Welcome back! You haven't missed much, fortunately. Torsten went to the Arkonas and is currently exploring their underground labyrinth. It's very fun and not at all filled with deathtraps. XD
For energy, I'm fond of Mountain Dew Spark, my wife prefers coffee, and our roommate swears by GFuel.
Okay, I skimmed. What's the plan to get me back on track? And did I see a level up to 9?
I never had a taste for Mt Dew; I used to be about a 35% Diet Coke-based life form back in the 90s, but that's about it for soda for me.
Let's start by getting you to 9th level. After that, if Torsten's still in the labyrinth, we'll work on getting you there. XD
Okay, as I've told you, I try to plan out level [x+1] while I'm still at [x], so I'm 90% done, the hardest part is just going to be updating the profile sheet. I expect to have that done by tomorrow; I'll send up a flare if I deviate in either direction from that time estimate.
Additional levels in Fighter and Sorcerer, incrementing all the stuff that goes with that.
My new Combat Talent is Unlikely Feint, and my new Magic Talent is Penetrating Blast; I really want to burn down a guy with fire resistance. >:) The only part I'm not quite sold on yet is what feat to get. I had originally planned on getting Ritual Caster here, but now I might skip that, and take the Harrowed feat, as I'll need it for the Harrower PrC.
About that...
1. Under the 5th level class feature, you mention the "Spirit deck" ability. Looks like you dropped that ability from the original, so ditch that reference.
2. The 4th level class feature, casting divination as a spell-like ability, any chance that could also be used for the harrowing spell?
Good catch! Spirit deck was a weird "throw ghostly Harrow cards at people to deal damage" thing.
I like the harrowing spell, but it somewhat clashes with the Blessing of the Harrow ability. Having both means you're incentivized to perform at least two full harrowings per day - ideally back-to-back. There's nothing wrong with that mechanically, but the flavor's a bit weird. On the other hand, the flavor of "ask a quick question then draw a card" for divination works really well. Thoughts?
That all makes sense in context, happy to stick with divination.
Glad you are. Torsten is seeing first hand how hard life is without divination. Pulling random levers and leaving chests unopened…
Well, the "guess randomly" thing, I'm still strongly considering the Augury talent, but I keep on not having time to put it in yet. :)
I think I'm level-9-compliant. Note there is now a "Harrowed" item in my status bar for use of the feat by that name. Also a general note, that Kn (occult) is now trained for Ril, as part of the prep for the PrC, so that's another skill she's got.
I ay be massively overthinking/overcomplicating something, so I could use some feedback.
As I said, I took my first skill rank of Kn (occult) at 9. To make the 5 ranks I need for the Harrower PrC, if I add in 1 rank/lvl I'll have 5 at 13. Does that mean I can pick Harrower as a class with my level 13 class selections (Sor12/Har1), or do I have to take my first level at 14 if I go that way? Or, as I said, is ths a matter of making something way more hassle than it needs to be?
You can always spend gold to retrain so you can meet the requirements much sooner.
Or just throw 2 ranks at Kn(o) in any of the next three levels. This is why I figured this one moght fall under G for "Good Gorum, Felix, you're making this into too much of a thing." :)
BTW, when I updated to 9, I corrected an error I'd allowed to creep in. Back in December, I'd planned to take the Divination talent, Blindfolded Oracle. This was a "line of scrimmage audible" from the Viewing I'd originally intended. But I forgot to update my "next level" profile doc, so when I pasted it into the profile, I accidentally still included Viewing.
Since it's not what I intended, and I haven't even tried to use either talent, is it safe to assume it's okay to change over to the Blindfolded Oracle talent I'd meant to take?
Most definitely. XD
I don't even know what this is about, but Imma link this here just in case you have more maps you're looking for like you were for Salvatore's place.
I've been following that guy since the Salvatore map. XD Skip the next couple maps he posts, as they'll be of the labyrinth Torsten's currently stuck in.
Figurative Scout's honor, I didn't do much more than note the title of each post.
I still think you should just have a side quest that's two solid months of like, deep tattoo-based RPing, and give him time to get ahead of us in the Adventure Path. XD
Come on white orb, teleport us to Ril!
Speaking of Ril, joining Torsten can be accomplished pretty easily. Torsten's been down here for a while, and if Ril makes a trip to Arkona Palace after dropping Salvator off somewhere safe (maybe with the Field Marshall?), she'll be invited to follow Torsten. This is a good opportunity for that meetup. XD
Sure, maybe Ril handed off Salvatore to Eries or her poeple, with instructions to deliver him to the Marshal.
Sounds like a plan. That way you don't even need to sneak in and out of Old Korvosa again. XD
Yeah, I was trying to think of work-arounds that didn't require that, and it was the "neatest" option.
Just so we're clear, I'm ready whenever you need me.
Today in "Felix Overthinks Spheres Content," I'm trying to decide between a few different options I have for gaining Evasion or a comparable ability. I see options in Shield Sphere (Blockade) and Fencing (Parry Anything); do either of you see anything I missed? You think one of them is in any way better than the other? They kind of seem a wash to me; both pretty good.
Both are definitely good options. I'd give a slight edge to the Blockade talent because it isn't a Legendary Talent, gives a bonus to the Reflex save, and also shields people behind you. Parry Anything has better action economy, though, and works against more types of attacks.
Let me ask you, do you consider Parry Anything problematic by nature of it being a Legendary Talent? I guess you can consider this the "me asking" part of "ask your GM if Legendaries are OK for your table."
That one first came on my radar after our encounter with Blondinka (for the life of me I can't remember her real name*); when I saw that she was practically firing RPG rounds at us, PA was the first thing** I found as far as a defense against that. :)
*Yes, the "real name" of a fictional character. :P
**First Spheres-based thing; IIRC, the first thing I thought of was the Deflect Arrows I suggest Torsten flex into. <3 Martial Flexibility
Legendary/Advanced Talents fall into the "ask me first" category. I'm generally okay with them, but I do look over them and analyze potential problematic areas to make sure I don't get caught off-guard. In the case of Parry Anything, with the right build, you can parry multiple times per round, which potentially negates certain scenarios. You're not building towards that goal, so there's nothing for me to worry about. XD
Yeah, I run hot & cold about Parrying, mainly b/c it costs martial focus, so the first time you tank the roll, you're done. Which, given the very hot & cold nature of my d20 rolls, has left me very conflicted. :)
Things Felix Thinks of Far Too late: vol 8 in an ongoing series.
We totally need like, for lack of a better word for it, "signal tattoos." Little one-offs we can inscribe on ourselves, and link to the other person. Useable to send messages to the other person. Like if we get separated, and we need the other to know, "Get the hell over here now," or for that matter, "GTFO now," or anything, really.
That’s a pretty neat idea. I’d be down for that. message is a lvl 0 spell. We could base it off that. Where a tattoo can briefly glow different colors, with both PCs knowing what that means. For example glowing red means “enemies near, engage”, yellow means “danger, flee” and blue means “don’t move stay quiet.” So just four colors. Others could of course see it, but we’d know what it means.
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Also, in “cool things I found” look at this legendary equipment talent!
Force Redirection Technique [Youxia HB]
Prerequisite: Equipment sphere.
You may use your Strength modifier in place of your Dexterity modifier to AC, up to a maximum of 3 + half of your base attack bonus. Characters who gain Climb or Swim as a class skill may instead choose to have the cap increase by +1 for every 2 ranks in the listed class skill they possess. Your bonus to AC is still affected by anything that would limit or remove your Dexterity modifier to AC such as wearing armor or being flat-footed. You may disable or enable Force Redirection Technique as a free action at the start of your turn, once per turn.
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Truly worth being called legendary!
Make the colors different, so if someone sees it they're all, "What does the purple light mean?"
OR...!
Make them location based. Red on right arm means this, but on left arm means the other thing.
Then watch Ril stand there desperately trying to remember which one was for what. "Aw, hell with it. Torsten get in here!"
Also, that talent looks cool. The Spheres thing I just found this week is the Swashbuckler archetype, Prismatic Duelist, which means I totally want to make a character who is practically a living stabby disco ball.
Well there is this recruitment if you want to make one :)
While that does look interesting, I've managed to mentally "crash" like twice in the past six months. For now I'm gonna just keep it simple, and just throw another idea on Mount Pile Of Alt Character Ideas In Case Of Emergency.
By the way GM, don't forget my Favored Community bonuses. Dawnflower knows I have!
(initiative, Knowledge (civ), Perception, Stealth, and Survival)
Force Redirection Technique is a great example of why I need to approve Advanced/Legendary Talents. XD That's one of the ones I don't like. It's fine from a balance standpoint, but it allows for single-stat offense and defense. That's normally something that requires a fair bit of investment.
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Tattoo walkie-talkies are definitely something that can be arranged. The one I'm thinking of is at-will telepathy (one linked creature) with a 120ft range. Alternately, I can write up a disposable one based on message without too much difficulty. The two main things that need to be determined are: use limit (at-will, one-off, 2/day, etc) and effective range.
I believe both of you are Good-aligned, but if you're not, halve the unholy damage and ignore the sickened effect.
Yes, I am.
Deathless Aegis, does it do anything for this beyond the straight +4 morale bonus to the save?
EDIT TO ADD: damn it all, I forgot to add in the disarm check last round! That'll teach me, I hope!
Also, I'll go on the record saying that for rolls like fortification, or miss chance, the success is always on the low roll. So like for light fort, it works on 01-25, not 76-100. Ditto the miss chance from my bracelet, and the Ablative Aegis I'll be getting.
It's an evil spell but not a death effect, unfortunately.
So it does nothing? Harrumph. :) OK then, knock 4 off my save total, but I still make it.
I'll be out of town this weekend, so there'll be no updates until Monday.
Have fun and be safe!
If forced to pick one, flip a coin!
Also, I feel slightly better, I just remembered it wasn't the parry roll that needed one more point. Nothing I could've done there.
I'm back! For the next 11 days, anyway. Official move-out day is May 27. Once that happens, I'll be mostly unable to post until we're moved in to our new place and get internet set up. I'll keep you updated, but phone posting isn't a fantastic option for actual gameplay.
Oooof! GL with the move! After our last move 3 years ago I (hyperbolically) swore I wouldn't move again until I was going feet-first. But also, it's a holiday weekend, I wouldn't have faulted anyone for not being on then anyway.
Moving is the opposite of fun. Hope it all goes smoothly, and that it leaves your back and sanity intact
GM, are you moving your own stuff, or getting guys?
Also, G, on an unrelated note, how's the foot healing up?
Thanks for asking! I’m walking again, which is great. Just using soft sandals inside and inserts outside. Can’t run or the like, but the simple fact that I can move around unassisted is such a blessing. :)
If all goes well, this'll be almost the last move for us. Current destination is basically a landing pad where we'll stay until we've acclimated and made sure this is where we want to live for the next 30+ years. Assuming it is, we'll be able to finally break out of the renting cycle and become first-time homeowners. XD
Regarding stuff, it's a little bit of both. We're using U-Pack for transport but loading/unloading ourselves to save money.
Either of you seen oaths? It’s so broken.
For example…play a Paladin with: “Oath of Honor (2 Oath Points)
Oath: You have sworn to uphold your good name and maintain an air of dignity in your actions. You must select a code of honor and maintain an honor score (see Ultimate Campaign) of at least 3 x your character level at all times. When you first swear this Oath or when you level up, your honor score is increased to 3 x your character level if it is lower.
Defiance Penalty: Your dishonorable actions weigh physically on you. You are constantly considered sickened, and this effect ignores any immunity to the sickened condition you may possess.
Atonement: You must see your honor restored in the face of your community, and must reach an honor score of at least 4 x your character level.
Special: Codes of honor and honor scores are detailed in Ultimate Campaign.”
With that? You can get “Immortality (Ex) (2 Oath points)
Your body has transcended physical weakness. You do not need to eat, drink, or sleep, and do not age so long as you do not break your oath (this prevents you from gaining bonuses or penalties from aging). At 5th level, you become immune to disease and aging effects. At 10th level, you become immune to poison and do not need to breathe.”
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Play a Paladin. Make the same oath required by your class. Get immortality…
Cool idea that turns into a train wreck once you start to codify it.
At times like this, I recall a great line from the 4th edition rulebook of Champions, in its section on character building.
The bold, enlarged font was in the original text (or at least I remember it as such), it stuck with me for the past 30+ years. :)