[PFS2e] GM Dinketry and Balancing the Scales (02-05) (Inactive)

Game Master dinketry

Here’s our discussion thread!

Welcome, chosen few!

I'm very pleased to have you all along for this new scenario. You should have a level 1, 2, 3, or 4 character. Go ahead and discuss amongst yourselves who you'd like to bring.

I like to keep my expectations light and breezy. Post when you can and let us all know if you're not going to be able to post for longer than 24hrs in advance so I can fire up my bot. Holidays are happening, so absences from the now until early January range will be expected and tolerated, but just let us know. Be considerate of your fellow gamers. Keep off-topic talk in the Discussion thread. Hit me up with any questions there, or feel free to fire me a PM.

Please post the following things as part of your first in-character post:

1.) character name and class/level

2.) your Pathfinder Society ID number including the suffix for the character that you're playing

3.) your downtime activity and roll, including the skill that you'll use and how proficient you are in the skill; also, if you're a field agent, let me know.

4.) your starting XP and reputation

We will slot boons and get school items during the game. If there's a faction that you want to identify as, then let's do that as part of the gameplay (or a private message to me). I'll be able to see it when I report the game at the end, so I don't need you to identify it.

Please update your character line to include saving throws, AC, and HP. It makes my life easier. Go ahead and also fill out Slide 2 of the Slides for this game.

We'll get this party started soon!

-GM Dink

Hi. Still gotta decide which character to bring. Right now I'm thinking either a divine sorcerer or a fighter.

If there's a faction that you want to identify as, then let's do that as part of the gameplay (or a private message to me). I'll be able to see it when I report the game at the end, so I don't need you to identify it.

Is the choice of faction something that one might want to keep a secret, in this scenario?

Is the choice of faction something that one might want to keep a secret, in this scenario?

No need to do so, but some players enjoy the mystery.

Palandri here.

I've only got one PC ready to go at present. He's a Level 1 Kobold Wizard with a familiar. His spells tend to be offensive, but he by far prefers talking to fighting, so he can also be a (backup) face if need be.

I'm posting this as the PC (Haechi) so you can check him out.

Please post the following things as part of your first in-character post:...

I'm not entirely sure how to accurately communicate things like class/level, Pathfinder Society ID, starting XP and reputation, etc. "in-character" on the Gameplay thread. Is this another creative writing exercise or should I just sprinkle OOC/spoilers throughout the post with that information?

Ah, yes. Sorry about the wording on that.

Delete the in-character post bit.

Ah, yes. Sorry about the wording on that.

Delete the in-character post bit.

Phew! But you still want it in Gameplay as part of our first post though, right?

For the "downtime activity and roll" do you want us to go ahead and make the roll as well?

No. Sorry.

Please post HERE (in Discussion) the info asked for:

1.) character name and class/level

2.) your Pathfinder Society ID number including the suffix for the character that you're playing

3.) your downtime activity and roll, including the skill that you'll use and how proficient you are in the skill; also, if you're a field agent, let me know.

4.) your starting XP and reputation

Is this what you had in mind?

Character Name & Class/Level: Haechi; Wizard 1
PFS#-Character#: 2380483-2005
Downtime Activity: Academia Lore: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15 (trained)
Starting XP & Reputation: 8 XP; Horizon Hunters 8, Vigilant Seal 2

Player Name: C. Dragos
Character Name: Drazzel, Kobold Sorcerer
PFS Character Number: 17148-2006
XP/Rep: 1/1 (Grand Archive)
Downtime (CL 0, DC 14): Drazzel does some wheelin' and dealin' in Absalom's market district. diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
And almost gets caught making a shady deal (fail).

Player name: Dokramuh
Character name: Erathiel Leafsong
Class/level: Rogue 1
PFS ID: 265849-2003
Starting XP: 1
Reputation: 1 (Horizon hunters)

Player Name: TheSuperDodo
Character Name/Class/Level:Darlann Sacragentum, Champion (redeemer) 1
PFS ID: 221942-2001
Downtime Activity: Earn Income (Crafting, trained): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Starting XP/Reputation: 0/0

Hello! TheSuperDodo here with Darlann, my Champion. I should probably note that this would be my first ever PFS2 game and second ever PF2e game, and my first PbP game after real life forced me to take a 1½-year hiatus, but I do have a bunch of PF1e PbP experience under my belt so I shouldn't be much of a liability; just please try to bear with any rules confusion that might rise up :)

Player name: Mitch
Character name: Kurvok
Class/level: Oracle 1
PFS ID: 142569-2009
Starting XP: 1
Reputation: 1 (Horizon Hunters)
Downtime: Lore (Sailing): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Player Name: TheSuperDodo

Character Name/Class/Level:Darlann Sacragentum, Champion (redeemer) 1
PFS ID: 221942-2001
Downtime Activity: [dice=Earn Income (Crafting, trained)]1d20+3
Starting XP/Reputation: 0/0

Hello! TheSuperDodo here with Darlann, my Champion. I should probably note that this would be my first ever PFS2 game and second ever PF2e game, and my first PbP game after real life forced me to take a 1½-year hiatus, but I do have a bunch of PF1e PbP experience under my belt so I shouldn't be much of a liability; just please try to bear with any rules confusion that might rise up :)

Unfortunately, you can't be a Redeemer of Torag.

Deities often add additional strictures (for instance, Torag’s champions can’t show mercy to enemies of their people, making it almost impossible for them to follow the redeemer cause).

Player name: Mighty Glacier
Character: Kornel Pastovic, sorcerer 1
PFS ID: 150675-2002
Starting XP: 8; Reputation: Envoy's Alliance 2, Horizon Hunters 8
Downtime: Earn Income, Architecture Lore (trained): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Unfortunately, you can't be a Redeemer of Torag.

CRB wrote:

Deities often add additional strictures (for instance, Torag’s champions can’t show mercy to enemies of their people, making it almost impossible for them to follow the redeemer cause).

Drazzel, let's not be hasty here and tell a new Pathfinder Society player that they can't do something. I'm investigating and addressing this.

Continue with the mustering and I'll figure out what needs to happen.

Ok, I've learned something!

"Champions are divine servants of a deity. Choose a deity to follow (pages 437–440); your alignment must be one allowed for followers of your deity."

"TORAG Follower Alignments: LG, LN"

Also...

"You have one of the following causes. Your cause must match your alignment exactly."

So, Darlann...you can be a Paladin (LG) of Torag, but not a Redeemer or a Liberator. I hope that doesn't mess up your character build too much. If it does, then might I suggest Cayden Cailean, Desna, Erastil, Gozreh, Iomedae, Nethys, Pharasma, Sarenrae, or Shelyn?

Just going to offer a suggestion: A warpriest cleric of Torag.

So far, we have:

Ah, for some reason I misread Torag's follower alignments as LG/NG instead of LG/LN, thanks for pointing that out! I think I can settle for being a redeemer of Iomedae, though that would require tweaking my skills and backstory ever so slightly.

Come to think of it, abandoning the faith of Torag because its tenets would not allow Darlann to show mercy flows perfectly from my backstory as I imagined it, so I'll take this as some mechanics-driven character development on a character that hasn't seen play yet!

Ok...

Just a reminder to Haechi and Darlann to fill out slide 2 of this slide show when they get a chance.

Also, feel free to peruse the uncovered slides of the slide show to date. I tend to put a lot of art (some extra stuff) in these scenarios. If something is covered up, then please don't look just yet.

Cheers.

Awaiting Erathiel's initial gameplay post.

You all have 1 Hero Point available to you for this scenario. If further Hero Points are available to the table (i.e. via boons), please indicate that now.

Only one for the whole scenario? Hero points should be given out about one per hour. In PbP, one or two are usually given out after an encounter.

I will need to make some purchases but won't be able to do so until after work today. (A few more hours).

I'll let people know when I give out other Hero Points during the scenario. This is the single Hero Point that everyone gets to start the scenario. Occasionally, there are gamers who have promotional items that allow for a "group love" single Hero Point for the table that can be claimed by anyone. That's what my request in the second sentence of my quote above is about.

No worries, Drazzel. We're not in a time crunch. Thanks for the notice.

Darlann is absolutely correct: you all get items from your training that you can make use of (some of you even get two!).

You can find that stuff here.

How do we get more than one school item now? I thought they reduced it to just one item after the change/errata with Training & Schools.

Ah yes. You are correct, Drazzel. Only one.

Ah yes. You are correct, Drazzel. Only one.

I was just thinking that there might be boons or something to get more. I never really looked at the AcP boons. I need to do that.

Its not 2 items if you get three points in a school now? What is the advantage of putting three points into one school now?

You don’t put points into training for schools anymore. You choose one school, or you choose ‘all schools’. The chart linked below tells you what bonus item you can get. It has to be at your level or lower.

That chart

I made some purchases and noted them in the equipment section of my Paizo character sheet.

Haechi, your character is really nailing that whole "socially awkward" thing he has going on. …That *is* what you're trying to roleplay, isn't it? ;)

Haechi, your character is really nailing that whole "socially awkward" thing he has going on. …That *is* what you're trying to roleplay, isn't it? ;)

Pretty much.

With Haechi it is a constant internal struggle between his supreme self-confidence and a generalized anxiety about the world outside.

Exploration Mode: Defend

He can always try! I like the RP implications of that, Haechi.

Sorry! I didn't notice the gameplay thread advanced to a second page. It's weird how I have the links set up on my phone. Busy day at work today. I'll post in a couple hours.

Hey everyone.

I'm going to be going away for the upcoming week to THE PLACE WITHOUT INTERNET. I will be out of signal from tomorrow morning (about 24hrs from the time of this post) until a time 7 days later.

In the interim, I hope you all eat all the yummies, drink all the drinkies, celebrate all the happies, but most importantly, get ready to say GOOD RIDDANCE to this wet fart of a year.

Many cheers.

-Paul (Dink)

Cheers! Dink! Have an awesome holiday. Same to everyone else!

I'm going to rule, Drazzel, that a chunk of stone does not do slashing damage, but instead, bludgeoning damage.

"If you hit, you deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage — as appropriate for the object you hurled -..."

Again, Haechi, I'm not going to allow the slashing damage from the telekinetic projectile. There is no "old kitchen knife" lying about this chamber. (See above ruling.)

A good hit, though.

Apparently, an ancient underground river flowed through here leaving rounded polished stones. ;)

Gosh, I don’t know why you’d want to preferentially do slashing damage. It isn’t like you SOMEHOW knew that this creature could be harmed preferentially by slashing damage, did you? No, you couldn’t have known that - not without doing a Recall Knowledge check.

Did anyone do a Recall Knowledge check? Hmm. Let me see....

The telekinetic projectiles did bludgeoning damage. It’s a sewer, not a Williams-Sonoma store.

And it's not like sharp rocks should automatically deal slashing damage, either. Can you cut a watermelon in twain with a pointy rock? Maybe, but not by throwing it at it.

Telekinetic projectile's main downside is that its damage type is situational based on the environment; oftentimes the environment has only blunt projectiles available.

Just to make sure I'm reading Shield Block right, I spend my reaction to reduce my damage taken by 5 (the shield's hardness), then both me and my shield take 8 (13-5) points of damage, leaving me at 11/19 and my shield at 12/20.

Either way, now that I know that the thing has more than one attack, I'll be keeping my reaction for a champion's reaction. Stay strong, Haechi!

Correct, Darlann!

And it's not like sharp rocks should automatically deal slashing damage, either. Can you cut a watermelon in twain with a pointy rock? Maybe, but not by throwing it at it.

If you google pictures of "broken flagstone" or "broken shale" they have sharp edges. Ever seen a stone floor get torn up by a jackhammer? A fist sized chunk of that will tear through an arm or leg at 60+ mph. I just can't picture an ancient, crumbling dungeon floor with just rounded chunks of stone. But, I can understand the ruling, which I'm fine with.

Again, Haechi, I'm not going to allow the slashing damage from the telekinetic projectile. There is no "old kitchen knife" lying about this chamber. (See above ruling.)

Sorry, it's just that in (literally) every other of the many adventures where I've played a spellcaster using TK, the GM has allowed the PC to select the type of damage inflicted by the projectile. Except for specifically sterile settings (ie. not sewers) it was just assumed that a projectile of the appropriate type was available just lying around. I guess I can't say that anymore :)

Lucky for Haechi that he brought a reusable dagger with him on this adventure. After this encounter, please assume that he's carrying it in one hand at all times.

Oh, and I did have Haechi share his previous knowledge of zombie brutes with the group. He stated that the creature was quite sensitive to slashing cuts. Did he not get to share this info?

Surprise! I came back early. I hope everyone is enjoying the end of the year. It appears that I need to make a few clarifications.

Haechi, I cannot comment on all of the other adventures where you've played a spellcaster and used telekinetic projectile, but in my game, I am adjudicating it as I have done so. A sewer generally does not have slashing blades or razor sharp rock shards lying about. AND, something pointy flung at force would equal piercing damage.

As far as your sharing of information in character, you did so in the game here and my initial ruling on this issue (with respect to Drazzel's use of this same spell) occurred here, approximately 17hrs previous to Haechi's utterance of that piece of information. Regardless, it would have been moot because sewers do not contain sharp sewage. I pray to Cayden that I never pass anything that could do slashing damage out of my body and into a sewer.

"After this encounter, please assume that he's carrying it in one hand at all times."

Lastly, I cannot assume anything. The 3-action economy of Pathfinder Society 2e is ripe with actions that need to be actioned by the players, like making knowledge checks and drawing forth items. If you would like to have a weapon drawn and in your hand at the start of an encounter, then it is vital that you as a player state it during your exploration activity.

And now, back to the game!