing low-tier, the answer is no. That said, whatever would the official Society ruling is what we'll go with here. Feel free to post here, or to PM me. I would be slightly preferential towards the latter for my own reasons, but remain flexible.
We are at 19 Challenge points, meaning we are actually in the high tier. This means level 1's would get a bump.
Parties with challenge points of 15 or less always play in the lower subtier. Parties with 19 or more always play in the high sub tier.
(It's important to acknowledge that this info isn't very easy to find!)
I can swap to a melee pregen to drop us down to 18 ChP, or just drop if the overall preference is not to play with 7. (I have plenty of opportunities to play this on VTT, I have GM'd this scenario already, and my honest preference is not to play in 7-person parties — although I DID want to do some PbP with the GM!).
Anyway, I am happy to accommodate the party needs here.
Strong preference to have everyone keep their characters as written.
I further implore you all to take a chance with me!
Yes, we will be playing high tier, and yes, all but one of us is actually of that tier, but if I may convince you to cease what may amount to over-thinking, and extend me your trust, I am sure we can have great fun together these 2 months.
We have the added lifeline of a Combat Mentor Boon option being potentially on the table, to address the mathematics head-on.
I am going to go ahead and start constructing my next Gameplay post assuming all of the above, if you don't mind...
My Boons
School Items: Feather token (ladder), Minor healing Potion
Slotted Boons: Skillful Mentor (generic), Sand Slide [reaction] (general), Envoy's Champion (Faction)
GM Rewards
As a 1-glyph GM I can hand out an extra hero point to a character at the beginning of the adventure.
Xue, have a Hero Point!
Faction Boon for Level 1 Characters
I have slotted Skillful Mentor for any PCs benefiting from a Level Bump and whose levels are lower than 2. You can increase the Level Bump’s modifier to skill checks to 2. Note that you can only benefit from two of these kinds of boons at a time.
|
|
GM: Imiriax's Networking Points are spelled out in his character sheet:
NETWORKING POINTS
3 points in the Spells School - Gains Architecture Lore, a vial of holy water and a scroll of burning hands.
My standard spell loadout will be:
Cantrips: Detect Magic, Electric Arc, Light, Shield, Sigil, Tanglefoot
1st Level: Burning Hands, Charm, Grease, Magic Weapon
|
|
Just realized One-Who-Waits is slotless, so spending 2 Fame to purchase and slot Combat Mentor instead. Also slotting Vigilant Seal Champion as a Faction boon.
@Apollon: You get a Faction boon slot for free, so you don't need to spend a slot on Envoy's Alliance Champion if you have a different boon you'd prefer to slot instead.
Players,
The following is a general overview of how Society adventures work, as well as a specific overview on how this adventure will work. Please bear with, as, the idea is that the added bookkeeping increases the play experience, which is our explicit aim. I am dividing that extra bookkeeping in half - half to you (the player), half to me (the GM).
Adventures can be played on two "modes": Easy Mode, or Hard Mode (actually: "low-tier" and "high-tier"). We are doing the latter.
As a result, in addition to increasing the difficulty of skill challenges, encounters, and the value of found treasures (!) - all stuff on the GM side of the screen - the Society structure also provides bonuses to lower-level characters, to increase their survivability and contributivity, in the form of a Level Bump. Furthermore, our two resident veterans are improving that Level Bump by slotting Mentor Boons.
I'm going to break down how this will impact each of you. Some of the adjustments I expect you to make (the Senses and Defenses in your Character Bar), the rest of the adjustments (Offense and Utility) I will take care of on my end. (If you are curious, I have Post-its representing each of your characters on my IRL desk, which I have already been using, if you have noticed, to roll skill checks on your behalf).
Here we go!
...
Bardok Marsh
No changes - you are the ranking officer on this mission (3rd level), instructing his fellow lower-level pathfinders in the way of combat efficacy! (see below)
...
Apollon Zamp, Helène Yolescu, Imiriax
You are all the second-ranking officers on this mission (2nd level).
Please adjust the following Senses and Defense scores in your Character Bar:
-Perception by +1
-AC by +1
-Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saves by +1
-Hit Points by +10
Please do not adjust the following Offense and Utility scores, as I will be handling that on my end:
-Attack rolls and Spell Attack rolls by +2 (thank you Bardok!)
-Damage rolls and Spell Damage by +1
-DCs to Spells and Abilities by +1
-Skill checks by +1
Similar to Bardok Marsh (see above), Apollen Zamp will be providing special services on this mission, instructing his fellow lower-level pathfinder in the way of skill application! (see below)
...
Dr. Orris Duftwurtz, Rose Thesar, Xue "Qīngwā" Kunsheng
You are all the third-ranking officers on this mission (1st level).
Please adjust the following Senses and Defense scores in your Character Bar:
-Perception by +1
-AC by +1
-Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saves by +1
-Hit Points by +10
Please do not adjust the following Offense and Utility scores, as I will be handling that on my end:
-Attack rolls and Spell Attack rolls by +2 (thank you Bardok!)
-Damage rolls and Spell Damage by +1
-DCs to Spells and Abilities by +1
-Skill checks by +2 (thank you Apollen!)
...
TLDR > Find your character's name above, make any corresponding modifications ("Level Bumps") to your Senses and Defense scores only (Perception, AC, saves, HP) in your Character Bar , and know that I got the rest handled for you.
Cheers!
Players,
Apollon's player and I came to a resolution that obviates the need for Level Bumps and Mentor Boons altogether, allowing us to instead play on Easy Mode (@ 18 Challenge Points).
*As a result, please ignore the Level Bump thread - or undo any changes you have already made - as it is no longer part of our game.
*Those who slotted Mentor Boons, please unslot those boons (they cannot apply on Easy Mode), and free up that slot.
Sorry for the back and forth.
Cheers!
Zamp is updated to level 1.
Please put the credit on:
Player Name > Doug Hahn
Character Name > Apollon Zamp
Society ID > #232159-2004
Faction > Envoy's Alliance
Downtime > Pass (not rolling anything; 0 for Earn Income)
|
|
For phase two, Rose only has her Faction boon
She has three points of training in scrolls (taking scribe as her lore) and has taken a Lesser Eagle-eye Elixir and a Minor Elixir of Healing.
*As a result, please ignore the Level Bump thread - or undo any changes you have already made - as it is no longer part of our game.
It has been unapplied!
|
|
Thank you, Zamp. I'm glad a situation could be reached that leaves us in low subtier.
My in-game post will have to wait until I get home from work later today, but I had some time over lunch to check on boons and faction perks.
Faction items (scrolls) > minor healing potion (x2)
Slotted boons > Faction (Envoy's Alliance)
Helène will not slot her ally boon, it seems inappropriate to bring an extra on this mission. Slotting the wayfinder boon is dependant on a question I'm going to ask Guaril and Valais: If we can't be seen to have ties to the Pathfinder Society, she won't take her wayfinder.
Helène,
The short answer is yes. I think you caught me in the middle of crafting my large post, judging by the timestamps, which I am finding, takes me the better part of 2 hours or more. I also find myself, after having posted a large post, making re-edits to clarify grammer, description, and formatting, tacking on easily another 30 minutes.
As a result, to answer more generally, as I'm committed to doing an average of one large post per day, for my own reasons (primarily, dislike of thread "clutter", secondarily, to both to create a summary + jumping off point), I'm liable to refrain from posting a series of quick & short posts back & forth, instead not only relying on the thoroughness of my large posts, but also - your questions being a perfect example! - the other players to read eachother's posts and respond to them in-game.
That said, if we need to do an important retcon, I won't hesitate to intervene.
Let me know if this is a sufficient answer.
Cheers!
Players,
I wanted to check in here concerning two norms.
DM spoilers
You are encouraged to read these. It has come to my attention that GMs differ as to their opinion whether it is appropriate or intended that their players freely "peak over the screen". Just wanted to pop in and share that in this game, these spoilers are intended to be player-facing. In fact, I have been leaving you notes inside of them, and only recently realized I may have players who would never get to read them!
I trust all of your role-playing instincts correspondingly.
"Botting" and Pacing
After considerable thought, I formulated my own ideas about how I'd like to address "botting" (playing someone else's character in their absence) specifically, but before sharing, wanted to hear any strong opinions on norms that other games have set around maintaining a continuity of narrative flow while also respecting differentiated engagements and work / play balance.
Curious your insights!
|
|
DM spoilers
You are encouraged to read these. It has come to my attention that GMs differ as to their opinion whether it is appropriate or intended that their players freely "peak over the screen". Just wanted to pop in and share that in this game, these spoilers are intended to be player-facing. In fact, I have been leaving you notes inside of them, and only recently realized I may have players who would never get to read them!I trust all of your role-playing instincts correspondingly.
Haha, I definitely missed the memo on this! I'll for sure check in with behind-the-screen info in the future.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
GM spoilers
Indeed, I usually make it a point not to read these. After all, I assume that's why a GM would put them behind a spoiler in the first place. I know I can separate IC and OOC knowledge, but if possible I'd like to spoil myself as little as possible. I'll read them for now on. However, for your information my personal preference would be to put anything meant for players not in a spoiler.
Botting and pacing
The norms I've seen from other games, is that one post per 24 hours segment during the week should be doable. Posting once during the weekend is preferable, but not really considered necessary. Botting can (and should) happen to keep the pace if one person seems to hold up the action of story. If more than one person has missed posting, I've seen GM's give a bit more time. If that happens a lot, it might usually warrant a discussion post to discuss the preferred pacing on the entire group.
With regards to the botting itself, I've mostly seen GM's refrain from putting characters at risk during the botting move, as well as being hesitant to use limited resources (consumables in particular).
When I GM I expect my players not to use spoiler information to unfair advantage, but understand that some players do read them. That's OK. It's human nature to metagame a bit — but not to cheat. As a player I prefer not to read spoilers — it's more fun that way, but that's my preference! In this case, I will start reading your spoilers.
I also expect a post once every 24 hours on weekdays and once on the weekend, but I am pretty flexible on that as long as the narrative keeps moving (for example, I drafted a post yesterday but forgot to actually save it — however, it seems like we're still moving).
I have a rather extensive Expectations, Style, and Formatting document for my own PbP games; it discusses the issues you bring up and hits on the topics I've found important. Sometimes it can help to peek at what other GMs are up to.
----
Overall, I think our narrative flow is fine so far. We're posting every day, even if 1-2 players have not posted as frequently.
|
|
I definitely don't read spoilers unless directed to.
I have found the volume of information in this particular game difficult to keep up with. Although I check in once daily, it feels as though the point of decision is always past when I do check in and I'm left with only being able to post commentary. That's not a bad thing - a fast paced game is good. It's just that it may be faster paced than I can contribute to regularly.
Although I check in once daily, it feels as though the point of decision is always past when I do check in and I'm left with only being able to post commentary. That's not a bad thing - a fast paced game is good. It's just that it may be faster paced than I can contribute to regularly.
I'll try to hang back a bit. I've GM'd this so I should be letting others drive a bit more.
|
|
Hello everyone!
I kinda feel into a slump there for a while and didn't get posts in for a few days in all my games but this one in particular I haven't been posting for a while now. I have been running in the feeling that I should get a gigantic post in each time I post, but often have no idea what to post at those times. You guys have been making amazing posts to read and I love the narrative and pacing, but I should be posting more myself.
Thank you for pushing along and I hope that my lack of posting has not been a problem for the game.
GM Spoilers
I peek off and on, mostly as a way to see how a GM runs things and why. It helps with trying find good ways to improve my own games. I truly try to separate Player and Character knowledge whenever I do, generally posting before looking. Warning that important things are behind the spoilers is helpful though, and I'll be aware I should look more from now on.
Botting and Pacing
You've been amazing about letting the players have agency with decisions, using the favorite system in a way I haven't seen in a game before and allowing people to quickly support a plan without forcing them to get a post in (and probably with minimal or non-existent RP). This seems like a scenario with a lot of small moving parts and small encounters or things that the players have to do, so the pacing has been good (personally). As for botting, setting up a policy is super helpful, and I've seen GMs okay with botting a player themselves or others who ask another player to bot for them instead. Generally I think this is only really appropriate when only one character has the skills necessary to do something important or in combat. Otherwise they can hang towards the back and just be quiet or be off in their own head or talking up one of the girls at the bar, etc. But if you want to try something else that would be perfectly fine too!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Players,
Appreciate your feedback. I'm going to shift to separating Player Notes from DM Spoilers. That said, if you are curious, you are still welcome to peak.
Here is my proposal for Botting and Pacing:
Exploration Mode
I am less concerned with this. But essentially, as some here have already demonstrated, if you miss a couple posts in a row, feel welcome to respond to as many as you missed, even as the timeline is asynchronous. If there is an important retcon, I'll step in to make it. Else, probably just let it be, as it seems to be working fine.
Encounter Mode
Going to be honest that the prospect of having to "bot" one of your characters makes me shudder. I'd therefore would request to opt out from that responsibility personally, and instead call upon fellow players to step up to that responsibility. I'd like to propose a "Bot Tree" and a "24-hr Trigger":
Bot Tree + 24-hr Trigger
You are responsible for checking in with two other characters - those alphabetically before and after you - and botting them if, during an Encounter, 24 hours has passed since their turn was announced, aiming for "conservative and safe" where possible.
Apollon Zamp
Bardok Marsh
Dr. Orris Duftwurtz
Helène Yolescu
Imiriax
Rose Thesar
Xue Kunsheng
...
Let me know what you all think of this proposal, either by liking this post in support, or expressing concerns here. Ultimately, we'll go with what you all allow.
...
Final Note: Going to let that last Gameplay sit just a little longer...
Cheers.
|
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I have created a guide to the Pathfinder Second Edition Wizard.
HERE IS THE FIRST DRAFT. I would appreciate your comments and criticisms.
Also, enjoy!
|
|
I have created a guide to the Pathfinder Second Edition Wizard.
HERE IS THE FIRST DRAFT. I would appreciate your comments and criticisms.
Also, enjoy!
Wow, very thorough. Thanks for this! I love these color coded class guides.
|
|
I have created a guide to the Pathfinder Second Edition Wizard.
HERE IS THE FIRST DRAFT. I would appreciate your comments and criticisms.
Also, enjoy!
This is straight up amazing. It must have taken a lot of time to get together, but I'm impressed with the detail and attention you put into it. The later parts with the summon lists and polymorph options are useful in themselves!
Thanks for sharing this!
|
|
Players,
Appreciate your feedback. I'm going to shift to separating Player Notes from DM Spoilers. That said, if you are curious, you are still welcome to peak.Here is my proposal for Botting and Pacing:
Exploration Mode
I am less concerned with this. But essentially, as some here have already demonstrated, if you miss a couple posts in a row, feel welcome to respond to as many as you missed, even as the timeline is asynchronous. If there is an important retcon, I'll step in to make it. Else, probably just let it be, as it seems to be working fine.Encounter Mode
Going to be honest that the prospect of having to "bot" one of your characters makes me shudder. I'd therefore would request to opt out from that responsibility personally, and instead call upon fellow players to step up to that responsibility. I'd like to propose a "Bot Tree" and a "24-hr Trigger":
** spoiler omitted **...
Let me know what you all think of this proposal, either by liking this post in support, or expressing concerns here. Ultimately, we'll go with what you all allow.
...
Final Note: Going to let that last Gameplay sit just a little longer...
Cheers.
Forgot I wanted to say that the Botting Tree and 24 Hour Triggers looked like great ideas and that I'd be happy to try using them!