All right, I've received a PM from Mirann on her preferred outfit (marius stated his, too) and wrote a sample interaction with Lotti for how the clothing process would go if someone visited the store. I've unfortunately run into some family issues and I don't think I'll be able to write similar posts for everyone due to time contrainsts. While I like writing them, my time is cut down a lot for at least the entirely of this week.
Is everyone all right with fast forwarding to the pre-gala meeting, after doing whatever other preparations or information gathering, if any, people still want to make? I'll just bring everyone's finished product along with the sleeves.
I'm ready - apologies for the radio silence, been caught up with a few things. Still very much here, and ready to rock the pre-gala meeting.
I forgot to ask this earlier, but wanted to run it by GM_Catallus. Now that Rose knows what her task is, could she make her dress from a very smooth material - let's say, velvet - to increase her escape artist check in the outfit as if it were a masterwork tool or such, and pay the extra cost for it?
The space isn't that crowded that the friction coefficient of clothing would play a role. :)
So I would say no.
The check is more to determine your success in navigating a room where people either stand still or move about, without bumping rudely into anyone and causing a scene.
Fair enough :)
Sorry to ask this again, but can I use Diplomacy in any of the rooms? It's not listed anywhere.
I'll say yes, but the DC will be higher.
So, we can now continue with the social rounds and attempt to influence the critical NPC's?
Has Rose gotten any instruction of which message to bring to who or is that purely up to us as players to fill in?
Marius, are you attempting to spy on the High Strategos? If so, you also need a Stealth check to see if you can get close enough.
So during the Roman Empire sometimes succession crises would be circumvented by having an Emperor or Dictator adopt one of his powerful generals as a son, despite them being more or less the same age, so that there would be a clear heir.
Does Taldor do that? Because Maxillar Pythareus being announced as the adopted son of Stavian would be both a cool nod to history and a devious play against our team!
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That would be a cool political move! However, I think that if there were a precident for this, Stavian himself might have used it when Eutropia originally refused his will of marrying Pythareus fifteen or so years ago?
His words imply something a lot more sinister to me. Imo, this event is technically a perfect 'red wedding' site. I assume a senate building doesn't have many exits or entrances for secutiry reasons, most of his political enemies are presumably in one place, and the very dresscode requires them to be (nearly) unarmored and unequipped, not to mention almost entirely without their personal armed forces. What if he uses the phalanx to block the exits, kills everyone/everyone who doesn't agree with him and claims the throne for himself?
Of course, I hope I'm wrong about this, but I think we should plan around the worst case scenario of things getting bloody. At least we won't be unpleasantly surprised!
With this news, I think Rose will start acting as such moving into the next social round.
Yeah, a martial law move would effectively give them the right to arrest anyone they desired, and with all the opposition having announced themselves through the votes... easy to round them up.
But is the primogeniture issue so crucial that Stavian would go that far?
My guess is we're going to have to stick close to the princess and smuggle her out when the chaos starts!
Iirc from the player's guide, Stavian himself hasn't appeared in public recently and there were rumors of his health being poor? Could be wrong on this, but in that case he might already be dead? Regardless, I think it's more likely Pythareus would be in on it for himself. Claim the country as 'the strong man' in absence of a legal heir.
And that he's apparently confident in whatever he's planning despite (being rightfully reminded) that the senators consist of spellcasters for a large part has me ill at ease... he obviously would know that, too. So... maybe he's going to smuggle an antimagic field spell/object into the senate floor for the vote? But that's not something Rose would be aware of existing...
Well, I guess we'll see :) I agree escorting the princess out of there would be a very epic way to start! But perhaps also slightly above our paygrade? It seems like slightly jumping the gun from a story perspective since it will be hard to top that in plot relevance/party significance/epicness in the near future at least.
Battlefield promotion: all the NPCs who would normally have this job die in the ambush, so it falls to us b/c we aren't important enough yet to have assassins assigned to us :)
Unless at the meet up we (off screen) exchanged what we had done/found out and with/about whom, I don't believe Mirann would have a way in character to know about Jarlbjorn's Perform(any) influence skill, hence her dancing in front of him purely by accident.
Apologies all but I am probably going to be quiet for the next couple of days. We're about to get slammed with awful weather over the weekend and we still have to get the furniture moved over to the new house.
I should be able to start posting normally on Tuesday and I'll do my best between now and then but no promises, sorry again. Thanks for your patience!
Good luck with the move!
I won't be able to post again today, unfortunately. If this delays things, please move on with the round and I'll act twice tomorrow?
Thanks for the heads-up, will move things along and you can post twice in the next round.
On a different topic, I was looking over the party skills and you are a little thin on knowledge ones. Do people plan to train more of those next level, or do you feel like you need an additional PC in the group to fill that role?
Let me know your thoughts!
I plan to train K. Arcana, but not Religion, Nature, Dungeoneerng or Engineering
Marius does intend to spread out his knowledge skills to take advantage of Monster Lore, but he's only got so many skills to go around and would like to keep his stealth and sense motive maxed
Rose can optionally take a vigilante talent at level 5 that adds +4 to all knowledge skills she has a rank in. She aslo gets +4 to one mental skill every 4 levels in social identity, which could be a knowledge skill, and skill focus at level 8 and 16.
The flavor of the +4 all knowledge talents is a bit out there, as it states that her ancestral spirits give her this advice. I was looking at the psychometrist archetype for vigilante to perhaps eventually train into, which would grant her minor psychich powers to accomodate. I think I could have a story for it based around wanting to have access to magic but not having much talent for it, ending with relatively unknown minor pyschic powers that mimic some more known spells.
The archetype trades out combat talents for access to weapon enchantments, ability score improvements, blur and invisibility. And it has int as a secondary stat, so that might work out. But it's a psychic themed archetype and not everyone likes those from my experience, so I wouldn't do it depending on what the table wants.
Alternatively, there's always a lore needle. Kind of suits a tailor thematically?
Lotti will also be diversifying - first level is always thinner on skills. She’s planning to be trained in all of them, but the last few (engineering and geography I think) won’t be had until lvl 3. She’ll be solid on Arcana, Local, Nobility, and Planes as she continues to gain experience.
I don't have a lot of skill points to go round, but I definitely intend to take some Kn. Religion asap.
Good to know, thank you all for your answers.
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Alright, what's left to do?
People to Influence:
- Lady Gloriana Morilla
- Wyssilka the Fantabulous
Places to Influence:
- Courtyard
Tasks to Accomplish:
- None?
Rose, Mirram, and Konstiantina have the Knowledge (nobility) to influence Gloriana, and Mirram has the Perform to influence Wyssilka. Lotti can work on finishing up the courtyard. Which leaves Marius - perhaps he'd like to put his military service to work once more to see if he can dig up more intel on what the Strategos is up to?
I thought I finished influencing Wyssilka and that's why I got the free round on Pace?
Hmm. She's not marked as finished in the spreadsheet...
My bad! Wyssilka is fully influenced.
All tasks are completed, so you can wrap up the last bits or we can fast-forward to the next event. If you want to finish influencing people, I recommend starting with the Courtyard, as it can help you with the other stuff.
Given that we received Martella's weakness and since we seem to be out of tasks except for influencing Glorianna Morilla, shall I just attempt to influence Martella instead? Not sure if there is a point, but I'm not sure what else to do. Except, I guess, sharing the emergency exit details with the party.
You learned Lady Morilla's weakness, not Martella's. We can move out of rounds for this last bit and people can freely roleplay and roll their influence checks.
let me know when you want to move forward to the next event (the Senate vote).
Apologies for not posting today, had limited time and chose to make an application for a recruitment thread.
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Welcome to level 2! New spells won't be available until you rest. HPs are half of your HD+1, plus Con modifier.
Keep in mind that not all of your starting gear is available, only what you had with you at the Gala.
Congratulations on completing Part 1 of Book 1!
Level 2 update:
+7 HP (5 +1 +1)
+1 BAB
+1 Fort
+1 Will
+2 skills (Kn. Nobility, Perception)
New abilities: Divine Grace, Lay on Hands
dipping into Rondelero for some falcata goodness
+8hp (5+1+2)
+1 BAB
+2 Fort
+2 Ref
+6 skills
Panache, Parry/Riposte, Weapons Finesse as a bonus feat, falcata proficiency :)
Cool! So we're all in the room now, i assume?
Wonder who teleported us out, if that is what happened...
Regardless i can level rose and post in about an hour.
Vigilante level 2.
-Combat talent: Lethal Grace: Gain weapon finesse as a bonus feat, and add half character level to damage rolls with finesse weapons if using dexterity to hit but strength to determine weapon damage.
+6 HP.
+1 will.
+1 reflex.
+1 BAB.
+11 sp:
-Know. Nob +1, Craft Clothing +1, Perc +1, SM +1, DD +1, Appraise +1(>+5), Knowledge local +1 (> +5), Knowledge dungeoneering +1 (>+5), Bluff +1, diplomacy +1, Intimidate +1 (>+6).
Inventory:
+2 vials of neutralize poison.
+8 HP, +1 BAB, +1 REF
Bardic Performance (Su): At 2nd level, a deadly courtesan gains the bardic performance ability and the fascinate bardic performance. Her fascinate DC is 10 + 1/2 her rogue level + her Charisma modifier. She can use this bardic performance for a number of rounds per day equal to 1 + her Charisma modifier. At each level after 2nd, she can use bardic performance for 1 additional round per day. If the courtesan also has bard levels, she may use these rounds for either class’s fascinate bardic performance, and her bard and rogue levels stack for determining her fascinate DC. This ability replaces the rogue trick gained at 2nd level.
Evasion
10 Skills (FCB skill)
+1 Acrobatics, Bluff, DD, K. Arcana, Sense Motive, Stealth, UMD, Sleight of Hand, +2 Dip,
2 BG Skills
+1 Perform Dance, Sing
Forgot my background skills.
Thus my ranking up is become:
+1 Per, Int
BG
+ Kn. Nob, Religion.
Any chance for Mirann to open the lock behind the bar or Lotti to identify the wand we just found, before we move into the next room?
Hey all, posting will be slow/infrequent for a while; I work in the tourism and hospitality industry in a city where St. Pat's is 1000% everything, apologies as we go into this next week
Howdy, y'all, hell week is over, but today another of my grandparents died which makes three in six months. Will be catching up in these next few days. Thank you for your patience
So sorry for your loss, take your time.
So sorry to hear that, Mirann.
Ah... my condolances for your losses. :(
Hey everyone, I wanted to ask something real quick. I've been trying to push the story along and trying to adhere to a once or twice a day posting schedule. However, I know that some of you are really busy in real life with work, be it writing, tourism, moving or such.
I wanted to ask just in case, do you feel I post too much and need to leave more time for others to push and interact in my/Rose's stead? I wish to avoid a scenario where Rose is featured too dominantly and/or there's a group sentiment of: 'social encounter, Rose will take care of it anyway'.
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Good news, y'all! I am still here
The bad news, is that I lost my cell phone on the airplane on the way to my grandfather's funeral, and have been unable to log into any of my accounts until now. But I am back! I am very sorry to all that I missed the ENTIRE month of March. I am still ready and willing to return if you will still have me; thank you AGAIN for your patience and understanding.
Welcome back, Mirann!!
Welcome back from me, too! Sorry to hear about your phone though.
K, so about the loot, we have an unidentified ring (a ring of protection, maybe?), a +1 heavy shield, a +1 handaxe, an unidentified crossbow and an alchemy lab.
Suggestion: Alchemy lab to mirann, handaxe to Marius or konstiantina for backup weapon, ring of protection (if true and identified) to either konstiantina or Marius and the crossbow to Rose?
Unfortunately it appears no one in the party can use the shield without large penalties. Konstiantina doesn't have proficiency and both Marius and Rose are locked into weapon finesse builds, which give a -2 to attack rolls if equipped. I'd momentarily forgotten about the weapon finesse restriction. it can still be used but whoever wields it would be a straight wall with low accuracy. Then again, +3 ac is a lot, so perhaps it's still worth it for Marius or Rose. Unsure what to do. It wouldn't even help me that much I guess since I don't already have a high ac before equipping.