Into the Desolation

Game Master Zorblag

Trail rations weigh 1 pound per day of rations. 10 months worth would weigh 300 pounds and exceed the weight limits of two haversacks (120 pounds each) or the smallest bag of holding (250 pounds) before getting to anything else.

I don't need trail rations. Though I don't particularly care if I don't buy the haversack now, which frees up 1k.

Though don't expect me to carry the bag of holding since I won't need anything in it. I'll keep the sustenance and endure elements items.

2 months of trail rations for 4 characters =240lbs just under the limits of the BoH

Is carrying 2 months into this place excessive? I don't think so but others opinions may vary

For your calculations, trail rations for Grimm would actually be 1/4 the weight because he's small.

Ok... That would free up a little capacity

BoH
Grof... Out because ring sustenance
Tristan... Yes
Khoran...?
Grimm...?
Hegash... Yes

Is there desire and extra cash to split the cost of the BoH between the four of us?

I can kick in the money if I get rid of the haversack, which I don't really need all that much.

Khoran Grimm?

It would be good to get this settled today so we can start tomorrow

I will drop my ioun stone. Plus what I already have should be enough for the 250 gold, and some change left. Just in case.

Just thinking if I should also drop the four-leaf clover, and grab a ring of sustenance like Groff. Seems like a very interesting item, since apparently finding food and drink might be an issue in the Desolation.

Also, rings of Protection are out of the table when we use Automatic Bonus Progression, right?

Withe Automatic Bonus Progression there are no rings of protection, yes.

One of the reasons I grabbed the ring of sustenance is I'm not a spell caster, so having 2 hours of sleep can be used for me to do more of the watch at night.

But doing a module called 'into the desolation' makes another pretty obvious case for it.

Ok, apologies to all for being distracted, it's been a weird week.
That said

I can kick 750 into the general fund ( bag of holding, etc), with my revised equipment. I have a little money of my own left... I also suggest buying Wandermeal at 1/50 the cost and 1/2 the weight of trail rations. With regards to the Spelunking kits, do we want those? I was under the impression that we're looking for a aboveground city (Tsar), not an underground complex.

For the pre-cast Woodland Runes, it doesn't look like that's an option with the spell (which specifies that it triggers when any non-plant creature (apart from the caster) moves within 30 feet of the rune, and that it affects all all creatures within a 30-foot burst. The symbol of death is more flexible for the trigger and who it affects, but Woodland Rune specifies those (along with the rest of what it does,) and says that otherwise it acts as a symbol of death.

I'll also need to know what spell other than Symbol of Mirroring you're using Arcane Enlightenment to have access to.

*edit* Oh, and reading Symbol of Mirroring more closely, it doesn't look like you can limit who it's going to affect to just the caster. You can attune people to it who it won't affect, and you can limit who's going to trigger it, but once it's triggered there doesn't seem to be a provision for limiting who within 60 feet of the symbol is generating the mirror image other than those attuned to it (who it wouldn't generate the mirror image.)

Zorblag wrote:

For the pre-cast Woodland Runes, it doesn't look like that's an option with the spell (which specifies that it triggers when any non-plant creature (apart from the caster) moves within 30 feet of the rune, and that it affects all all creatures within a 30-foot burst. The symbol of death is more flexible for the trigger and who it affects, but Woodland Rune specifies those (along with the rest of what it does,) and says that otherwise it acts as a symbol of death.

I'll also need to know what spell other than Symbol of Mirroring you're using Arcane Enlightenment to have access to.

*edit* Oh, and reading Symbol of Mirroring more closely, it doesn't look like you can limit who it's going to affect to just the caster. You can attune people to it who it won't affect, and you can limit who's going to trigger it, but once it's triggered there doesn't seem to be a provision for limiting who within 60 feet of the symbol is generating the mirror image other than those attuned to it (who it wouldn't generate the mirror image.)

Ok, so your of the belief that Symbol of Mirroring is a debuff that you can only use to hurt yourself (the caster - after all, the caster is always attuned to his own symbols and is thus not affected by the mirror image effect, whereas his foes always will be)... Tell you what, you write down your own "how symbols work in my campaign", let me know what the rules are and I'll figure out what I want to do with symbol spells...

Zorblag wrote:

Zorblag wrote:

For the pre-cast Woodland Runes, it doesn't look like that's an option with the spell (which specifies that it triggers when any non-plant creature (apart from the caster) moves within 30 feet of the rune, and that it affects all all creatures within a 30-foot burst. The symbol of death is more flexible for the trigger and who it affects, but Woodland Rune specifies those (along with the rest of what it does,) and says that otherwise it acts as a symbol of death.

I'll also need to know what spell other than Symbol of Mirroring you're using Arcane Enlightenment to have access to.

*edit* Oh, and reading Symbol of Mirroring more closely, it doesn't look like you can limit who it's going to affect to just the caster. You can attune people to it who it won't affect, and you can limit who's going to trigger it, but once it's triggered there doesn't seem to be a provision for limiting who within 60 feet of the symbol is generating the mirror image other than those attuned to it (who it wouldn't generate the mirror image.)

Ok, so your of the belief that Symbol of Mirroring is a debuff that you can only use to hurt yourself (the caster - after all, the caster is always attuned to his own symbols and is thus not affected by the mirror image effect, whereas his foes always will be)... Tell you what, you write down your own "how symbols work in my campaign", let me know what the rules are and I'll figure out what I want to do with symbol spells...

Attributing a belief to me like that is presumptuous and somewhat offensive. Symbol of mirroring by the rules as written wouldn't affect the caster, you're right. There are certainly uses that you can put it to that won't hurt yourself though; it'll certainly affect allies, and seems like it would be particularly useful during ranged encounters when allies would benefit from the images and enemies wouldn't, but like any spell that affects an area (especially one where the caster need not be anywhere near when it goes off,) it's one that needs to be used with some thought.

If you want me to allow the spell as you've proposed that sounds like you're asking for a change to how the symbol spells work for the campaign. As you're the one who's interested in using them, and as far as I can tell in particular in in a way that different from how they're written, it doesn't it doesn't strike me as my responsibility to rewrite them.

If you'd like to allow symbol spells to affect the caster if they chose when they cast it, that's a minor change and I'm happy to allow that.

If you disagree with how I've read the spell and think that your interpretation is how it normally works I'm happy to listen to that and check out any sources you'd like to provide that say it works otherwise.

I'm not interested in having a combative relationship here, nor am I looking to restrict your options arbitrarily. You're proposing a somewhat complicated use for a definitively complicated spell and when I'm looking over it it seems like it's breaking the rules for the spell. I don't claim to have a perfect understanding here, but if I'm going to run a game I've got to make calls on what I think the rules say.

I'm going to assume that the rest of the equipment issues can be finished up relatively quickly while we get started in the game thread so that we don't slow things down unnecessarily. I'm putting a link to a Roll 20 campaign here: https://app.roll20.net/join/9272091/MpFFbA

This will be the first time I've run anything using Roll 20, so if things aren't working right at the start bear with me while I get it sorted out. Also be sure to let me know if anything isn't looking right for whatever reason!

While I do use roll20 for normal online non pbp games, I prefer my maps in a different fashion (I use google docs in my games), but it's your game of course. It's just that having to log into it and then find where on the map we actually are every time irritates me.

I actually like roll20. I just wish the mobile interface was better on my phone...

But Google docs on my phone is a bit wonky as well

Grimm can contribute 348 gp to the bag of holding.

Wohooo! We are officially started! :D

Sorry for missing so much. Paizo screwed up my account and I was unable to log in until now.

Welcome back! Paizo had a whole site crash of some sort for a bit which threw some things off, but we seem to be back to normal now.

If you think trying to save him is worth it, I'll go along.

"Aye, unconscious it is. "

The worst case I see is that I burn some spells, but I anticipate resting in this town overnight. We also acquire all his loot, not just the magic axe...

The best case is we get all his loot, whatever info he has, and maybe a (expendable) lead assault giant...

We do not know that. So we can wait and see, or not?

It's going to be a lot easier to put him down if we cheap shot him, rather than letting him wake back up...

I'm changing my vote to knocking it unconscious and then restraining /healing its insanity

And if we're doing that I see no reason to wait til it wakes up

Interesting spot.... Save the thing by beating it almost to death
"sorry buddy this is for your own good"

Groff the glib wrote:

If you think trying to save him is worth it, I'll go along.

"Aye, unconscious it is. "

The worst case I see is that I burn some spells, but I anticipate resting in this town overnight. We also acquire all his loot, not just the magic axe...

The best case is we get all his loot, whatever info he has, and maybe a (expendable) lead assault giant...

Helgash wrote:

We do not know that. So we can wait and see, or not?

It's going to be a lot easier to put him down if we cheap shot him, rather than letting him wake back up...

Couple of things - Helgash does not beat people out of the streets, then take their gear. He simply removed the weapons to reduce the threat posed by the giant. For me it is not a flat out assumption that we are entitled to 'get all his loot'

Second thing is, if a guy is beaten down and there is not a particular reason for Helgash to 'hate' him/her, he is not going to stick around beating him/her senseless. We have the upper hand, he is down and out, we have his weapons - we could just walk away. And act more resolutely if he tries to jump us or others.

Just so you you guys know why Helgash is not jumping into this 'Goodfellas' movie scene, even if that is one of my favorite movies of all time ;)

I'm thinking if his insanity gets cured his gear gets returned to him if he plays nice

Yes, I think the idea is if he's brought around to sanity, he can get his stuff back. I don't particularly want it. If not, well hill giants tend to be trouble when sane, and one clearly out of their mind would rip this place apart.

We never did nail the bag of holding down...

Khoran could kick in up to 750 gp
Grimm 348gp
Tristan was in for 250 gp
Hegan was in for 250 if he dropped his Ioun Stone... Did he?
Groff was out.

That puts us at a Type I bag of holding = 1250 gp to craft,
Khoran 500 gp
Grimm, Tristan, and Hegan 250 gp.

Craft DC check is 19 = 5 (base) +9 (CL) +5 (not having secret chest spell). That is take 10 bait for Khoran (+12 spellcraft).

We have a Type I bag of holding. It's on Khoran's sheet.

Groff can put money in. Forgot to adjust the stat block after changing my equipment.

Hegan was in for 250 if he dropped his Ioun Stone... Did he?

He didn't have to. I ended up trading in the Four Leaf Clover for other stuff, so had the 250 easily.

Ok, if Groff is in, the final split is 250 from everyone. The next step up would be to a cost of 2500, so that's out.

Ok, do we want to roleplay exploring the whole town, or do we just want a summary of what all the numbered locations are?

I have nothing against going with the flow of the game, and roleplaying as we go.

I'm good with exploring the camp. Looks like it'll be our home base may as well get to know it a bit... The hacking and slashing will happen soon enough

You are welcome to do as much or as little in the camp as you'd like, but it's a non-trivial part of the Slumbering Tsar Saga, so if you want to know what things are you'll need to explore them yourself or find someone who will tell you about them.

You've sorted out the bag of holding, but what was your final decision for your source of food? You'll need to get that sorted before heading out into the desolation (though it can certainly be retroactive to the start of things and you don't need to worry about covering the trip to the Camp.)

You will be able to restock trail rations at the Camp, but nothing fancier.

As an off-topic note, there is activity in Rappan Athuk everyone.

I do not think I am in that game Khoran. Not anymore ;)

@Zorblag: Helgash ended up grabbing a ring of sustenance also, but will contribute for any rations which are required. I think the plan was purchasing a bundle of rations? Not sure if we ever decided how much.

after contributing to the BoH Tristan has 25gp left

spending 20gp to buy 40 days trail rations

5gp remaining.....He's broke and may actually have to sing for his supper

Khoran, sorry not to have noticed this earlier, but I see that you've got a lucky horseshoe as part of your equipment. As that's a magic item that only provides bonuses to saving throws it doesn't exist under the Automatic Bonus Progression rules, so you'll need to adjust your items to account for that.

Khoran, sorry not to have noticed this earlier, but I see that you've got a lucky horseshoe as part of your equipment. As that's a magic item that only provides bonuses to saving throws it doesn't exist under the Automatic Bonus Progression rules, so you'll need to adjust your items to account for that.

I thought that was covered by the activatable 1/day ... I will think about it.

Just in case the way iron bits work isn't quite clear, you would get 3155 iron bits if you sold the Capacity 1 Keen Spiked Greatclub in the camp. You'd get 3155 gp if you hauled it back to Bard's Gate and sold it there.

The Camp is intended to be a small town that you can use as your base of operations, it just has an alternate currency that, in the camp, has the same value that gold does. Exchanging gold to iron bits directly via the Ursurer is inefficient at this point. You're not at this point sure what exchanging iron bits for gold would look like.

Khoran, sorry not to have noticed this earlier, but I see that you've got a lucky horseshoe as part of your equipment. As that's a magic item that only provides bonuses to saving throws it doesn't exist under the Automatic Bonus Progression rules, so you'll need to adjust your items to account for that.

I want to make sure I understand about this, the text I can find is

Items that only grant bonuses to AC, saving throws, and ability scores don’t exist in this variant, and wish and similar spells never grant inherent bonuses to ability scores.

So a Lucky Horseshoe only applies to saving throws, and thus doesn't exist;

As long as a lucky horseshoe’s owner carries it on her person, she gains a +1 luck bonus on saving throws. Once per day, she can invoke the lucky horseshoe’s power to gain a +4 luck bonus on a single saving throw. She must declare that she is using this ability before the roll is made.

But a Four Leaf Clover does:

A creature with a four-leaf clover in her possession can call upon an extra boost of luck before attempting a single ability check, saving throw, or skill check. She gains a +2 luck bonus on that check. This ability functions three times per day, and requires a free action that the owner can perform even when it’s not her turn.

Actually since a lucky horseshoe gives a different bonus to saves than what is provided by ABP, it ought to exist. The ABP bonus is a resistance bonus to saving throws. A luck bonus is different and would stack.

Things which wouldn't exist in an ABP world would be those that don't stack (cloak of resistance or the ioun stones which give that bonus for example).

Though it really is up to the GM, the above is how I interpret it in games where I use ABP.

@Khonan, that would be how I'm reading the rules as well. As a reminder we've also added the case where an item like the Belt of Mighty Hurling which gives a bonus that is normally removed as well as something else will be adjusted down in cost and just give the non-ABP redundant bonuses. IN the case of the Four Leaf Clover that boost is for a variety of things that can include saves, but isn't just saves in it's one effect, so it would still be usable.

@Groff, that's not at all an unreasonably take on ABP, but I'm going with the restriction as it's presented in the write up. Rather than focusing on the type of bonus, ABP is simplifying the magic item system so that the bonuses to saves, AC, and stats are all covered in the bonuses that everyone gets. There shouldn't be a need to stack other types on top of those as they're doing a good amount of work on their own.

Before we get too far... Asking permission to swap out his 1rst lvl Oracle spell Divine Favor for

It won't be used often as all his Oracle slots are spent at the beginning of each day on Lucky Number. Dream feast will just be his explorers anti-starvation insurance policy.

Also I haven't posted anything in gameplay and will try to remember from now on. As an Evangelist he performs a daily Deific Obedience gaining the following benefits

@Tristan, that change of spells should be just fine. For the Deific Obedience, it looks like the sort of thing that should be done outside, after dark as much as possible given the dancing under the stars theme, so let's try to incorporate that.

Tristan "undead buffet" Luckbringer?

So yeah if you guys consider after dark undead action lucky... Then Luck he will bring

It could be worse... He could be mandated to dance about naked

Still kicking at the magic items thing to make sure I understand...

So a Hyperboreal Robe still exists because it has effects other than the +2 resistance to saves. However, rather than costing 7000 gp, it costs 2000gp = [7000 - 4000 {resistance +2}]/1.5 {multiple abilities in a slot modifier}.

The price is 1x(most expensive component) +1.5x(any number of less expensive properties)

N=hyperboreal
1x(+2Resistance 4k) +1.5x(n) = 7k

1.5n=7-4
1.5n=3
N=3/(1.5)
N=2k

So yeah you're right 2k for hyperboreal