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I had a positive test come back on Wednesday so I'm at home on quarantine for the next several days. Currently asymptomatic and feeling fine; hopefully it'll stay that way. But in the event I *do* start feeling puny and disappear for more than a couple of days, that'll likely be why.
Not wanting to worry anyone but I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't give you guys a heads-up just in case.
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To summarize the votes as I read them:
Dale and Elby are ready to go get Irel's notes
Soddy and Seldiir sound like they're on the fence and are concerned about how long it will take. A valid concern, given that Irel could return at any time.
Tabar and Sammi-Sue haven't weighed in yet.
As a reminder, your mission briefing letter on Slide 3 said:
"Disguise yourselves and travel to the inn. {Done}
"Collect the false documents from the barkeep, Kristoff, {Done}
"and then convince Emilio to deliver the forged intelligence {Done} (Just in case I didn't make it clear in-character; Yes, he has agreed to deliver the intel.)
"Do whatever you need to do to earn his trust {Done}
"just get the documents into al-Jakri’s hands. {Essentially Done, as he has agreed.}
"Send word as soon as you complete this task so that we may begin preparations for the attack.
I'm not trying to talk you into or out of going after the notes, just want to remind you of the parameters of your mission, and review where we are on it.
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Regarding the “safe passage tokens,” the follow up scenario to this is #9-25, Betrayal in the Bones. It’s tier 12-15, and I don’t know if playing this one has any mechanical effect, though I suppose it might. I don’t own it, and haven’t played it.
Since no one used their rerolls (I don't think), feel free to use them on your Day Jobs if you feel like it.
Dale & Soddy, if you need to roll anything to share formulae don't forget to do so.
Some Explanations:
The only reason to go after the notes is if you botch the rolls to convince Emilio of your idntities as Agents of Torch. Helping him steal the notes earns his trust so that he'll agree to take the intel to al-Jakri. But you'd already earned his trust enough, so there was no mission-critical need to go get them. FWIW, I think you made the right call.
Not going after the notes means that Grand Lodge characters (only Seldiir) miss out on a chronicle boon. However, actually getting the notes out can easily lead to an encounter with Irel's CR 12 bodyguard, Balan (name added by me.)
“Fighting” the Monk 9 / Assassin 4 bodyguard actually just results in your arrests. The scenario says: "Facing Irel is beyond the intended scope of the scenario for the PCs, so the GM should make it clear in-game that Irel’s entourage is beyond the PCs’ capabilities to handle." Hence the exchange between Seldiir and the stablehand. You can buy your way out of prison with Prestige and gold, or your character gets reported as dead. So, yeah, don’t fight the bodyguard.
The only three combats (other than the aforementioned suicide fight) are: fighting the guards at the gate (you bluffed past easily), fighting some constructs in the library for the notes unless you very smartly trick them, and fighting some mook Living Topiaries in the hedge maze if you come in or escape that way.
I met the author, Jenny Jarzabski, when I ran this at its premiere at PaizoCon 2018. She used to be a professional sommelier, hence the theme.
I’ll put your chronicles in a Google Drive folder once I get those day job rolls.
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Seldiir has the Borderland Keep property from Fangwood Keep.
He recovers one spent PP (which does not improve his fame) instead of a day job check.
I'll annotate the chronicle to that effect, and let you do the accounting.
FWIW, you're not the first table of this that I've run with no combat. And every table that did fight only fought the topiaries in the maze.
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Also, assuming Dale is cool with it (:P) Soddy will copy a bunch of formulae from him:
(1st) - Ant Haul, Comprehend Languages, Crafter's Fortune, Endure Elements, Enlarge Person, Expeditious Retreat, Identify, Jump, Monkeyfish, Shield, Targeted Bomb Admixture, Touch of the Sea
(2nd) - Alchemical Allocation, Bull's Strength, Cure Moderate Wounds, False Life, Fire Breath, Invisibility, Lesser Restoration, Levitate, Resist Energy, See Invisibility, Spider Climb, Vomit Swarm
(3rd) - Cure Serious Wounds, Gaseous Form
Grand Total for Scribing Costs = 780 gold
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Dale is fine to let Soddy copy formulae, but she'll need to endure nonstop questions about all things leshy and maybe even submit to some light experimentation work...
Dale doesn't know the following of Soddy's formulae and would love to add them to his book. Taking 10 on spellcraft he easily makes the DCs.
1st - Adhesive Spittle, Heightened Awareness, Longstrider, Lucky Number
2nd - Burning Gaze, Glide
120g (I'll have to look up those 2nd levelers.. never heard of 'em!)
GM: Thanks for the run down on what we did and didn't do, and the explanations of things. I like seeing how things would have changed, etc, in a scenario. I feel bad when players miss out on lots of things in a game, like all the wonderful backstory that's usually written in.
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Chronicles are available here. Please check them over and let me know if there's anything I missed or anything you want added.
@Soddy: I don't think you have to pay the scribing cost to copy from another player or from a spell- or formulae-book found in a scenario. I thought that only applied if you were paying an NPC spellcaster. If I'm wrong about that, please let me know.
@Elby: Thanks for the intel re: Betrayal in the Bones. Maybe they assume you turned them in to the Lodge, and the Society then issues them to the team that needs them.
@Dale: Yeah, me too. This one is just enough of a sandbox, with lots of "if they did this first," and "if they haven't yet done that," conditions that it's easy to rip thru it like you did and miss a lot of backstory. There's a half page in the scenario of Emilio's history!
@Sammi-Sue: I hope you're doing better, and I'm sorry you missed out on so much of this scenario. I posted your chronicle with a 0 gp Day Job check, as I did not see a Day-Job-able skill in your profile. If you need me to change your chronicle because I missed something, I'll be happy to do so.
Thanks for everyone's patience. Thanks also for the words of praise and appreciation. If there's anything I could have done better, or any suggestions you have for me, I'll gladly take them.
Until next time, please take care of yourselves, and, if you're able, please take care of someone else, too.
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@GM - Honestly I wasn't sure myself because this is the first time I've had the pleasure of comparing notes with another alchemist/fellow spellcaster! But in retrospect it does make more sense that there'd be no monetary fee for scribing from a fellow agent.
Sorry Dale :P
My chronicle looks good! I had a great time with everyone and thank you, GM, for running :)
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@Soddy: Yeah, it's pretty rare. Doc O'Mayga (you ran him thru Night March of Kalkamedes) played with a witch and got to share spells between familiars. Obviously no scribing cost there, but it makes sense that agents would share their knowledge for the good of the Society. Friends don't let friends pay scribes!
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The things I do for my players....
Subtier 6-7
engineer’s workgloves (3,000 gp; Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Equipment 234)
headband of alluring charisma +2 (4,000 gp; Ultimate Equipment 248)
lesser book of extended summoning (750 gp; Ultimate Equipment 283)
marvelous pigments (4,000 gp; Ultimate Equipment 310)
wand of air bubble (5 charges, 400 gp; Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 222)
[ooc]Note: There's no "Limit 1" on this wand. Per Michael Sayre on the GM Discussion thread: "Although we missed including that 'limit 1' this time, this is on a partially charged wand that's unlikely to impact play in any significant way, especially given 1st-level wands are so accessible through Prestige Point expenditure. So don't worry about adding the limitation to your player's sheets."
Boons:
This Chronicle sheet grants access to the following:
▫▫▫▫ Chef ’s Secret Recipes: You have found Chef ’s fiercely protected secret book of recipes, which includes techniques for using spices to draw out the maximum flavor and benefits of almost any drink or dish. Whenever you drink a potion or extract of 3rd level or lower with a variable numeric effect, you can check a box next to this boon as a swift action to maximize the benefit received (for example, when drinking a potion of cure light wounds that would normally restore 1d8+1 hit points, you could check a box next to this boon to heal the maximum possible amount of 9). Alternatively, you can check a box next to this boon when stopping to eat to grant you and up to five allies a +1 alchemical bonus on Fortitude saves for the next 24 hours.
Society Infiltrator: Your expert infiltration of Amynta’s estate has impressed the Society, which provides you with a special dispensation to aid you in similar endeavors in the future. Characters with this boon can purchase disguise kits at half price. This reduction in cost does not stack with any other boons or abilities that reduce the cost to purchase disguise kits, and disguise kits obtained in this manner cannot be sold for more than was spent to acquire them under any circumstances.
▫▫▫ Sommelier’s Private Selection: Despite your discretion, at least one of Amynta’s business rivals appears to have learned of your raid on her estate. You have received three bottles of a rare and potent vintage as congratulations. As a standard action, you may check one of the boxes next to this boon to draw and drink a bottle of this refined beverage, healing yourself for 1d8 hit points per 2 levels you have (maximum 5d8). The effects of this beverage may be maximized using the Chef ’s Secret Recipes boon.
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The quick reference guide has that info, also in the phb. They do make players pay for 'materials: inks, etc' to scribe new spells into their books. The ones you get for free from level ups have no costs.
If you want to avoid fees then go for the magic item: Blessed book. Free!
Blessed Book
Price 12,500 gp; Aura moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Weight 1 lb.
This well-made tome is always of small size, typically no more than 12 inches tall, 8 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. All such books are durable, waterproof, bound with iron overlaid with silver, and locked. (Superior with Arcane Lock, DC50 Disable Device)
A wizard can fill the 1,000 pages of a blessed book with spells without paying the material cost. This book is never found as randomly generated treasure with spells already inscribed in it.
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1st - Adhesive Spittle, Heightened Awareness, Longstrider, Lucky Number
2nd - Burning Gaze, Glide120g (I'll have to look up those 2nd levelers.. never heard of 'em!)
Looking up those spells it appears many aren't on the alchemist list. Either Soddy is out of whack or she gets to use the Druid spell list somewhat?
In the end I only copied Adhesive Spittle and Heightened Awareness for 20g total. The rest Dale can't put to use.
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My wizard has a blessed book (which, in my head, is still Bocob’s Blessed Book) and has yet to play with another wizard or face down a wizard in a scenario.
It would be great to get a load of free spells.
Mr Peppers, my arcanist, uses that book too. He never got to the point where it paid for itself though as he's level 11 and semi retired at the moment.
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1st - Adhesive Spittle, Heightened Awareness, Longstrider, Lucky Number
2nd - Burning Gaze, Glide120g (I'll have to look up those 2nd levelers.. never heard of 'em!)
Looking up those spells it appears many aren't on the alchemist list. Either Soddy is out of whack or she gets to use the Druid spell list somewhat?
In the end I only copied Adhesive Spittle and Heightened Awareness for 20g total. The rest Dale can't put to use.
Yep, that's correct, it's an aspect of Soddy's alchemist archetype. I meant to point that out much earlier and completely forgot. Sorry!
An herbalist’s study of the leshy spirit grants him access to natural magic that eludes other alchemists. Each time he gains access to a new level of extracts (including 1st level), he can add two spells from that spell level on the druid spell list to his alchemist class spell list; these spells must target a creature or creatures or have a range of “you,” and he must still add them to his formula book as normal before he can prepare them. As always, the extracts affect the drinker as if she were the target, so offensive touch spells are a nasty trap for the drinker. This replaces Throw Anything.
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I learned something new about all this. Thank you for correcting me.
I went back and thought about all the characters I've played since starting in D&D in the 1970's. I can't think of a single one that used a spellbook. Certainly not in Pathfinder & PFS. Huh. Thanks.
I started with 2nd edition but I never played a wizard (or anyone else with a spell book) until Pathfinder.
When I was a kid I was obsessed with rangers. I just wanted to play one of Strider’s mysterious allies (and actually did when my best friend got the LotR role playing game).
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Pathfinder is a huge game, so many rules and so many classes. I'm still screwing things up (obviously, scrolls and alchemists anyone?) with classes I've played frequently!
It wouldn't be pretty if I ever get around to playing rangers, bards and paladins. Not to mention the zillions of other splat classes.
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Just so you all know, it looks like Sammi-Sue's player, EvilMinion, has also gone silent from a game he was running. In a previous PM, he let me know about some bad IRL stuff he was dealing with. I don't know how long it'll be before he returns to PBP.
I'll leave this active until the 31st just in case Sammi-Sue checks in, then I'll close it down to get it off of everyone's campaign tab.