And off we go!
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Ready.
I have a suggestion that I ask my players to follow in the games I GM. When posting a dicebot roll, such as for an attack, damage, saving throw, or skill check, if there are no modifiers to what's on your character sheet/profile, you just write the post as usual: Longsword 1d20 + 4.
But if you are modifying the roll up or down, list the modification in the text part and add the modifier to the usual bonus.
Example: If you are attacking with a longsword, you get a flanking bonus and you are hasted, but you are also shaken, you would post it as
longsword, flanking, Haste, Shaken: 1d20 + 4 + 2 + 1 - 2
The reason this is helpful to the GM is if the GM notices that the player may have forgotten about a modifier, it is easier to tell than if the player just mashed all the modifiers into one:
Longsword: 1d20 + 5
Did he include the shaken modifier? The only way to check is to look on the profile for the usual attack bonus, add all the other bonuses in to see what it comes to. By putting them all in the post, the GM can know what was included without any extra effort.
Here is an example from a recent post in which the PC got modifiers for two spells and two feats.
Anyway just a suggestion. I generally do this when I post, even if the GM has not asked the players to.
I remembered that I added Discord app to my computer but when I had to reinstall the operating system, I never got around to re-installing it. It is used by one other PBP group. If you have it on your computer, it gives you a small notice when something comes in.
I also added the app to my cell phone. The cellphone app has a message which says, "Wumpus is waiting on friends."
Is that GM_Trifty or one of the other players in this game?
If not, what do I do to connect to the rest of you?
I can PM my discord user name and number.
Here is an invitation to the discord server.
I hope Wampus finds some friends!
I was thinking of making a last minute addition to Gitana's gear: 2 wrist sheaths, cost 1 gp each.
The item is listed as having a weight of 1 pound. This seems absurdly heavy for something made with a few strips of leather. I found an example of a leather knife sheath online that only weighs 0.16 lb.
Gitana is close to her encumbrance limit, so I don't want to get these if they really weigh a pound each. But I would argue they should only weigh at most 0.2 lb, not 1 lb. Thoughts?
She mainly wants the 2 to hold her wands to keep them handy and out of sight. I'm sure something could be made that would hold a wand that would weigh even less than something designed to hold a knife.
The rules also say drawing an item from the sheath is a move action and provokes an AOO. Can the drawing of the item be combined with a move action like drawing a weapon? If so, I'd question why drawing an item from a regular sheath does not provoke but drawing from a wrist sheath does, especially since they suggest you can move your arm in such a way that the item just drops into your hand.
Would you be willing to house rule these two points to be more realistic and consistent?
Thanks.
Gitana, have you considered the amazing Spring loaded wrist sheath or the Bandolier?
They are pretty decent ;)
I always include my situational bonuses/penalties on my rolls for that exact reason.
Sure, we can adjust the weight of the wrist sheaths to be .2 lbs. However I want to note that while I am willing to yield to appeals to realism when it comes to the weight of a piece of gear (and more broadly), this does not apply to weapons and armor.
Neither the spring loaded nor the regular wrist sheath will provoke an AoO.
Gitana's post on labeling modifiers is excellent. Thanks for that.
Gitana's post on labeling modifiers is excellent. Thanks for that.
I think I've set my combat macros to show the modifiers. Let's see what an attack looks like...
x3
Bahhh, that's nearly minimum damage!!!
Gitana, have you considered the amazing Spring loaded wrist sheath or the Bandolier?
They are pretty decent ;)
The spring loaded offers no great advantage as she mostly wants a way to keep the wands safe and handy but still be able to draw it during a move action so she can use the CLW wand in melee. The advantage of it being a swift action instead of incorporated into a move action is inconsequential.
Her main offensive weapon is her harrow deck coupled with magic. I'm assuming she has a belt pouch which contains the deck so she has it at her side at all times and can draw a card like drawing a dagger or getting an arrow or bolt out of a quiver.
Sure, we can adjust the weight of the wrist sheaths to be .2 lbs. However I want to note that while I am willing to yield to appeals to realism when it comes to the weight of a piece of gear (and more broadly), this does not apply to weapons and armor.
Neither the spring loaded nor the regular wrist sheath will provoke an AoO.
Thanks. I won't be making arguments from real life with regard to weapons or armor for the simple fact that I know nothing about either in RL. I do teach physics so I occasionally do reality checks for things that can be calculated easily like falling times, speeds, etc., but I've never found much in PF or SF that seemed irrational. I've done some RP system designing myself so I know that the goal is not verisimilitude as much as play-ability that can be reasonably close to real events.
But when two similar items have significantly different game mechanics with no discernible basis, I'm willing to make appeals, although I'm happy to accept it when a request is denied.
I've done some RP system designing myself so I know that the goal is not verisimilitude as much as play-ability that can be reasonably close to real events.
But when two similar items have significantly different game mechanics with no discernible basis, I'm willing to make appeals, although I'm happy to accept it when a request is denied.
I'm generally pretty permissive, and you're right that this case really does seem like an inconsistency. I will never penalize you for asking for something. I also like making my games more realistic, although this isn't a priority.
Map updated with more color coding.
I enjoy playing characters who employ the Harrow as I've been a life-long student of the Tarot and other similar decks of cards. I've done readings for people at parties and while I don't claim any psychic gift, I am often surprised at how accurate readings tend to be.
The first three cards of Hedrak's reading are not fudged by my familiarity with his background story. But the images and associations of the cards led to an assessment that seems spot on.
I had a similar character, an oracle who used the Harrow deck and worked in a large city as a fortune teller to the upper classes. Early in the campaign, she was at a party and after she had met an important guest, she pulled a card from her deck, just as a RP device. The card was the Snakebite, showing an assassin with green poison dripping from a dagger. I decided she would try to cast detect poison on him. His bodyguards saw her casting and leapt into action to prevent her from what they feared was an attack. Long story short, it turned out, completely unknown to me, that that guest was the target of an assassination attempt that night. So the cards sometimes see all!
Very cool! You can break a module with that sort of intuition going on!
Glad you're getting a chance to play a character you enjoy!
I created a PFS version of Gitana about five years ago, but never got a chance to play her. So it's something I've wanted to do for a while. Getting to start her at 4th level is nice, since it can be frustrating dealing with the limitations of a low level starting character, particularly a spell caster. You spend most of your time trying to avoid getting killed after shooting your small wad of spells.
Looks like we may need to do some retconning of the Hedrak/Gitana situation. I think Gitana was posting the rest of the reading mainly to be able to move it along, not necessarily because that's what she would have said naturally in response to Hedrak. Sortof like predictive posting, or posting along multiple timelines, although I can't actually confirm this for certain. Basically, it's overwhelmingly likely that she would create that content at some point, so she wrote it just then because she wasn't sure how else to proceed.
At some point she read something that made her think that Hedrak was leaving, even though he wasn't. People get confused about stuff all the time, both Zordt and Norde were confused about the identity of some NPCs. I'm guessing that once confusion was cleared up for Gitana, she would have retconned so as to respond to Hedrak by giving her name, etc. I don't think it's a good idea for Hedrak to move forward with her response as is without first offering her the chance to retcon. To be clear, I'm not 'blaming' anyone in this situation, I'm just clarifying what's happened and explaining what I think would be best for all of us moving forward. Namely, to give Gitana a chance to retcon her response to Hedrak and then to proceed with that retcon in place.
Like I posted in Discord, for me it is all good.
Hedrak will not take offense, nor should he be entitled to - we are strangers, and Gitana really does not have to provide her name to someone she has only met 5 mins ago.
In fact, she is only wise not to ;)
We can roll as it is - game on!
Looks like we're on hiatus for the weekend. Feel free to keep posting, I will check in regularly. I won't throw the adventure hook at you until Zordt is back.
In the meantime, how are our inventories?
I suspect that once we get a mission, we'll want to buy up some trail food, but not before that.
I'm good.
I think my inventory is up to date, but if you mean the spreadsheet... :P
If I misunderstood the flow of events, I'm willing to retcon. Basically, if Hedrak was not leaving before the reading was over, then Gitana would have responded differently to the offer of the drink and made small talk, giving her name. She volunteered her name to the previous client, so that's not a concern.
But I don't think it presents a problem as is. Misunderstandings by the players can result in PC misunderstandings. I'm happy to roll on so long as Hedrak's not going to hold a grudge when it comes time to work together. Maybe they just got off on the wrong foot. A little intra-party friction among the PCs can make things interesting, so long as it's not shared by the players.
I have played in table-top games where certain players were upset with the way other players played their PCs. Instead of working out the issue player to player, one player chose to have his PC tear into the other players PC. It was passive aggressive and I found it upsetting.
Yeah, Hedrak did not plan to leave before the end of the reading, but we do not need to retcon that.
It is a game, and we are here to play together, so no grudges like I explained before - Hedrak is fine with it, and the player is definitely not worried about the events ;)
And I just realized I never actually rolled the Knowledges.
14:
17:
18:
Wow... I hope I got those 1's out of the way :P
Out of All of the knowledges, there were only a couple I could even attempt! It turns out that Norde simply isn't a "knowledge kinda guy."
I am always frustrated when I run a low level character who doesn't get enough skill ranks to spend on knowledge skills and I have to RP a character who knows very little about the things he or she is dealing with.
I think that's one of the things background skills sought to address. I also agree that characters should get more skill ranks in general, especially at lower levels.
It looks like it's almost time for a major decision. Assuming you are planning on starting to travel tomorrow, you're going to have to figure out which way you're going. The three obvious routes that jump out are
1) Take the river route. This will take you by some villages, which may or may not be beneficial. The river will make it practically impossible to get lost, and you might be able to walk on it, especially after about halfway through the adventure. Disadvantages are that the villagers could be hostile, that there are orcs in the White Mountains closeby, and that most of the route is along wilderness. It's also arguably the most 'obvious' route, so pursuit might be thrown off if you take another path.
2) Take the Old Road. This has the advantage of being a real road, so you'll probably travel faster, and like the river route you probably can't get lost. It's also shorter than the river route, and you won't have to deal with idiot villagers. The major disadvantage is that you have to pass by Ft. Thorpe, and that you are probably more likely to encounter traveling bands of orcs.
3) Go straight through the White Downs. This has the advantage of being the shortest path, although it is also likely the slowest unless you can find the roads that people used to use. Another major advantage is that there are fewer people and orcs. On the other hand, you might get eaten by undead, and there are fewer hiding places, so pursuers will have an easier time tracking you.
You can, of course, switch freely between different routes, or propose entirely different routes. There may be advantages and disadvantages I haven't touched on here. This is just a basic overview to set up your discussion.
With the snowfall I am inclined to suggest the road, after a first consideration.
Storm should be done by morning. Less snow if we stay in tree cover. Although, 1 foot of snow is still a lot.
Definitely a lot, if you are traveling for a day, with a weakened child, etc...
Wish I had something more to add, but I had success only on the same Knowledge roll you did Norde.
Hmmmm, actually we should try to get a cart, or a wagon. And some mules. What do you guys think? Should not be CRAZY expensive? Zordt can negotiate it for us with his charming personality :D
Norde can easily carry the boy through the worst parts of the terrain, if needed. Will isn't some useless waif, he's made it this far. A good meal, and a night's rest, and I'm sure he'll be good to go in the morning!
But... Are you saying we should go through the forest? Or that we have no use for a wagon? Or both? :D
Wagons are for merchants!
Link to Zordt's knowledge rolls which he shares freely with the party
Part of me wants to go through the White Downs because Zordt is aware of 3 separate peaceful resting places within it that aren't placed on the map, but I suppose going through a massive area rumored to be filled with undead isn't the best idea.
GM, could you update the regional map with our known information?
A spot with “safe houses” doesn’t sound bad though! There will be enemies in every direction, there may not be safe houses in every direction!
Hahahah, Pesht is great, but it has been wiped out! Glad you got that second one!
Wagons are for merchants!
Hey, I was thinking about Will!! :P
Myself, I am powered by Arcane energy and a DEEP knowledge of the Wilds, I will always be sailing smoothly MUAHAHAHA!
Gitana's knowledge roll results are under a spoiler toward the bottom of her profile; she too will share what she knows when the discussion turns to routes. I don't think there's much that isn't covered by others.
I'd be inclined to try the White Downs. If there is an old road, the pace might be almost as good as the main road, but fewer raiding parties waiting for travelers to pass through. The existence of a magical valley, if true, is intriguing. The possible existence of a spell lodge, even if it's been abandoned, might offer clues as to who is behind the demon tattoo. There's also the rumor of the spellcaster (#27) hiding out there, might be a link as well. Weigh that against the rumors of undead. If it is a place that has been fought over in the past, that makes it likely there are some restless dead or ghosts. But if they exist, they may not be any worse than bands of orc raiders that are more likely along other routes.
The White Downs is also a less expected way to go, in case anyone wants to pursue.
In terms of resources for travel, Gitana has two spells that can help: She can cast Mount and Communal Mount (same link). The 1st level Mount provides light horse or pony for 8 hours. So she can cast that at the beginning of each day's travel to provide Will a pony to ride. The communal version would provide 4 horses/ponies for 2 hours.
She has two other spells that may be useful: Read Weather and Lay of the Land. The first she can cast every other day to forecast the next 48 hours of weather, to give warning of storms and such. Lay of the Land provides her with Knowledge (Geography) (+4) for the full day and a bonus to rolls to avoid becoming lost.
By the way, my wife and I have been watching the second season of Stranger Things. The season involves a young boy named Will who gets possessed by some creature from another dimension. Strange.
I am happy to post an updated map. Can someone let me know which knowledges you don't have access to?
I'm liking the White Downs more and more.
I cross referenced Zordt and Gitana's knowledge checks and I believe the following is all we don't have:
3, 16, 27 (partial).
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
And Gitana, the mount spells look like excellent choices. We don't have to bother feeding them or having them carry anything other than us and our gear. That should help us exponentially.
Norde only gained 2 bits of knowledge, about the storm, and the snow, which he has recounted.
Norde has only the one spell, which, thankfully, he can cast repeatedly, it is called massive damage and requires an attack roll at +12 and does 2d6+16 damage when successful, no Save for half, no SR. It IS subject to DR though, but it overcomes DR/magic and DR/slashing.
The White Downs certainly seems an exciting choice: Undead, Orcs, Goblins, a Lodge of spell casters, and an ever-summer valley!
What could go wrong? I say we do it!
I vote we take the road :)
Map updated under the campaign info tab. Click on regional map and it should pop up. I didn't label all the roads through the White Downs as abandoned because things were getting cluttered, but they and the settlements within the Downs are abandoned.
I've seen seasons 1 and 3 of Stranger Things, but I didn't remember that the boy was called Will.
Hmm. What do you guys think about this route.
Gringham -> Durham -> Innsmouth -> Green Oasis -> Ipswitch -> Gladstock -> Burkesville -> Pesht -> Khel Zhad
Between Durham and Innsmouth we would have no road, but otherwise we would always be on a road. I'm not sure how long the travel time takes via each route, assuming nothing stops us and we travel at standard speed.
I drew up a quick map to show the suggested route. Link here
The suggested route is shown in purple. Everybody should be able to edit the image, so feel free to mark it up.
Your route works for me.
Looks good Zordt!