No worries, GMQ.
And welcome back, Doc!
Life happens, GMQ, and it's not always what we want.
I'll be visiting friends Fri-Sun. Historically I've not had internet access at their island fortress.
Test test. Please reply if you can see this. Two different aliases seem to have problems with posting in separate threads.
Loud and clear!
Thanks. For like an hour, I had 4 posts all in limbo. Then suddenly they all started showing up. Maybe the website was doing maintenance.
No problem. I think we've all experienced strange things with posts at some time or another.
Whew! That is the third ally I've boosted inspiringly in as many rounds. Thank you all for being courteous enough to get shot sequentially and not all at once.
I can only boost a single person once in a given encounter, however, so if you continue to get hurt you'll have to settle for being shot with healing serums or having your unconscious body pumped full of questionable stimulants.
Note to everyone: just happened to remember that I would like to provide you all with a chronicle sheet for this. Could someone remind me here next week? I'll also be needing your Starfinder Society information to add to the sheet.
I will have some further notes over the weekend about our schedule going forward. Spoiler alert: we will take some days off before officially beginning the game, though these forums will be open for us to discuss what exactly the hell happened on The Chimera, and what's to come. You'll also need to advance your characters to third level.
...You'll also need to advance your characters to third level.
Speaking of that, I have a question that I've been meaning to ask you, GM - how does the Weapon Focus feat interact with the Injection Expert class ability?
You have increased training in a particular weapon type, making it easier to hit your target.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon type.
Benefit: Chose one weapon type (small arms, longarms, heavy weapons, etc.). You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with that weapon type. If your base attack bonus is at least 3 lower than your character level (or your mechanic’s class level, if you are a drone), you gain a +2 bonus instead.
You are proficient with weapons with the injection weapon special property, as long as the weapon has not gained that weapon special property through a weapon fusion, spell, class feature, or similar ability or effect. At 2nd level, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with these weapons. At 9th level, that bonus increases to +2, and at 18th level it increases to +3.
So, a bit of a gray area, since "weapons with the injection weapon special property" isn't a weapon type as defined by Weapon Focus. I've seen people interpret this three different ways:
[1] Biohackers can only select Weapon Focus (small arms) or Weapon Focus (basic melee weapons).[2] Biohackers can select Weapon Focus (longarms), but the bonus only applies to longarms with the injection special property.
[3] Biohackers can select Weapon Focus (injection weapons).
If I were to (hypothetically) be interested in trying to apply Weapon Focus to my caustolance, which situation would you be most comfortable with?
Speaking of that, I have a question that I've been meaning to ask you, GM - how does the Weapon Focus feat interact with the Injection Expert class ability?You have increased training in a particular weapon type, making it easier to hit your target.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon type.
Benefit: Chose one weapon type (small arms, longarms, heavy weapons, etc.). You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with that weapon type. If your base attack bonus is at least 3 lower than your character level (or your mechanic’s class level, if you are a drone), you gain a +2 bonus instead.You are proficient with weapons with the injection weapon special property, as long as the weapon has not gained that weapon special property through a weapon fusion, spell, class feature, or similar ability or effect. At 2nd level, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with these weapons. At 9th level, that bonus increases to +2, and at 18th level it increases to +3.So, a bit of a gray area, since "weapons with the injection weapon special property" isn't a weapon type as defined by Weapon Focus. I've seen people interpret this three different ways:
[1] Biohackers can only select Weapon Focus (small arms) or Weapon Focus (basic melee weapons).
[2] Biohackers can select Weapon Focus (longarms), but the bonus only applies to longarms with the injection special property.
[3] Biohackers can select Weapon Focus (injection weapons).If I were to (hypothetically) be interested in trying to apply Weapon Focus to my caustolance, which situation would you be most comfortable with?
My inclination is to rule that you could apply it to the injection weapon class since the biohacker class defined them as a set of weapons. That said, my guess is that not all GM's would see it this way, and I bet that official Starfinder Society characters might not be able to choose injection weapons for this feat.
Anyway, it's a "rule of cool" philosophy that I think you should be able to apply to your injection weapons.
That's awesome, GMQ! Nice one for Doc.
Beauregard, Yariel has some piloting skill. I do see Beau making a good fit as Captain after how he's led us through thia mystery.
Anyway, it's a "rule of cool" philosophy that I think you should be able to apply to your injection weapons.
Thanks, GM, I really appriciate that. Doc's not exactly a crack shot, so this should help her utilize more of her limited supply of biohacks.
Here's a question for the group: I get to choose a +1 to any one skill. I can change it every time I level up. Any skill I should apply it to? Do we have a pilot? Anything else? Otherwise I'm just going to go with Diplomacy and be the Ship's captain (if we ever get a ship.)
Hmm. Well, as a party, we're fairly stacked when it comes to skills, I believe. It does look like Yariel would be the pilot of our hypothetical starship, which would make Doc the go-to for engineer and thus Beau the natural captain. Honestly, though, I think you should stick it on the skill you like the most. I don't see any glaring needs.
Here's some information on possible starship combat. I'll put it in a spoiler just in case some of you want to be surprised.
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Here's a question for the group: I get to choose a +1 to any one skill. I can change it every time I level up. Any skill I should apply it to? Do we have a pilot? Anything else? Otherwise I'm just going to go with Diplomacy and be the Ship's captain (if we ever get a ship.)Hmm. Well, as a party, we're fairly stacked when it comes to skills, I believe. It does look like Yariel would be the pilot of our hypothetical starship, which would make Doc the go-to for engineer and thus Beau the natural captain. Honestly, though, I think you should stick it on the skill you like the most. I don't see any glaring needs.
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Thing is, despite my 10 dex, If I get an INT booster for more skills, and take piloting, I could actually become a decent pilot, because I have a racial +2 to piloting and a scaling bonus to one skill (I can change the skill at level up). But if Yariel is willing to be pilot I'll take on captaining. I could also mystic officer.
John would be a mediocre science officer or back up gunner. I didn't build him with any starship combat role in mind.
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Yariel will keep sinking points into the pilot skill each level for more reasons than just piloting a starship. If you managed to get a higher modifer than her (which wouldn't be difficult, she doesn't have any crazy modifiers to it) she would just hop into one of the many other spots she is suited for (gunner, engineer, science officer).
With the "final confrontation" over, would now a good time to level up? 'Cause I would love to offer some medical aid to my pals, but the treatment will be more effective if both doctor and patient are 3rd level.
With the "final confrontation" over, would now a good time to level up? 'Cause I would love to offer some medical aid to my pals, but the treatment will be more effective if both doctor and patient are 3rd level.
Let's hold off. However, it won't be long....
Player: therealthom
Character Name: Tofana
PFS #: 90661-701
Faction: Acquisitives
This might put her into third level.
What's the level requirement? 1-2?
What's the level requirement? 1-2?
Yes. 1-2.
Player: Enchanter Tim
Character Name: Itch
PFS #: 1142-705
Faction: Exo-Guardians
Player name: Supersuperlative
Character name: Elisan Jurindah Solmali
SFS #: 274536-703
Faction: Wayfinders
While we take our short week off between books one of the things I would like to do is revisit everyone's theories. Beauregard, yes--your ideas were very close. I suspect everyone had at least one idea that was spot on.
Yariel, when I posted the comment about "watching the safety vids" I thought of your character channeling her OCD side watching those vids and going over technical readouts of this class of ship. I was hoping it would perk your ears up! You get a +1 bonus to the skill checks you'll all be needing to make to make it to the escape pods.
Heh. We all put escape pods on our Starfinder ship designs. I can't say as I remember them being used. Maybe this time?
Oh, before I forget...
Player name: Jimbles the Mediocre
Character name: Kima "Thrashtastic" Topellio
SFS #: 330168-703
Faction: Acquisitives
Good first book, thank you everyone. Are we going to be level 3 when we start back up again?
Yes. I will give the official word to level up within the next couple of days. But when you step into whatever is next, you'll be 3rd level.
Good first book, thank you everyone.
Don't say that too soon! It seems that we're not quite out of danger yet - GM Q still has an opportunity to TPK us with an exploding ship.
This is the perfect time to share something that has disappointed me with the vanguard so far (especially how I pictured it when initially reading some of the abilities and selecting abilities to match my vision of Rar'gul).
A lot of their abilities rely on Entropy Points. No problem there. However, Entropy Points can only be gained while in combat with a significant enemy and dissipate immediately on that combat ending. So a lot of their cool stuff cannot be used outside of initiative rolls.
For instance, a feature for a vanguard are their disciplines (semi-equivalent to an operative's exploits or envoy's improvisations). I chose Dampen for Rar'gul's first one as I envisioned him as somewhat of a protector.
Dampen (SU) You can dampen the entropic release of energy in violent effects. As a reaction when you are in the area of a damaging effect, you can spend 1 Entropy Point to cause it to deal only half damage to all creatures in the area.
At 6th level, if the effect allows a save and you succeed, you can spend 1 additional Entropy Point to allow creatures that successfully save against the effect to take no damage.
Sounds cool, right? Would have been perfect to use on an occasion like we have with this acid, right?
I was excited when I thought I'd get to use it for the first time! More than a little bummed.
Oh well, I'm learning more about what to keep an eye out for and how things will work as I move forward with him.
That's a very reasonable concern. I wish there was at least a class ability you could choose that would allow some limited uses of entropy points outside of combat.
So, it won't work against traps or natural hazards, but would it work in the surprise round of combat? When do you receive your first entropy point?
Can't wait to see what's behind Benjam's door. More massive stroke victims?
Given that I looked at the description of the next episode when GMQ offered it to us, and therefore know roughly where we end up, I am surprisingly engaged by what's going on now.
So, it won't work against traps or natural hazards, but would it work in the surprise round of combat? When do you receive your first entropy point?
That is correct, in terms of traps and hazards (unless during combat, I suppose).
The first entropy point is gained on the vanguard's first action in combat.
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Just want to makes sure I got this right.
We have:
The fight with the Barghest
The fight with the first set of pirates
The fight with the shapeshifter and the dead Captain
All in the same day
Then
The fight with the second set of pirates including the fake Lozu
and before we can rest to regain our stamina we have to run through an exploding ship with unavoidable (save for half)damage?
I mean, I can't survive this anymore. 9 damage, 16 damage . . . I mean, I just want to make sure I got this all right. I've got no SP, one resolve point left, no spells, and I don't think anyone is any better off. Just want to make sure the book is really taxing our resources this much because if I fail this reflex save, that's it, I'm DONE. D-E-D Dead.
T'sorkel still has his healing touch ability left. It can heal 10hp, but only hp damage, which is why I haven't used it yet. While I don't mind the HP/SP divide in SF, I dislike that healing doesn't cross both.
Just want to make sure the book is really taxing our resources this much because if I fail this reflex save, that's it, I'm DONE. D-E-D Dead.
Detective! Have you forgotten that you have a literal combat medic right behind you? You ain't gonna die here, not on my watch! I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.
As for the stack of encounters, yes - it does seem quite aggressive. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that GM Q scaled a few things up to account for the larger party size and then we made one or more decisions that, unbeknownst to us, cranked the difficulty up even further (if we had waited to open the McGuffin, for example, I don't think the ship would have started exploding until after we finished resting). Personally, I am a big fan of this series of events. I don't usually run up against situations this tough, so it's an exciting and sweaty challenge.
I think in retrospect that is a criticism I have of this adventure as well. Were I to run it again, I would try to get the Barghest encounter in earlier, perhaps the previous day. The problem is, is that Jincheroga knew things and there were clues available in that encounter that I am not sure I would have wanted to disclose too early.
Ironically, Jincheroga and the robot near the beginning were probably the toughest encounters (though those first three pirate, the vesk, dwarf, and human were nasty too). Of course the robot couldn't kill you, it just knocked you unconscious. I did pull a punch with that encounter, as I believe I had all of you level before that encounter (though the book had you all leveling after that encounter).
All in all, you have weathered these very well. Another rest would have been nice, but you are now mere steps from the (relative) safety of the escape pods and THIRD LEVEL! I just need a few more saves from some of you.
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Starfinder is not a lenient system. Saves tend to suck for most players and the DC's are almost always high enough that there is a less than 50% chance of success for most players so it honestly doesn't even take a string of bad rolls to mess a group up. Just rolling average can still do it.
The Stamina/HP split is... interesting, but also makes it hard to build a traditional group with a 'tank, dps and healer' as the healer can either help with HP OR SP, but very rarely both.
My first foray into SFS was one poor roll from a TPK. We got incredibly lucky the only PC still up managed to kill off the enemy right before it would have taken them out. Granted, I think the GM messed up reading a stat block, but since we survived I just moved on.
I say I moved on, but I also quit playing SFS for a year...
But I've played a lot since with no group deaths, so things seeeem to be mostly balanced. I've also gotten a lot better at making sure I always start with a healing serum and med patch. So if one of us drops, we have some options to keep them alive.
The Stamina/HP split is... interesting, but also makes it hard to build a traditional group with a 'tank, dps and healer' as the healer can either help with HP OR SP, but very rarely both.
I think that this is a very intentional piece of design, a well-meaning attempt to prevent any one class (or a new player who picked a class because it sounded neat) from being pigeon-holed as the healer, which is a classic DnD problem.
The whole idea of Stamina de-emphasizes the need for a healer, since every character now has a way to erase mild-to-moderate injuries, and encourages players to take risks. On the flip side, there's more of an emphasis on using skills and items to heal instead of class abilities, which means survival in tough situations relies more the player's knowledge of the game than the character's innate abilities.
John's lucky the saves are reflex and he's got evasion. Also lucky he drank that healing serum right after the last combat. Otherwise he'd be sitting at 1 HP right now.
This is brutal.
Woo-wee! This has been hairy! (No offence intended to Beau and Yariel)
My heart was in my chest when I first read the potential damage of the fire pre-extinguisher. A failed reflex save (with slightly less than 50% chance of making) would have meant death to Rar'gul with only 13 HP remaining and out of Resolve for some time now. Even a save would have left it close to death with little chance of surviving anything else we encountered.
The extinguisher (and generous spotting of the heal serum - thanks Tom!) helped immensely.
That said, I hope that we are almost at the end of this. I've been holding my breath for way too long now!
That said, I hope that we are almost at the end of this. I've been holding my breath for way too long now!
I will be wrapping up this book tonight. Yes, if you have rolled your save, that is the last roll you will make for this book.
Unless you would prefer not to crawl into your escape pod, in which case you are on your own! :)
Unless you would prefer not to crawl into your escape pod, in which case you are on your own! :)
Hmm, now let me think about it a moment...
Wow! Had not expected THAT when we began all this!