CHASE RULES
This is basically an obstacle course: each section has two bypass options. You can spend a Move action to attempt one of the listed skill checks (there may also be alternative methods not listed such as flight). Success means you move forward. You can also spend a Standard/Swift/etc action to do anything else (cast a spell, for example).
Alternately, you can attempt both skill checks as a Full-Round action. Success means you move triple distance, partial success either moves you to the next obstacle or means you don't move. Total failure means you get stuck and skip your next turn.
Your movement speed affects the DC of skill checks. 40ft speed gives you a +2 bonus to all bypass checks. 20ft speed gives you a -2 penalty. This bonus/penalty increases based on your speed.
Times like this I wish we had a spell that could force her to stop running away from us.
<checks spell list>
Best I can do is make her explode from Torsten's fists...
Times like this I wish we had a spell that could force her to stop running away from us.
<checks spell list>
Best I can do is make her explode from Torsten's fists...
Let's, uh... Let's go with that as a Plan B oh, about Plan I? Or J? Let's say J.
Flipping brilliant idea, Macaria!
/golf_clap
Regardless of what you do with Trinia, you're now Level 4. XD
In addition to the normal level-up process, everyone gains a Background Feat and a +1 deflection bonus to AC. You also gain a +2 inherent bonus to three different stats of your choice. Finally, your unique magic item gains 1 customization point.
Fantastic. You said at some point that this Deflection bonus stacks with that from my Aegis talents, right?
Torsten, Macaria, I'm trying to figure the best thing to do next for my many, many needs in magic talents. :) I was thinking I'd buy off my Limited Divination limitation, opening the door to a subsequent pickup of See Hazard. Got any opinions on a more pressing need we might have? Other choices I was considering were Sculpt Blast, or my Crafter's Fortune knockoff, or the Divination Witness The City.
Yeah, that's the Spheres' Curse - you always need more.
Regardless of what you do with Trinia, you're now Level 4. XD
In addition to the normal level-up process, everyone gains a Background Feat and a +1 deflection bonus to AC. You also gain a +2 inherent bonus to three different stats of your choice. Finally, your unique magic item gains 1 customization point.
Yay lvl4!
+2 Str (20: He is strong)
+2 Con (16: He is tough)
+2 Wis (18: He has powerful runes)
Customization Point: 4x times per day can add 1d6 elemental damage to attacks
* Monk/Incanter (4)
- HP: 28 + 6 (monk) + 1 (FCB) + 7 (Con) = 42
- ABP: Armor attunement +1, weapon attunement +1
- Saves (recalculating):
Fort: +2 (monk) + 4 (con) + 1 (resistance) = +7
Ref: +2 (monk) + 1 (dex) + 1 (resistance) = +4
Will: +4 (incanter) + 4 (wis) + 1 (resistance) = +9
- Background Feat - Cunning (+1 skill point per level)
- Skills: +4 (base) + 4 (cunning). Picked up sense motive
- BaB: +1
* Monk (4)
- AC Bonus: +1
- Ki Pool: +2
- Still Mind (+2 bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects)
- Ki Power: Ki Stand (requires 4th level): While you have at least 1 ki point in your ki pool, you can stand up as a swift action that provokes attacks of opportunity. You may spend 1 point of your ki pool to stand up as a swift action without provoking attacks of opportunity. (Getting knocked down is very debilitating as a martial character. Thus this becomes very useful)
- Combat Talent: Spinning Heel Kick (Whenever you make a successful unarmed strike against a creature using the attack action, you may make an additional attack with a -2 penalty against a foe that is adjacent to the first and also within your reach.)
* Incanter:
- Spell Pool: 9 -> 11
- New Spell! Restore Spirit (Your cure ability heals an additional 1 hit point per caster level. When restoring a target’s soul, the target is cured of all ability damage, as well as all ability drain to one ability score of your choice. The target is also cured of 1 temporary negative level, +1 per 5 caster levels. This may also suppress a permanent negative level for 1 minute per caster level instead of curing a temporary negative level.)
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Alot to unpack! But AC goes from 19 to 23, picked up a better version of cleave, and gained even better healing. And I've decided that for the next few levels at least, I'll be focusing on the life sphere.
Also, for Torsten's unarmed attacks. They are +1 enchantment due to ABP. They get another +2 from enhancement, which goes up by another +1 from talents, for a total of +4 enhancement bonus. He punches pretty hard!
Base Healing: 1d8 + CL (1d8+4)
Torsten Heals: 2d8 + 8 (2 spell points as a swift action, 1 spell point after hitting someone, or 0 spell points after either getting a critical hit or taking someone to 0 HP)
Just to be clear that I am reading this table correctly:
https://magicmanjl.wixsite.com/johnsonfinder/copy-of-malefactor
At lvl4, as a monk, Torsten gets +2 to all saves, not +4 (as vanilla for a good save)
Just like the vanilla Monk, your base save for this level should be +4. Your good saves got a bonus +2 at first level as per the table on the homepage. That's likely where the confusion came from. XD
Awesome, thank you. Should be good to go now!
Also, for Torsten's unarmed attacks. They are +1 enchantment due to ABP. They get another +2 from enhancement, which goes up by another +1 from talents, for a total of +4 enhancement bonus. He punches pretty hard!
Holy schnikees. That sounds like a lot. Unless I misread, we don't get the +1 from ABP until level 5 (as per chart at the front of DM's website).
Ability Boosts: Dex, Con, Cha (it was a tough choice between Str & Con, I'll probably do Str at 8)
BG Feat: Prodigy (boosting Craft & Profession)
Ranger
Nature's Allies: Warleader sphere, Bonus Combat Talent: Persisting Influence
Ranger Talent: Combat Trick (Extra Talent (Feint Strike))
Combat Talent: Expert Feint
Sorcerer
Arcane endowment: Instinctive Understanding (I might finally start outsmarting the rock!)
Magic Talent: either buy off Limited Divination, or the Divine talent Witness the City, this is the only part I'm really torn on, and I decided it's down to these two. If no one has any compelling arguments to make either way, I'll make a coin toss for it.
Thanks for catching that! Too used to vanilla ABP. Character updated
GM, let me ask you. Can Ril "retrain" the FCB she took at level 1? Before you'd told me I could use the +1/6 magic talent FCB, I took +1 HP, and had intended to keep it, but because I'm doing all Ril's stats by hand, that lone +1 HP keeps tripping me up. Just for simplicity's sake I'd like to make it all the +1/6 talent, if you're amenable.
Other than that, she's done for 4. I took Witness the City as her magic talent, it seems kinda cool, and it meshes well with what she already does.
EDIT: don't forget guys, deflection bonuses to AC also apply to CMD!
Not a problem!
Next stupid question! :D
The category is "Homebrew Rules." Next level, we get Attunement +1, which you said applies to all weapons/armor/shields we use. Would that enhance the AC bonus from Unarmored Training? I could see it going either way. If it doesn't by default, would it if you have the feat Zodiac Tattoos?
Also, as far as neighborhoods/favored communities go: Torsten's former shop was in Old Korvosa, but our new place is in Midlands, correct? I took the former as my first Favored Community, but I'd kind of meant to do our current whereabouts. However, digging around, GM had noted that Old Korvosa has a definite value as a FC, so I'm fine keeping it that way, and adding in Midlands later. (IIRC, there was another part of town that GM had strongly encouraged as a pickup by endgame, which I can do at 13.)
When it comes to homebrew, there are no stupid questions. XD
Regarding the attunement, it's even simpler than that. You'll get a +1 enhancement bonus to AC, attack, and damage. It's not tied to any specific equipment, though, so it'll apply regardless of what you're wearing/wielding. The intent is to allow you to use any cool loot you might find without worrying about sacrificing numerical bonuses. XD
As for Favored Communities, if you'd like to swap for Midlands, that's fine. It's what you were originally thinking, after all. Old Korvosa will be extremely useful in Book Three (levels 8-11), and The Heights will be handy in Book Six (levels 15-17).
My first impulse is to not switch; I just wanted to make sure I have it right. If Ril's first home in Korvosa was in Old K, it actually makes sense. Let me chew on it a bit, and final answer will be by EOD tomorrow, okay?
Yeah, I'm gonna keep it as it is. As I told Torsten, I'm prone to overthinking stuff. I'll pick up Midlands later.
Two things:
What would Macaria need to do to officialy claim ownership over the fishery? Maybe she can build her own orphanage from scratch.
Are you allowing Legendary Talents? I'm asking specifically about this one.
Lol, yeah... well, that depends on our dear GM's answer :P
Are you sticking with paladin for a while longer, or are you going back into cleric?
Have to say, one of the things that I like about this campaign is how every PC has their own stake in the city. Makes the group feel much more like it's part of the world than usual.
Are you sticking with paladin for a while longer, or are you going back into cleric?
I might be alternating between the two... but I can't tell for sure.
@Macaria: I'm fine with you taking the Afterimage talent. In regards to your other question, purchasing the deed to the fishery, making it habitable, and hiring a few qualified staff will cost approximately 2k gp. The new orphanage would then be able to provide for itself for the foreseeable future.
And then we turn it into a criminal enterprise, right? Pretty sure we could make them pickpockets and move drugs and the like...
Okay, let's say Is like to purchase the place, then we do the rest. Let's see how much money I can gather after this mission, and maybe we can do it in Gameplay spoilers if you want (though I'm okay to just handwave it).
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Have to say, one of the things that I like about this campaign is how every PC has their own stake in the city. Makes the group feel much more like it's part of the world than usual.
I totally agree with this. I've been thoroughly enjoying Yhrrilka, both from a crunch standpoint (playing with new systems (Spheres)) and fluff/RP-wise. My thanks to the three of you for your part in making Korvosa a place worth fighting for. :)
@Macaria: Sounds like a plan.
@Yhrrilka: I agree as well. Two-thirds of the campaign will take place in Korvosa, so it's great that everyone's so invested in the city. The fact that the connections you're building will have a nice payoff down the road is an added bonus. XD
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Thanks to Automatic Bonus Progression, spending some thousands on a background thing like the orphanage is not as painful :)
Finally, your unique magic item gains 1 customization point.
You mean the trinket we got at the very beginning? How do we spend customization points?
*DING*
You've reached Level Three! In addition to the normal leveling process, everyone gains a +1 resistance bonus to all saves.Also, the "customizable magic item" I mentioned at the beginning of the campaign activates at this time. This item can be anything you want, although the random trinket I gave you during character creation is a good choice - as is Zellara's harrow deck. You can also choose which magic item slot this takes up as long as it makes sense. Torsten's glove would be 'Hands,' for example.
This works similarly to a scaling magic item; there are various unique abilities that will unlock as your character gains levels. However, you get to choose exactly how this will play out. Mechanically, you gain one 'customization point' per character level that can be assigned to any of the currently-unlocked abilities. Since you just reached Level Three, that means you have 3 points to allocate.
Macaria
- Choose acid, cold, electric, fire, or sonic. You gain resistance to the chosen energy equal to the number of assigned customization points. You also gain half this resistance (rounded down) to the other four energies.
- Your maximum hit points increase by an amount equal to the number of assigned customization points. An additional benefit can be unlocked as more points are assigned.Torsten
- You can grow or shrink as enlarge/reduce person for 1 round as a Swift Action a number of times per day equal to the number of assigned customization points.
- Choose acid, cold, electric, or fire. As a Swift Action, you can add 1d6 energy damage of this type to all your attacks for 1 round a number of times per day equal to the number of assigned customization points.Yhhrilka
- Three times per day, you can gain a bonus to your next single attack roll equal to the number of assigned customization points.
- Mundane ranged attacks against you have a miss chance equal to 5% times the number of assigned customization points.
I've been taking the elemental damage each time. While enlarge/reduce person is *really* powerful, I don't find the size changes as the kind of flavor that I was going for. But elemental damage? Without a doubt. So the choice has been easy for me.
Good job finding the post, Torsten. I was just about to post it myself.
On my own item, I think I'm going to invest more heavily in the miss chance, 1) because it doesn't cost an action, 2) because I'd like to not get pincushioned while I'm trying to engage my targets.
Wards start out rather weak because they're essentially a minor wall of force. I'm pretty sure they block physical movement, and since they're usable at-will, they're fairly useful - even though they only have a few hit points. For maximum effectiveness, you'll want a Greater Durable Buttressing Barrier. That gives you a Barrier with 10hp/CL that halves damage done to it and can be healed twice your CL/round as a Move action.
Jumping back to this a second... :)
First off, thanks.
I think to make them anything more than a figurative speed bump, the first talent to invest would be Greater, right? Not only makes them tougher, but also lets me control the shape. After that, probably Durable, then Buttressing.
(reconfigures the very long list of Magic Talents Ril wants to pick up)
Ah, I had forgotten about that, yes. Thank you guys.
I'm quite curious as to what "an additional benefit" that can be unlocked is, so I think I'm going to invest in HP.
So yes, I'm chuckling a lot over the idea of Ril now having to keep an eye on a girl and her duck.
In your post, you said "adopt." I was really just looking to give the girl a job, help her learn a trade. (I'd figure adventurers to make teeeeeerrible parents.) You don't literally mean adopt, right? More in the sense of, "take her on at the shop."
More later.
Precisely. I'd meant it in the "adopt a trade" sense as opposed to the "legally gaining new progeny" sense. XD
So I made the mistake of counting up all the Magic Talents I want, and it's a disheartening number. There's enough stuff on that list to take me up to level 16, assuming I don't spend any feats on Extra Magic Talent (that includes extra talents from FCB).
I think the key is to kind of sit down and prioritize it, right? Figure out which are the most urgent things and go from there. Can I get anyone's help in sorting this mess out? If so, I'll drop The List here later.
Gameplay post for Ril coming tonight as well.
You are never going to have the broad spectrum of effects that a Vancian caster has. Never. Your strong points are others. Just think about the plethora of effects a mere 1st level caster has, and you'll realise you'd need like a dozen talents to reflect that.
But you can be very strong in one or two areas, and that's what I would do if I were you.
Agreed. With spheres being so...diverse...I think it's best to think about what 1-2 things that a character should be really good at. I decided for Torsten it would be self buffing / self healing. Anything more and it would weaken those 2 to the point that it wouldn't be what he is anymore.
Plus, between the 3 of us, we can cover just about anything. We're much stronger as a team when each of us has a few things we are really good at, rather than being ok at everything.
Sure I get it, but even that list doesn't really go outside the Spheres in which I've already invested (Destruction, Divination, Protection, Nature). I know there's an important value to keeping focused, so you tell me, from this list, you see any fat to trim?
Precisely. Spheres brings casters down to Tier 3 so they don't render martial classes irrelevant at high levels. One way it does that is by encouraging specialization. Like the others are saying, pick 1-3 spheres to focus on and then dip as needed. If I remember correctly, your original concept was a fire-focused gish, so maybe focus on Destruction and Nature (fire) supplemented with Divination. That gives you access to some damage, defenses, and special movement options along with various other fun situational abilities.
EDIT: The link needs access permission. XD
I think I just granted it...
Took a quick look at the list. Here are a few thoughts. XD
Protection - The [aegis] talents are nice. Deathless, in particular, will come in handy during Book Five. As for the [barrier], it's a powerful ability if you specialize in it but isn't super useful otherwise. One issue is that it blocks everything that hits it, so you can't attack through it. Since the party isn't particularly ranged-focused, the barrier's usefulness diminishes.
Divination - those all seem reasonable, but I'm not sure how much you'll be using Scrying. In all fairness, I've never GM'd for a party that used it, so that's likely coloring my opinion a bit. Of the talents listed, I'd say Read Omens makes the most sense provided you use it enough to justify the talent investment. XD
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From my own personal standpoint, I'd take Destruction: Radiant Blast, Divination: Read Omens, and Protection: Deathless Aegis. I'd also consider Nature: Create Nature, and Nature: Manipulate Nature as an alternative to Destruction: Sculpt Blast.
So I'll once again say thanks for all the feedback, really. This is my first full-caster of any type in, oh probably 15 years easily, and throw in the additional wrinkle of a change to how spellcasting works and I often feel like I'm flailing at decisions.
Reading that, one thing jumps out: if you haven't GMed for a lot of parties that used Scrying, that in turn tells me it probably hasn't been too essential. So there's one for the back burner. :)
EDIT: hey, I had a question occur to me. Is each Aegis talent a separate casting? IOW, if I pick up Deathless, each time I place an Aegis, it's either Deathless or Deflection, but not both, right?
My regular gaming group is more of a beer-and-pretzels party that prefers roleplay to roll-play. As such, they're competent but not heavily optimized. Scry-and-fry and other more advanced tactics aren't in their wheelhouse. That being said, I'm perfectly capable of removing the kid gloves if necessary. XD
Each Aegis talent is a separate casting, by the way. Same with Sense talents, Enhance Equipment, etc. However, you can have multiple active simultaneously.
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I'm not clever enough for scry-and-fry (also, to the best of my understanding, wouldn't S&F require another Sphere (Warp)?). I'm barely clever enough for my current strategy of take-turns-stabbing-it-and-burning-it. :)