GM Omelas' Extinction Curse (Inactive)

Game Master panegyric

Enlightened self-interest for the win.

How are we doing for damage/wounds? Something tells me we're not going to end this altercation peacefully.

Also, am I still drained?

By my calculation:
Ceija -6 [11/17]
Finch -8 [8/16]
Grog -5 [17/23]
Katala Full HP
Pandir Full HP; Drained 1 (needs to sleep overnight)
In order to restore HP we need at least 30 minutes in Exploration mode (10 minutes per attempt).

Plus
As far as I know:
Finch, Grog, and Pandir have no spells of any sort

Ceija has 1 Focus point left, and 0 Level 1 spells. Basically she has cantrips: team buff (inspire courage), an armor buff for herself, and one offensive (1d4) cantrip/

Except for Katala's spell casting, we're down to combat with weaponry.
And no potions, elixirs, or other items that will help with healing.

I think we're really going to need Katala's fire power to get out of this alive.

Memories of oldschool D&D, where wizards had to ration their magic and you can't rest after every encounter, I love it. PFS tends to give you plenty of time to recover after each encounter.

I say I love it now, but we'll see what happens after I get killed from a lucky poisoned crit again.

Well, no ranged fighters, no offensive spells, 60% of the party down by 1/3 or 1/2 hp going into the fight, and no healing (spells or items), is not very good odds.

I suggest we try to find a time when Katala can actively participate. Other wise it's 75% of the party down 1/3 to 1/2 hp.

Looking at our opponents we have an angry halfling, a dog-sized rat, and a swarm of vermin. I think our only hope is to immobilize the halfling and kill the rat and the swarm. I don't think we have the HP for a death-match with the halfling.

The swarm- uh, anyone has access to AoE attacks? Maybe we can ask the firebreathers for some of their flammable oil.

Oh boy, Pandir's itching for a fight here. Boss called her out.

Flammable oil! Great idea.

What other circus equipment might be useful?

We might have allies, too. The grigs, perhaps. Is there a way to limit their music to a specific group of creatures? And what about other circus acts?

If I move out of hiding and stab the enemy, are they still flat-footed against me, or do I have to do a ranged attack to benefit from using Stealth?

As far as flat-footed goes, Nemmia and the rat are flat-footed to you until the end of your turn. Ranged would allow you to stay hidden, if I recall correctly

A rules question about the whip:
Does the reach of the whip allow Ceija to flank from further away? Can she be one square over and still be flanking?

Lingering composition DC: for buffs, the DC is pretty much always going to be your own level-based DC. For reference: https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=554

Whip and threaten: yes, you do threaten two squares away. I’ve even seen having a whip as a recommendation for wizards and sorcerers, since this allows them to flank without being right in the thick of battle.

Sometimes the dice take (like almost killing me in a single blow and then failing multiple poison saves). Sometimes they give (a 1 round kill on the big bad, with multiple crits involved.)

So now I have this symbol of Gozreh... should I look for Cleric or Druid specialization?

Does Cleric or Druid of Gozreh fit in to your character concept?

Congratulations, you’re level 2 now! You also get four days of downtime, during which you can craft stuff, retrain or do something else.

Do you need help levelling up?

Regarding Pandir’s ideas regarding multiclassing, a couple of things.

Rules: Archetypes
There’s no true multiclassing in PF2 as there was in PF1. Instead, you take a multi class archetype dedication feat which gives you a limited subset of the chosen class’s features.

There are also other archetypes which are not based on a class, but on general concepts that expand your character’s skills. They are often (but not always) about adding flavour and breadth rather than making your character better at what their class does.

In short, every time you get a class feat you can use it to get an archetype feat. The first archetype feat needs to be an archetype dedication feat. You can have more than one archetype, but there are limits there.

Optional Rule: Free Archetype
A very popular variant rule is to allow everyone to get a free archetype dedication feat at level 2, as well as free archetype feats on subsequent levels.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because it would possibly help with the issues you’re having around healing. You also don’t have much in the way of ranged combat (besides spells), which might become a problem at times. The designers of the AP wrote that they designed the pollen pods not to be disarmed, but attacked from a safe distance, for instance.

Is this something you would want? Since not all of us are familiar with PF2, this does add some a bit of complexity since you do need to decide on one other thing.

I'd certainly take a Free Archetype Feat, as it makes my class feat a lot less difficult. I would probably take Druid Specialization, as Pandir respects nature (unsurprising) but she's doing it her way.

At level 2, most of us are able to get a class feat. This helps you specialize more on your class. Or you can branch out and pick up a new archetype.

But it is another thing to consider, so it may complicate manners.

I am still working to get the basic rules implemented correctly, so I'm not sure about adding archetypes into the mix for me.

But I agree that we need better healing and better ranged attacks. Just not sure how best to do that.

OH YEAH level 2!
Also free archetype! Never look a gift horse in the mouth. I'll take it.

Yeah multiclassing is 4e multiclassing rather than 3.PF multiclass. Sad, but whatcha gonna do?

As for thrown weapons, I can pull some weight with throwing weapons (specifically javelins or hatchets), but their range is just meh. My Dex is otherwise too average to be useful.

Question to the DM. I'm focusing on being the tank, so I got the Aggressive Shield Block feat. I can shove or flat-foot a target whose attack I shield block (part of the same reaction). Can I still shove away targets that are larger than me or must I take the Titan Wrestler skill feat first?

One reason I kept 14 Str and 14 Dex was to make myself useful at ranged and melee. There's a cool stance at level 6 that lets me make ranged attacks as wind gusts. I do have a bunch of darts right now. But in character Pandir would walk up to a bunch of plants and use Nature checks to disarm them.

Assuming I took Druid Specialization at 2 and Basic Spellcasting at 4, I would have access to a heal spell/druid blasty magic. But that's 2 levels away.

Well, actually.....

Ceija has a +3 Dex bonus, so perhaps simply getting her a bow would improve our ranged impact. One problem is that she has a +0 Str bonus, so while she can hit things, she can't do very much damage.

Trying to figure out Earn Income during Downtime.

Apparently the GM has to set up some possible scenarios, along with the DC for earning money that way. It seems to me that characters could also suggest the scenarios, to take some of the burden off the GM.

Question: Can you mix activities? Such as retrain and earning money? Or do you have to choose a single action for those 4 days?

I was actually looking at the Medic Archetype. It has some useful skills, Treat Condition & Holistic Care that allow a healing check in combat to remove some conditions.

But Free! I'll never turn down a free feat! Then I can take Enhanced Familiar to give Flicker 2 more abilities. (1 will be speech!)

I was actually looking at the Medic Archetype.

Ohh, I was only looking at Cleric archetype! (I tend to be a Core player). That does look awesome.

Free is good.

Lingering composition DC: for buffs, the DC is pretty much always going to be your own level-based DC. For reference: https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=554

If your next action is to cast a cantrip composition with a duration of 1 round, attempt a Performance check. The DC is usually a standard-difficulty DC of a level equal to the highest-level target of your composition

Not sure I understand what the "target of your composition" is referring to. Is that the cantrip I'm trying to extend? The table doesn't list a DC for cantrips; it starts at Level 1 spells (DC 15) So would a cantrip be DC 14?

Or does that mean 'me'? So that, as a Level 1 creature, the DC would be 15, but at Level 2 it will be 16?

Or does that mean my allies? So that whatever the highest-level ally in range is, the DC is based on their level.

By the way, there is a Humble Bundle on 2nd edition books. The top tier is about $25 USD.

Uh, it includes all 6 parts of Extinction Curse so we probably shouldn't read those.

So, if I understand it correctly, Pandir, Grog and Katala are interested in using the Free Archetype rule; Ceija is against; and Finch hasn’t made a decision, correct?

Also, one thing in case it wasn’t clear: the rule gives you a free dedication feat on level 2, plus a free feat every other level that can only be used for archetypes. Without this rule, you must spend one of your own class feats to advance your archetype.

Another healing-focussed archetype, in case you missed it, is the Blessed One. I believe it essentially gives you a champion’s lay on hands and allows you to improve it with further feats.

@Ceija: the way I understand it, it’s the literal target of the composition, that is, whoever is affected by it. If you cast Inspire Courage, your targets are your allies (this will usually be your own level DC, yes); if you cast Dirge of Doom, your targets are the enemies in the area of effect (and the DC is based off their level).

@Grog: hmmm…that’s a tough one. RAW I don’t think these two feats interact. Aggressive Block states very specifically that it is only triggered by opponents your size or smaller, so technically even if you had Titan Wrestler the prerequisite wouldn’t be fulfilled.

@Pandir: I just saw that. It's a great deal for me, even without the rulebooks: the top tier gives you all Extinction Curse's PDFs for 20€ when a single PDF would cost me 15€.

Well, I won't say no to free stuff. My original concept for Finch included some kind of spellcasting ability—this might help bring that in.

I'd characterize my feelings more as "hesitant" than "against". So if you're working toward consensus, I'm OK with learning about archetypes and including them in Ceija's build.

@Ceija: the way I understand it, it’s the literal target of the composition, that is, whoever is affected by it. If you cast Inspire Courage, your targets are your allies (this will usually be your own level DC, yes); if you cast Dirge of Doom, your targets are the enemies in the area of effect (and the DC is based off their level).

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks

A really good explainer about concealment

"Observed" States

There are three interlocking concepts to distinguish. Once you've got a good sense of how they interact, it's easy to remember them. There are:

- Senses
- States of awareness
- Hindrances to perception

@Grog: hmmm…that’s a tough one. RAW I don’t think these two feats interact. Aggressive Block states very specifically that it is only triggered by opponents your size or smaller, so technically even if you had Titan Wrestler the prerequisite wouldn’t be fulfilled.

I believe so, but I think AB says so because you can’t normally affect creatures of your size or smaller. TW overrides the normal limitation generally, so it might interact RAI.

It seems I should look for another feat, since being sword and board I don’t have the free hand for grapple and whatnot.

I took Enhanced Familiar so my little bird can now talk, and Share Senses.... SO now I can go along for the ride while Flicker goes flying! Pity neither of us have a great Perception roll! Anybody know a way to increase it!?!

You have a few options:

- Level 11 Witches get Alertness, which upgrades Perception to Expert. That's your default option and it's pretty far away.
- Witches do get skill increases as they level up, earliest is level 3. But you can't upgrade to Expert rank until level 7.
- Canny Acumen: A General Feat that boosts your Perception to Expert immediately (that's a +2 bonus) and to Master at level 17. It's an option at level 3.

I assume there's gear/spells to boost your Perception temporarily, but these are the itemless permanent options available.

I completely understand you being hesitant about it — a new system is always difficult to wrap your head around and I won’t force anyone into a situation they’re not comfortable with. An idea (and just that, not trying to convince you) is to perhaps look into other archetypes besides cleric? Personally, I always get confused when I have to deal with separate spell sources.

Also, it’s totally fine if we decide against using the free archetype. I’ll probably just add a few more healing potions/elixirs here and there.

Free archetype aside, will everyone be done levelling up by Monday?

Oh, and heads up: I’m starting a new job next week which I don’t think will affect my posting rate, but might make some posts a bit shorter due to brain damage from too many meetings.

And of course I need to increase my WIS....

Good luck with adapting to the new job. The first few weeks for me always seem like a fire-hose of information that uses up most of my bandwidth.

BTw, did Ceija find anything while cleaning up Nemmia's body?

Otherwise, our updated treasure tracking is:

What do Pandir and Ceija need to do to identify the berry and the vial of golden liquid?

I'll be done leveling up in a bit. I'll be taking a monk feat no matter what, so here's the plan so far:

I'll try to get it done tomorrow. There are lots of very underwhelming options to shift through.

Yep, I'll be done by Monday.

I'm done myself. Barbarian archetype since I only benefit from it, and the barbarian also has some good boosts to intimidation.
@GM: Can I buy a repair kit now?

There. I couldn't really find anything fun, archetype-wise, but Double Slice should at least be useful. Well, depends on whether I know when to use it.

With Armored Stealth, I should be able to upgrade to studded leather. I assume that's not difficult to purchase?

You can easily purchase any common, non-magic items. You will have the chance to buy magic items once we start with chapter 2 — this is more for narrative reasons, since I believe someone with enough magic expertise to sell the stuff in Abberton needs an introduction.

Also, something I should have asked before but slipped my mind: how is everyone feeling about the game so far? Anything you'd like to see more or less of? Situations you'd rather I had handled differently? Or any other considerations, actually; happy to hear your thoughts.

Hey GM, did we decide on free Archetype feats, or not? Turns out my skill feat relies on getting it. I have an alternate skill feat I can use, but I gotta know.

I'm having a lot of fun with this game so far. The team is meshing well, I think the composition is pretty good. I almost got killed by a snake but that's low level gaming for ya.

I'm excited to see more of the world outside of this circus tent.

I thought we had said yes to the free Archetype rule. However, looking forward I find a slight dilemma. The Medic Archetype only has 4 feats under it, and none that can be taken a second time. If we also get a free Archetype feat every other level I'll have to pick a different Archetype. Or, can I take a second Archetype dedication feat after taking the required two feats from Medic? I was looking into options and really like the Investigator Archetype! ??

I like how the game is going.

Description of combat is refreshingly artistic and dynamic, managing to merge continuity of various actors into a weird Avengers-like style where we all Get Things Done in a bombastic way.
The NPCs are well-described and memorable even with the limited screen time, and you're really good in setting up a world our characters can live in. The big introduction of Myron builds him up to be lovable before cruelly stabbing us in the heart and twisting.
I like our party's synergy as well, as well as the character development from various characters (Finch's warming up to the team despite her reservations, Pandir's blooming, and Ceija's mamma bear persona especially), which usually require a good GM to start us off running.

Sorry, I forgot to answer that. I'm really enjoying this game! Keep it going!!!

Nice, happy to hear you’re enjoying things so far! I’m having loads of fun on my end. In case anything changes, you can always post here or send me a PM.

Regarding the free archetype rule, I can now confirm we will use it. Those who who had misgivings about it seem to be more confident the complexity it adds is not overwhelming.

I'll probably post on gameplay soon. Nothing that really depends on your stats for at least a couple of posts, I think.

Regarding the berry and the vial: that's a good question. For things like that, I think that the most straightforward way would be to just say you automatically ID stuff in your downtime if you failed during the chapter. I will add the info on my next post.

Regarding Nemmia: Pandir searched her on this post. In short, you have a +1 sickle. The +1 rune can be transferred to any weapon.

@Katala: the rule is that you get a free feat every other level (so 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc) and that this feat can only be used for archetype feats. Everything else remains the same: you can take other archetypes, you must meet the requirements for said feats/archetype and etc, so if you take medic now you could add a new archetype on level 8.

Also, something I should have asked before but slipped my mind: how is everyone feeling about the game so far? Anything you'd like to see more or less of? Situations you'd rather I had handled differently? Or any other considerations, actually; happy to hear your thoughts.

All the characters (both PCs and NPCs) are super fun, the premise is really interesting, and the story is cool so far. I'm having some trouble with the system, partially because I don't have the time, energy or motivation to really go through the rules, and partially because... well, there's a lot about PF2 I just plain don't like. Of course, that's in no way your fault—all of your briefs have been very helpful in this regard, as well, presenting rules piecemeal when they're relevant.

So there is a Lesser Bravo's Brew.

We also have the stuff we found in Myron's wagon:

General Circus: dark blue cape richly decorated with white stars
General Circus: a top hat made with very good quality leather and with a few gold leaf details

Did we identify those? If no one wants to use these we may consider selling these.

Or maybe we just press on and save up. My next major purpose is at 35 gp for some Headbands of Mighty Blows.

I'll be saving money until I can craft my own staff....

Other than the studded leather armor (which seems like a job for the local tanner), I don't really know what to buy. Should I be saving up for something in particular? How much would it cost to transfer the rune from the sickle?