Before they enter the water, Edrakk hands everyone a vial of murky blue-green liquid. "This should make getting around a bit easier." It tastes very salty with a hint of fish.
For the record, it only lasting 10 minutes means that it'll get y'all through a single combat (unless you want to not try to Treat Wounds between combats, which I wouldn't recommend). I'll leave it to y'all whether or not you want to drink them now, but I thought I'd let y'all know.
Chance is saving his elixir for when we can’t avoid 3D combat (or he needs to run away from something).
Got it, sorry. Just wrote up an explanation of why it should be 2d6 instead of 1d6 and finally realized my mistake (caster level vs. spell level) just before posting it - that’s what I get for posting when tired.
Because you’re underwater, you actually can’t Step; you can only Step with your land Speed. Thus, that would actually be an action to either Swim 5 feet or Stride 5 feet (using 15 feet’s worth of movement due to greater difficult terrain). It doesn’t matter in this particular instance, because these skum don’t have movement-triggered reactions, but I’m just saying for the record.
That's fine. Vitalis took the sea touch elixir so he can just move with swim 20 ft. His Althletics is also +15, so unless the DC is higher than 15, he should be fine.
GM, it looks like Orange and Yellow didn't have their damage totals updated in the encounter tracker.
I'm waiting to see if either of them is still alive after Vitalis's attacks.
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You are correct. One moment.
casting electric arc every round isn't imaginative, but it does yeoman's work
Neither is Strike, Strike, Strike. But like you said, it gets the job done.
Vitalis Fort: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16 Failure --> Success (incapacitation)
I guess I just skip my turn?
Vitalis Fort: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16 Failure --> Success (incapacitation)I guess I just skip my turn?
Sorry; poor explanation on my part. Because you technically succeeded at the save then nothing happened, so you can take your turn as normal.
Anyone know anything from Jisara and/or Edrakk. Haven't heard from either of them for about a week.
I’ll follow up with Edrakk. Based on a comment from the GM in our other game, I believe Jisara is sick with a nasty bug.
Sorry for the radio silence, everyone. I got very, very sick and was not up to doing much of anything.
Sorry for the radio silence, everyone. I got very, very sick and was not up to doing much of anything.
I hope you’re feeling better, Jisara.
Enough to be back at work! lol
I don't think this will last much longer, but I do want to point out how funny it is that the people with the highest Fort saves in the party are the paladin and the...witch?
You didn’t specify at whom, so I’m going to assume at Yellow (who doesn’t have cover against the attack).
Dammit, yes. That is who I meant. Thank you.
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Thatch Charging into Battle against the Skum. 4715 AR. Charcoal on paper. Private collection.
Note: In this piece, Thatch is depicted as a dog, for unknown reasons.
Thatch Charging into Battle against the Skum. 4715 AR. Charcoal on paper. Private collection.
Note: In this piece, Thatch is depicted as a dog, for unknown reasons.
Ha!
Sorry I didn't post yesterday - busy day at work, then spent last night getting organized and packed to go to a conference. I'll be traveling until Friday evening; I will try to keep up, but will have limited time for posting.
Is some of the latest GM post missing?
Is some of the latest GM post missing?
Dammit!
EDIT: Okay, NOW there should be a post to work with (thankfully the dice rolls didn't deviate too much from the end result).
GM, if I pick Recognize Spell for my level 7 General feat, but at level 8 want it to instead be my Skill feat for that level, do I:
1) Just swap it immediately upon leveling,
2) Spend a week retraining, picking a new General feat at the end, or
3) Have to pick a placeholder Skill feat for level 8, spend a week retraining my level 7 General feat, and then spend a second week retraining the placeholder Skill feat into Recognize Spell?
#2 is what I think makes the most sense, but I also think #3 is closest to RAW (since I can't take RS twice), even though it's kind of a pain.
GM, if I pick Recognize Spell for my level 7 General feat, but at level 8 want it to instead be my Skill feat for that level, do I:
1) Just swap it immediately upon leveling,
2) Spend a week retraining, picking a new General feat at the end, or
3) Have to pick a placeholder Skill feat for level 8, spend a week retraining my level 7 General feat, and then spend a second week retraining the placeholder Skill feat into Recognize Spell?#2 is what I think makes the most sense, but I also think #3 is closest to RAW (since I can't take RS twice), even though it's kind of a pain.
Pure RAW, #3 is the correct one, but I would agree with you about #2 being the one that makes the most sense, so that's what I'll deter to if you just plan on doing that right as you level up to 8.
Thanks! Not sure if that's what I'll end up doing, but figured I'd ask before we get to a point where it would matter.
Two questions:
If the foe attacks one of your allies, the duration extends to the end of that foe’s next turn. If the foe continues to attack your allies each turn, the duration continues to extend.
Would targeting us with fear count as an attack for the ability's purpose?
Second, if I cast dispel magic, targeting the fear spell, would that counteract its effect on all of us or only on a single target? The spell description says "You unravel the magic behind a spell or effect," so it's not immediately clear. A quick googling tells me this is a topic of some debate with no consensus.
Would targeting us with fear count as an attack for the ability's purpose?
Does not have the attack trait, so no. If it said "hostile action," then it would be a more interesting debate.
Second, if I cast dispel magic, targeting the fear spell, would that counteract its effect on all of us or only on a single target? The spell description says "You unravel the magic behind a spell or effect," so it's not immediately clear. A quick googling tells me this is a topic of some debate with no consensus.
I've come across this question before, and I'd say it would only affect a single target.
Thanks. 2e improved a lot of things, but the way it flips between a casual and specific usage of the word "attack" is still occasionally a problem (see: the delineation between a roll with the "attack" trait and an "attack roll").
Jisara's ability to use Thatch to cast her ranged spells, taking advantage of his extra move action Stride Swim is really valuable.
It's very fun! I've been building toward being able to do this since I first made the character, so I'm glad to finally get it online. Technically, I could have gotten it up and running by level 4, but I think we really needed more healing in the party and life boost has done wonders for us.
Question: does using Familiar Conduit to cast a spell from Thatch's square count as him taking a hostile action for the purposes of invisiblity?
Question: does using Familiar Conduit to cast a spell from Thatch's square count as him taking a hostile action for the purposes of invisiblity?
Completely forgot that I didn't answer this. I'd say no, because Thatch is not taking any action whatsoever.
Also, fate decided to give me a hell of a birthday present: I might have COVID. So...that's fun.
Anyway, Hero Points reset in a week.
That's awful! Fingers crossed that you just have a cold or sinus infection, or something way less terrible. Take your time if you need it.
Hey. I had Covid this week too. Welcome to the club. But do feel better.
That staff is quite a find! Chance, do you want it, or did you want us to get started on your personal staff instead?
Also, I just reread the Crafting rules and either I wildly misinterpreted how effective it is, or they changed it in the reprint, but it's so much better than I'd been giving it credit for previously. Especially now that we're approaching the limit of what Kintargo can give us through Earn Income alone.
Hm. Do I need a formula specifically for making Chance's personal staff? How would I get one? The rules for making them just slide right over this bit.
Also, fate decided to give me a hell of a birthday present: I might have COVID. So...that's fun.
Wow. Happy birthday indeed. Hope you recover quickly and completely.
That staff is quite a find! Chance, do you want it, or did you want us to get started on your personal staff instead?
Also, I just reread the Crafting rules and either I wildly misinterpreted how effective it is, or they changed it in the reprint, but it's so much better than I'd been giving it credit for previously. Especially now that we're approaching the limit of what Kintargo can give us through Earn Income alone.
Hm. Do I need a formula specifically for making Chance's personal staff? How would I get one? The rules for making them just slide right over this bit.
Thanks! I'd be happy to get started on the personal staff if Jisara is willing to spend the time. I need to refresh my memory of the rules on the staff trait - I think I had some good ideas earlier about this, and this weekend I'll try to find whatever notes I might have made.
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All the spells, including the cantrip, need to have a single trait in common, which needs to be something more specific than a tradition, school, or something else that's overly broad like incapacitation (which would be a terrible trait to have on all your staff spells anyway). The GM can add other traits or allow spells that might fit the theme but don't have that specific trait.
The personal staff can be upgraded every 2 levels, starting at level 5, and each spell level can have 2 spells (in addition to a single cantrip). You can have the same spell heightened to different levels. Every odd item level adds another spell level.
If we make your staff now, it can have 2 first level spells, and then next level we can upgrade it to have 2 second level spells by paying the price difference. You don't need to make a Crafting check, but you do need to be helping me the entire time we're working on the staff, and we'll need to provide castings of the all the spells in the staff. They can be from you, from me, or an item (an exception to the usual rules that you can't use spells cast by items in order to craft something).
If you later want to change the spells in the staff, we can do that with a Craft activity with a price of 10% of the staff's total, which lets you switch out any/all of the spells.
It should also have a name!
I now have a bunch of stuff I want to craft (like more hats of disguise for everyone), and we'll need formulas for some of them. I also want to retrain my level 4 skill feat, so hopefully we have some more downtime coming up!
So…here’s where the RAW gets interesting. Refocus’s Requirements say “You have a focus pool, and you have spent at least 1 Focus Point since you last regained any Focus Points.” Emphasis: mine. Because you used Familiar Focus to regain a Focus Point, you can’t actually Refocus after that combat. Essentially, any time you cast a Focus Spell more than once per combat, you effectively reduce your maximum number of Focus Points by 1 for the rest of the day (unless you have something like Hex Focus, then things are slightly more complex).
And I was mostly pausing to see if you guys wanted to continue going through the Lucky Bones or possibly rest up.
Also, apologies for taking a while to actually continue the narrative; turns out that I do indeed have COVID and that combined with recent depressive episodes has just made it difficult to motivate myself into sitting down and typing a post. Hopefully it'll pass, but right now I just ask that y'all be a bit patient with me while I get stuff figured out.
I'm good continuing through the Lucky Bones.
And take your time. It seems like everyone has Covid and depression lately, myself included. I understand.
Oh damn, you're right. I was misremembering it as "since the last time you Refocused." I'll remember to use Familiar Focus either in emergencies or after refocusing. And yeah, Hex Focus is definitely on the agenda.
Sorry you're not feeling well. Either one is awful enough, but I know firsthand what a nightmare it is to have to deal with both at the same time. Take all the time you need.
Absolutely take the time you need, GM, we’ll be here. I hope you recover from COVID quickly and without lingering complications, and that the depression passes soon.
To give you all a head's up - Edrakk's player and I are going to be pretty busy from this coming Thursday, June 2, until the following Tuesday, June 6, and then again for the day on Friday, June 10. I don't think either of us will be completely offline during those times, but we will be less available than usual (and his schedule will probably be busier than mine).
FWIW, if we're going to continue through the Lucky Bones, Chance is out of 2nd and 3rd level spells. He hasn’t used any of his 1st level spells yet (including soothe), and still has his wand of soothe and staff of divination. In combat, he'll basically be limited to cantrips and healing, but that's a much more viable situation than it would be in 1st edition. I think Edrakk is running low on prepared items and infused reagents for his alchemy, too. Depending on what Jisara has left in the tank, we can probably handle random skum mooks, but I'd be worried about facing another encounter like the last one (speaking of which, at some point I'd like to know what Ungol-Pagh's resistances were and what spells he cast to get them - he was a lot).
Cantrips: Bullhorn, Ghost Sound, Haunting Hymn, Message, Tame
1st level: Biting Words, Command, Ventriloquism
To start, I think the staff should have ghost sound, biting words, and command. Chance will retrain ghost sound out of his spell repertoire to make room for detect magic again, which he’ll need once he stops investing his staff of divination.
Speaking of which, Chance will probably need to sell his staff of divination to fund the crafting of the personal staff, unless Jisara wants it - I think every spell on it is arcane as well as occult. The price of a level 5 starter staff is 160gp, so the minimum cost to Craft it is 80gp plus the cost of scrolls of the 1st level spells, and I’m happy to pay full price to use less of Jisara’s downtime.
Finally, as for the name, when I was thinking the staff would have the sonic trait, I briefly considered “Chance’s Boomstick,” but quickly thought better of it. For an auditory staff, which will have spells from multiple schools, I’ll want something a little subtler. At the moment, I think I’ll call Chance’s staff:
The Dischordance
(Yes, the spelling is intentional.)
I've used 1 spell of each level, but it's harder for me to truly exhaust my spells than it is for you, since it doesn't matter that I prepped blood vendetta if nobody stabs me. That said, I've got a 3rd-level fear and a lightning bolt still in the chamber if we need them. The right opportunity hasn't presented itself for them yet.
My guess for Ungol-Pagh's resistance is that he cast stoneskin on himself. Fortunately, it seems like he had to spend basically all his resources just on keeping himself alive, and so he wasn't able to actually do much harm to us.
I ought to learn ghost sound from you before you retrain it out. I'll pay for the scroll of command, so I can teach it to Thatch. That'll also mean I can provide the casting of it without consuming the scroll.
GM, since Chance needs to be with me for the entire duration of the crafting anyway, can he also Aid me on it?
I'll also need to get some woodworking tools. They're only 4gp, but we should get them on the shopping list. I'm not sure what tools I need for making potions or runes. I suppose worn items probably need tailor's tools?
Related: apparently, the Treasure Vault book coming out next year will have "expanded" and "variant" crafting rules. Genuinely excited!
Treasure Vault? Sounds great! I haven’t paid attention to the PaizoCon announcements, but will catch up tomorrow. I’m already very impatient to get my hands on Dark Archive, both for new options for Chance and because I’m playing a Thaumaturge in Strength of Thousands using the play test rules and can’t wait for the full class.
I'm a bit worried about continuing through the Lucky Bones, since I'm down to my last 3 bombs (2 blight, 1 crystal), but if we encounter anything else my knives might be useful against it. I still have an abundance of healing, between battle medicine for most of the party and the elixirs of life, so that isn't too much of a concern.
I hope things get better for you soon, GM.
I think backing off to rest up makes sense, then. No need to push ourselves. That'll also give me a chance to prepare the staff of enchantment.
My guess for Ungol-Pagh's resistance is that he cast stoneskin on himself. Fortunately, it seems like he had to spend basically all his resources just on keeping himself alive, and so he wasn't able to actually do much harm to us.
Stoneskin and magnetic repulsion, to be exact, along with a mind of menace that he didn’t get to use. Also, literally the next thing he was about to do was cast dispel magic on the water breathing he just identified was on Vitalis, so do with that as you will.
That would have been very bad!
Edit: Actually, things are very bad right now!
You are right. Ouch!
Posting this in all my games. I'm going to be traveling from June 8th through June 12th. I'll do my best to keep up in my free time, but don't let me hold you up.
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Have a good time.
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Combat's over. In the middle of writing my next post but got hit with an appointment. Please standby.
That's a lot of loot!