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Welcome everyone! I will be your sneaky elf in the shadows. I do not take too kindly to humans, especially Chelaxians!

Grenwold Houtvester |

Hello, I am Grenwold, a morose and quiet gnome riding a deer with huge antlers.
Looking to coordinate gear and feat choices. Gren and Ringo both have outflank, so if anyone's looking for teamwork feats, it'd be a good one to get!

Ringo the Deer |

Here's Ringo, the megaloceros he rides!

Dommer |

Thanks for the invite!
Dwarf archer here. Yes, why not? :)

GM PDK |

You'll be wanting to spend most of your 6K starting money, btw. There are not a lot of opportunities for shopping in this AP (at least in the first few books).

Dommer |

@GM: Would I be able to have my +1 composite bow actually be a hornbow (but, since I lack proficiency, just use it as a regular composite bow)? It would be more expensive for me to buy (and it would do the same damage of a composite bow), but once (and if) I'm able to get the exotic proficiency feat, at least I wouldn't have to switch my weapon. That's okay if not, just trying to plan forward. Here is the link to the orc hornbow.
Also: are we using background skills? I think not (and build without it), but just thought I'd ask.

GM PDK |

Hornbow: no, let's wait until later. You hate orcs, anyways. :) Chances to buy stuff are less than a regular AP, but not completely nil... ;)
Background skills: yes, thanks for reminding me, with one caveat: try to use it for something that's gonna help you survive in the wild. In Dommer's case, something that allows him to make his own arrows, for instance. That's not a 'GM order', but more of a recommendation, since those are extra points anyway and the AP happens in really remote areas. Some coordination between players before you finalize your choices could be advantageous. Assume you've all known each other for the last few months.

Grenwold Houtvester |

Out of curiosity, are you going to be running retraining RAW or can we retrain archetypes and other things if we just spend money and time? Finding another person of the same class or with the applicable spell or feat is a bit hard to do in Ironfang.

GM PDK |

As I mentioned to some of you via PM, here's the play schedule I intend to use for this AP:
The players would create level 4 PCs for Book 1, and level them up according to the following schedule as I run each book's sanctioned content in campaign mode:
Book 1 - Level 4 PCs
Book 2 - Level 8 PCs
Book 3 - Level 10 PCs
Book 4 - Level 13 PCs
Book 5 - Level 16 PCs
Book 6 - Level 18 PCs.
This would limit the number of mid-game PC leveling and keep the game going at a good pace.
Each time you 'level' your character, you can completely redo any or all things from stats, gear, etc. The only thing I want you to keep from one book to another is the character's race, name, alignment and overall role/stats. I don't mind if you change a couple feats and swap your skill ranks and equipment around, but I will not be happy if say, a dumb martial comes back as a supra-genius wizard. :)
In essence, you are locked into your roles at level 1. The only way to diverge from that role going forward is to multiclass. Taking the easy way of playing a high HP, high BAB PC at low levels only to switch to someone who can cast wish at high level flies into the 'being a jerk' territory if you ask me.

Dommer |

Hornbow: no, let's wait until later. You hate orcs, anyways. :) Chances to buy stuff are less than a regular AP, but not completely nil... ;)
Background skills: yes, thanks for reminding me, with one caveat: try to use it for something that's gonna help you survive in the wild. In Dommer's case, something that allows him to make his own arrows, for instance. That's not a 'GM order', but more of a recommendation, since those are extra points anyway and the AP happens in really remote areas. Some coordination between players before you finalize your choices could be advantageous. Assume you've all known each other for the last few months.
He does hate orcs! But being someone pragmatic, it's very likely he ran into one or more before, killed them, and decided to keep their bow because it was more dangerous than his, despite having shorter range.
I switched Deadly Aim with Exotic Weapon Proficiency, and will get Deadly Aim by level 5. What do you think?
I got Craft (Bows) and Profession (Woodcutter), and bought masterwork artisan tools.
EDIT: I also made him Qinggong and replaced Slow Fall with Barkskin.

Herman the Reclusive |

I don't know - you all look pretty suspicious. Especially those little ones with the big eyes and funny hair. Look like faeries...
Anyway, Herman here will be able to do a bit more prep work for the team after this first section (when we have some "downtime"). He's got Scribe Scroll, Brew Potion, Craft (alchemy) Profession (herbalist), and Craft Wondrous Item to help stretch our thin resources a bit further and give us some consumables. He won't have space to pick up Craft Magic Arms and Armor though, so plan on paying full price to get those types of items enchanted.
With the background skills, Herman has picked up a few extra languages and practiced his Survival and Sense Motive skills a bit more than before. He can use Profession (herbalist) to craft alchemical items, so let me know when we finish this section what sorts of things you mind want to have on hand.

GM PDK |

Fey section of the avatars. It has this wittle guy... And since we're in campaign mode and not PFS-restricted, pic 'could' actually be accurate after you equip it with the proper magic items... lol
PS: your rabbit has the following magic item slots - armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders.

GM PDK |

Grenwold's megaloceros has the following magic item slots - armor, belt [saddle], chest, eyes, feet [horseshoes], head, headband, neck, shoulders.

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Thank you for the adding the Background skills. Added 3 ranks to K:Geography, a rank to Craft (bow), and picked up two ranks each in Craft (traps) and Profession (trapper).

Dommer |

@Jestyn: I got craft bows as well, but with full ranks in it. You might want to get a different one :)

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As a thought, if anyone has 250 gp burning a hole in their pocket, a Traveler's any tool might be a good idea.
Traveler's Any-Tool
Source Ultimate Equipment pg. 323
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 250 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
Description
This implement at first seems to be nothing but a 12-inch iron bar lined with small plates and spikes. It can be folded, twisted, hinged, and bent, to form almost any known tool. Hammers, shovels, even a block and tackle (without rope) are possible. It can duplicate any tool the wielder can clearly visualize that contains only limited moving parts, such as a pair of scissors, but not a handloom. It cannot be used to replace missing or broken parts of machines or vehicles unless a mundane tool would have done the job just as well.
The any-tool counts as a set of masterwork artisan’s tools for most Craft or Profession skills (although very specialist crafts such as alchemy still require their own unique toolset). It is an ineffective weapon, always counting as an improvised weapon and never granting any masterwork bonus on attack rolls.

Grenwold Houtvester |

Due to the way that PDK will be allowing us to move things around, I'm going to drop the "divine hunter" archetype until later.

Dommer |
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I shifted some skill points around - got Knowledge (Religion) and lost some points in Sense Motive and Stealth. My intention is to qualify for Deific Obedience (for Erastil) and eventually get in the Evangelist prestige class.

Grenwold Houtvester |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |

I have some available background skills. If someone has a craft they think would be useful, Grenwold can take it. I took stonemasonry, but I don’t know if that’ll come up. Gren also has a lot of handle animal, a little linguistics and, a good amount of geography. He’s also got local, planes, religion, and nature.
He’s also very resilient - he heals more from healing spells and from rests - but if anyone sees a decent gnome magic replacement instead of vivacious, I’m game!

Grenwold Houtvester |

Character #5 please.

Grenwold Houtvester |

Our start date approaches, but we haven’t quite nailed down our skills. Does anyone have any suggestions or requests?

Dommer |

I plan on investing in Acrobatic, Knowledge (Religion), Craft (Bows) and Profession (Woodcutter). Other skill points/ranks will vary. Maybe we should try to put together a spreadsheet with it to see how we're doing?

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Here is a list of everyone's Craft/Profession/Highest Knowledge/Perception
Jestyn Traps/Trapper/K:Geography/+9
Dommer Bows/Woodworker/K:Religion/+11
Herman None/Herbalist/K:Arcana & Nature/+11
Arthur* None/None/None/+7
Grenwold Mapmaking/None/K:Local/+9
Fizzlewumpit None/Herbalist/K:Nature/+11
Luke@ None/None/K:Dungeon & Engineer/+5
* Appears to not have any background skills.
@ 1 rank in K:Engineering but I do not see any other background skills.
I would suggest that Fizzlewumpit take another profession as Herman has over twice the skill in that area. As no one has Alchemy, that might be an area to look into.

Herman the Reclusive |

There's nothing wrong with doubling up on some skills. There are six of us - overlap is inevitable. And making a character that solidly embodies an idea you want to play is going to be much more fun and rewarding than the most optimized adventurer who can do everything by themselves. I forget who said it, but I remember reading somewhere "Often the most enjoyable characters lie someplace south of optimized."
tl;dr - make choices that make sense to your character.

Arthur Alaval |

realize I forgot my "regional" human language- I forget what's the culture/language of Nirmathi area?
Also had forgotten my background skills-- adding Knowledge (Geography) 4 ranks and Knowledge (History) 1 rank, Knowledge (Religion) 1 rank, and Knowledge (Nobility) 2 ranks to represent the knowledge I picked up on my exile to Molthune and Cheliax.

GM PDK |

By the way I'm putting you on the front line. Being behind the squishies makes no sense for Arthur.

Arthur Alaval |

Ah- no, I didn't realize that was specifically marching order so- definitely frontline for me!

Grenwold Houtvester |

Can I make a banner holder to attach it onto my saddle, or may I attach the banner to my glaive?

GM PDK |

This works much like the cavalier's banner ability. "As long as the cavalier’s banner is clearly visible," and "The banner [...] must be carried or displayed by the cavalier or his mount to function."
Pole, spear, polearm, lance, etc. are all fine.

Grenwold Houtvester |

A glaive is a polearm, so I guess I'll fasten it to the glaive then, unless someone else has another idea.

GM PDK |

Jet, aristocrat 2, +5 to Knowledge (local), Sense Motive, Survival:
Jet keeps the resources maintained, making sure
the refugees use the most perishable items first and
helping people pack balanced loads. She knows many
stories and songs that she shares with the others. So
long as Jet oversees the cooking and packing, the party
eats a well-balanced diet and considers their STR 2pts.
higher for the purposes of encumbrance.
• Kining, expert 2, +5 to Craft (blacksmithing, weaponsmithing), Knowledge (engineering), Profession (miner), Stealth, Survival:
The stolid dwarf keeps everyone’s weapons
sharp and true, and though she grumbles, she trains
the refugees how to fight so they don’t panic. All the
refugees gain a +1 bonus on initiative rolls while
Kining remains with the group.
• Oreld, expert 2, +5 to Craft (alchemy, leather), Knowledge (geography), Profession (herbalist), Stealth, Survival:
Oreld gathers materials from the woods to
make rudimentary potions. Every day, he can make 1
dose of bloodroot poison, one tanglefoot bag, or one
vial of antitoxin.
• Rhyna, adept 2, +5 to Heal, Knowledge (religion), Spellcraft:
She uses her herbalism training to find healing
plants and savory herbs while foraging, and treats the
small wounds the refugees suffer daily. Characters in
the camp heal 1 additional hit point each night while
they rest so long as Rhyna remains with the group.
The rest of the refugees have various skills. Overall, these refugees allow you to sleep uninterrupted at night as they stand watch for you while you're in the camp, and they can craft anything out of the Core Rulebook using the standard crafting rules (which means you pay only one third of the price, but you must wait several days before you get your item, and then only if the refugees make their Craft check, which is currently at +4 before assists)
The refugees are currently: (all skills at +4)
Commoner level 1 (x6) -- Craft (any one), Handle Animal, Perception
(Special: Commoners can be promoted to convert to Adept, Aristocrat, Expert, or Warrior)
Adept level 1 -- Heal, Knowledge (religion), Spellcraft
Aristocrat level 1 -- Knowledge (history, local, or nobility), Sense Motive, Survival
Expert level 1 (x2) -- Craft (any two), Knowledge (dungeoneering, engineering, or geography), Profession (any one), Stealth, Survival
Warrior level 1 (x2) -- Handle Animal
(Special: to make up for their lack of valuable skills in the wilds, Warriors have a better attacks, damage and hit points than the rest of the NPCs; in general terms, each Warrior level is worth two NPC levels for the purposes of battles, if it ever comes to that...)
Promotions:
1. Can be used to convert a Commoner to Adept, Aristocrat, Expert or Warrior; or
2. Can be used to increase an NPC's level by one (max level: 4)

Dommer |

@GM: Only Profession (Soldier) can roll, or can I use my Profession (Woodcutter) and maybe try to talk to NPCs while I teach/do the work with them on the trees?

GM PDK |

PS: one or two of you still have to put their info on Slide 2, especially the Init and Perception pre-loaded dice roller at the bottom. Thanks!

GM PDK |

@Arthur: sometimes you can't stand Luke's emotional outbursts... it irritates you to no end.
@Luke: you find Arthur to be a real pain in the neck sometimes, and you feel he goes out of his way to correct you or find something wrong with whatever you're doing.
@Dommer&Jestyn: you often make several jabs at each other, and have been pranking each other pretty much on a daily basis, to the great enjoyment of many refugees. This healthy and harmless elf/dwarf rivalry is a distraction to many who would otherwise sink in a pit of despair.
@Herman: several NPCs consult you on a daily basis for your expertise, but they are guarded and have learned not to annoy you with personal questions.
@Fizzle&Grenwold: you have pretty much integrated yourselves seamlessly with most of the NPCs and refugees, and you come in and out of most conversations and groups around the camp without causing an interruption of their discussion... you are regarded as one of them.

Dommer |

@Dommer&Jestyn: you often make several jabs at each other, and have been pranking each other pretty much on a daily basis, to the great enjoyment of many refugees. This healthy and harmless elf/dwarf rivalry is a distraction to many who would otherwise sink in a pit of despair.
I like the Gimli/Legolas feel of it :) Even if in our case the Dwarf is the one with the bow!

GM PDK |

Both of you appear good with the bow! :)
PS: did we resolve your hornbow question? you said you'd update your stats to composite longbow yes?

Dommer |
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No, I said I switched feats to get exotic weapon proficiency instead of deadly aim (which I’ll get later) :)

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GM PDK wrote:@Dommer&Jestyn: you often make several jabs at each other, and have been pranking each other pretty much on a daily basis, to the great enjoyment of many refugees. This healthy and harmless elf/dwarf rivalry is a distraction to many who would otherwise sink in a pit of despair.I like the Gimli/Legolas feel of it :) Even if in our case the Dwarf is the one with the bow!
Funny, I have one of those, and a big blade if they get too close. At least I know which way to load it...
(Then I saw that you are a Zen Archer...)

GM PDK |

Fizzle: 24 + 4 = 28 --> 4 Promotions
Arthur: 6 + 4 = 10 --> 1 Promotion
Herman: 17 + 4 = 21 --> 3 Promotions
Dommer: 9 + 4 = 13 --> 1 Promotion
Luke: 19 --> 2 Promotions
Jestyn: 20 + 4 = 24 --> 3 Promotions
Grenwold: 22 + 4 = 26 --> 4 Promotions
Total: 18 Promotions available
See Signup Spreadsheet 'Promotion' Tab for allocation (link top of page)