(#1-03) "Escaping the Grave" (Inactive)

Game Master rainzax

It looks like Cover Tracks kind of requires you to be trained in Survival (or at least have a decent Wis score) to even matter. Nenyath is our best for that, at +5.

Rufous is not any good at any of these, including Perception, and Scouting doesn't require a check, so he should do that. It looks like Brakya enjoys Scouting, so those two should scout for the party.

That leaves Darg and Ryiah as our Search team.

I will have Rufous make those suggestions in the Gameplay thread, but I wanted to share my reasoning here first.

Can we do more than one activity or if we cover our tracks or avoid detection that means everyone is doing that and no one is searching?

General rule is one Activity per PC.

But you may have, or eventually get, Ancestry feats, Class feats, and Skill feats that change that. An iconic example is Trapfinder which let's a Rogue Search (for Traps) "automatically", meaning they could, for example, combine that with Avoid Notice (The latter looking to be Darg's default Exploration Mode Activity?).

We are 4/5 PCs responding in Gameplay - I am waiting for 5/5...

Ok, agreed, sounds like the stealth is not worth the effort on the way in. Don’t think we need two people scouting, so Brayka can take that. His Investigate/Nature is probably not too handy and Gather Info is better done by Ryiah or Red if we want that. Thanks for the discussion :)

Ok, agreed, sounds like the stealth is not worth the effort on the way in. Don’t think we need two people scouting, so Brayka can take that. His Investigate/Nature is probably not too handy and Gather Info is better done by Ryiah or Red if we want that. Thanks for the discussion :)

You are probably right that we don't need two scouts. Brayka and Plum make an obviously better choice because of mobility.

@GM: I will switch Rufous over to Search with the others.

(I don't think we need Investigate until we actually find something, but I might be misunderstanding the activity.)

Sorry real busy weekend out of left field - fun times we're living in ^^

I am honestly a little unclear on the difference between investigate and search, but it seems like search is more about simply noticing that things are there and investigate is about gathering information about the surroundings? So, I am thinking if we pass ruins and she recognizes them, then that could potentially serve as a landmark to tell them where they are or warn them about possible dangers. I could be misunderstanding it, though. I am still very new to PF2.

@Red, that's the way I'm reading Scout as well, but I bet Red has some pretty handy Investigate skills for the Gravelands :)

@Ryiah, sounds right. I think of it in terms of dungeon crawling:
Search = find secret door
Investigate = What are this monster's stats?

High five for PF2 newcomers!

@Nenyath Ugh :) Do you need us to bot for you for a bit? Hope your clouds lift quickly!

I have a very busy week this week. I will continue to try to post 1/day, but I may not always make it. I'm not sure I'll be able to get something up tonight. Things should ease up considerably after Sunday.

I have a very busy week this week. I will continue to try to post 1/day, but I may not always make it. I'm not sure I'll be able to get something up tonight. Things should ease up considerably after Sunday.

I just realized that we are currently in two scenarios together! :)

(I'm playing Reev Ranzack in Watery Soup's game.)

Ryiah Dorne wrote:

I have a very busy week this week. I will continue to try to post 1/day, but I may not always make it. I'm not sure I'll be able to get something up tonight. Things should ease up considerably after Sunday.

I just realized that we are currently in two scenarios together! :)

(I'm playing Reev Ranzack in Watery Soup's game.)

Haha, neat! I guess my cut and pasted message was a dead give away!

what roll do we need to make to run, is it Athletics?

Nenyath,
Fatigued, in addition to preventing you from being able to elect an Exploration Activity, also lowers all your Defenses by one.

Could you please make the following adjustments in your character bar:

Male Half-Elf Lastwall Sentry Champion (Redeemer)/2 | HP: 32/32| AC: 19/21 b/c fatigued | F: +7, R: +3 (+6), W: +6 b/c fatigued | Darkvision 60' Low-light | Perc: +5 [T] | Focus 2/2 |Default exploration: None b/c fatigued | Hero Points: 1/2

Modifications in Bold

Put the adjustments in square brackets - not permanently changing the status bar as I'll likely forget to change it and usually just put temporary adjustments like that.

Out of character discussions here!

As to the question: "What are the options?" I counter: "What would Brayka, Darg, Rufous, and Ryiah do in this situation?"

Let me know if you have clarifying questions about understanding the situation you are in?

I am willing to break down some of the more "important" information points, if you guys like?

Here's where some of my confusion lies.

We have told you our actions and our exploration activities, but none of that seemed to matter.

When I said Rufous wanted to Search, you put him on Scout.

When I said Rufous would Sneak and I rolled Stealth, you changed the roll to Athletics (which I guess is fine, since his Stealth roll probably would have failed).

When I said Rufous wanted to move onto the road, you made him Hustle. I don't even know what other options he had available to him, but I don't know that Hustle would have been his first choice.

When Nenyath said he wanted to Hustle, and he made an Athletics check (and at 20, probably would be high enough for any checks made at this level), you changed it to Stealth and he failed.

So I don't know what our options are, or if we even have any options.

I understand wanting to keep things suspenseful, but players sometimes need to know what their options are, other than just "what would your characters do?"

Ok, you guys have at least three options:
1) Try to get across now?
2) Try to get across later?
3) Something else that I may not have thought of?

When dice hit the table, I will move the game along. Feel free to discuss what you want to do? Or ask clarifying questions?

For now, I'm going to stay "behind the curtain" and we can discuss GM feedback after the scenario. But, do let me know if this is sufficient / insufficient to proceed?

I just need a clarification on whether or not Nenyath can run while fatigued. I couldn't find anything in the rules that they can't, but I may not know where to look. It seemed we had decided to run, I think? But if Nenyath can't run, Ryiah certainly wouldn't leave them behind.

@Ryiah.
Short answer: Cannot Hustle (or any Exploration Activity) while Fatigued.
Long answer:

Putting these side by side - this is your "behind the screen" look into the mechanics of the scenario. I will always take your inputs and put them against your "best shot allowable" by the specific mechanics.

Nenyath had made it across the road already, even with the fail, I was worried that Ryiah coudnt sprint, but if we all just sneak, that works too.

Nenyath,

Fatigued, in addition to preventing you from being able to elect an Exploration Activity, also lowers all your Defenses by one.

Could you please make the following adjustments in your character bar:

Male Half-Elf Lastwall Sentry Champion (Redeemer)/2 | HP: 32/32| AC: 19/21 b/c fatigued | F: +7, R: +3 (+6), W: +6 b/c fatigued | Darkvision 60' Low-light | Perc: +5 [T] | Focus 2/2 |Default exploration: None b/c fatigued | Hero Points: 1/2

Modifications in Bold

Brayka, and Rufous (if you fail), same request as above!

@GM: I am not trying to criticize you. That is not my goal. I am trying to understand how this scenario is supposed to work.

When I said that Rufous wanted to Sneak, I expected a Stealth check, not an Athletics check. I still don't know why that is. It has not been explained to me.

When I said that Rufous wanted to take the road instead of the bushes, I asked that he go back to Search, but instead was made to Hustle (and roll Fortitude). I still don't know why that is. It has not been explained to me.

Now, when I ask what my options are, and without choosing an activity yet, it seems that Hustle has been again chosen for me (with another Fortitude save). I don't know why.

And then we are suddenly in an encounter, and the last I checked, Rufous was still by the side of the road, and I was trying to decide what he should do.

So this is what it feels like to me: I feel like it doesn't matter what I say or do with my character, he is going to be played however you want him to.

I don't want to participate in such a game. So please withdraw me from this scenario.

Thanks.

I set up small icons of us on the map page. They are not in any particular order so folks should position themselves as they want to.

It looks like Rufous didnt commit to an action to cross the road. Maybe he could state his choice and if it means sneaking then he might not need to have made a fatigue roll. It is possible it was just defaulted to an earlier choice.I am pretty new to Pathfinder so a lot of this is a steep learning curve for me.

Sorry, folks, I’m top of the initiative but I’m not quite sure what to do just yet. I’d like to settle out what’s happening for Red first.

@Red, I hear you, and I agree we’re moving really fast. If you are out, sorry to see you go :(
@GM Rainzax, feels like you are trying to move us past a bunch of travel scenes and reactionary rolls (saves) which would otherwise bog down the gameplay. I appreciate that. But it also feels like we are moving forward in great leaps here, and it’s confounding our sense of agency. We may have had a cross-post or two which are not helping on the confusion front.

I’m OK with where Brayka is but I’d rather not lose fellow players. I’m ok taking time to resolve if that’s an option.

Players,
Red is welcome to stay or go - not going to force anyone to play. That said, I'm moving the game along at a pace consistent with finishing within a reasonable window (4-6 weeks), and working with the inputs you give me to decide how that connects to scenario specific mechanics, which, I am open to sharing with you at it's conclusion (and have already using "Obstacle" spoilers).

I am interested in continuing, but again, if folks aren't having fun, then yes, we should find a different solution?

I would like to continue, I hope red stays. I think we just need to be able to say what we are going to do for each scenario as it unfolds.

OK, going to resume.

Thanks GM.

Good luck everyone. Have fun. :)

i didnt see the initiative order, where to I find that?

Nevermind, I found it.

Players,
Going to do my best to salvage this game!
Currently adjusting for a 4-PC party now, with the assumption that all 4 of you want to continue!
If that is not the case, please post here, or PM me.

Otherwise, I am awaiting your posts in Gameplay.

If you have any questions, such as "How do I access the Map?" or other questions, please ask here?

i go after the bad guys.

I am still interested but this is my last day of my extremely busy work week, so I may not be able to post in gameplay until tomorrow.

38 damage!?! Nenyath, my man, I think I'll just sit this one out :) ?Actually, Brayka has the same sword so maybe we carve the horse quickly.

@Ryiah (You are Up)
@Nenyath (You are Up)

wow, crits all around, nice rolls!

Activating Botting Tree!

If it's been over 24 hours since someone posted, and that character is "up" in any mode of the game, other player are encouraged to "bot" that character either directly above - or directly below - their own characters' alphabetical names:

Brayka
Darg
Nenyath Ravenstar
Ryiah Dorne

@Darg, @Ryiah, for whomever cares to bot, there's a few things to catch up on for Nenyath:

1. There's a spoiler Nenyath has shared with Darg for whomever cares to read it. It's in the same post from GM Rainzax where the Pale Horse bites Nenyath.

2. Nenyath is Grabbed by Green (applies flat-footed/immobilized).

3. Nenyath doesn't have any reactions that can apply to the attack from the Pale Horse (shield is down, Reactive Shield won't get AC high enough to avoid a hit, can't use "Glimpse of Redemption" on himself.)

4. Brayka used Liberating Step on Nenyath during the Pale Horse's attack, so Nenyath can:
a. Make 1 free Escape attempt from Green (Nenyath's Athletics skill (+10) would be best for this roll).
b. If he Escapes, take a free Step action, ignoring terrain movement modifiers due to Brayka applying Unimpeded Step.

5. Then Nenyath's turn would start in full.

Hope the info dump helps :)

ok so Nenyath was botted.

I think the horse is dead.

In fact, the last zombie might be dead now, we shall see.

Putting up a summary of the dossiers in this google sheet, just so we can track.

Putting up a summary of the dossiers in this google sheet, just so we can track.

Linked in Campaign Tab Header and GM Bar!

Putting up a summary of the dossiers in this google sheet, just so we can track.

Thank you, Brayka!

Players,
We are currently in Open Exploration Mode now, which I am tracking in Rounds, where each Round is the equivalent of about 10 minutes in-game. Typically, rolling a significant Skill Check is measured in these same Round units.

Hopefully that clears up any confusion?

In a word: Feel free to Explore!

GM Rainzax, do we have a definite "completion date" we need to hit for this game day event? Thanks!

Here is the relevant Link.

So, September 1st to November 10th.

@Darg, sorry for the confusion around looting the Pale Horse, our characters got disjointed in time. Brayka went to the smithy after his 3rd exploration action. When I posted, I saw that Ryiah and Darg still had their 3rd actions to take. Time travel lesson learned.

How do I do something in a spoiler? I didnt see that in the linked instructions.

Below the Reply box, where you would type a Reply to this post, it says:

-Post As (select)
-Preview
-Cancel
-Submit Post

Below that, there is a "show" button: "How to format your text"

It says to use the "[ spoiler = spoiler name ]" to opener and "[ / spoiler ]" closer syntax, but to do so without spaces.

Whatever you put between the opener and closer becomes the "spoilered" text.

Let me know if that makes sense?

thanks, i found this site, it is pretty cool, lets you pre-format a post with easy to use buttons and dialogue builder, then you view the raw text, copy, and pow, you look like you know what your doing....

Site link: https://www.dungeonetics.com/ppbpeditor/

Wow, thank you, the amount of time I've burned formatting posts on my mobile . . . will try this out tonight.

Does this thing

• Finally
  
• Do
  
• Lists
  
• Right?
  

<sigh> nope, lists still don't seem to work. I'm a lists fan too :/

@Ryiah, if I could lend you a hero point at post #154, I would :/