(PFS2) Bounty / Quest Rotation (B4, B5, B7, B8, Q1) @ "The Sandstone Secret" (Inactive)

Game Master rainzax

Welcome!

This is the Initial Check In. We will do a Mission Prep with additional questions after you read the Bounty Poster.

Check In:

Paizo Handle:
Character Name:
PFS / Character Number / Faction:
Character Ancestry / Background / Class / Level:

And please feel free to ask any questions you have about the above - or about anything really - right here in the Discussion tab!

Paizo Handle: Hmm
Character Name: Zendel of Oprak
PFS / Character Number / Faction: 820-2003 / Horizon Hunters
Character Ancestry / Background / Class / Level: Fey-touched Gnome / Onyx Trader LOWG / Investigator 1

Zendel was born in Leipstadt in Ustalav, but his family were merchants that traveled everywhere, including the interdimensional stone roads leading into Oprak. After his parents died, the bright Zendel was eventually adopted by a hobgoblin merchant named Brazadig, and eventually taken into partnership. But Oprak needs more allies, and Brazadig has decided the young gnome needs more experience. Zendel plans to join the Pathfinder Society fairly soon for further seasoning, but currently he is scouting new markets for Brazadig's Construct Emporium.

Still building the character!

Paizo Handle: Michael Hallet
Character Name: Ignatius Thrune
PFS / Character Number / Faction: 937-2011 / Vigilant Seal
Character Ancestry / Background / Class / Level: Versatile Human / Thrune Loyalist / Battle Oracle 1

Ignatius is of the line of House Thrune. Though his loyalty to his family is absolute, he bears none towards the devils that hold sway over them and would prefer they were free of their infernal taint. Lacking any stomach for the political machinations of Old Cheliax, he eagerly volunteered for a mission that would hopefully take him far away from Egorian. His mission is two-fold:

1. Keep an eye on the Order of the Nail, ensure that it remains loyal to Cheliax and not Korvosa.

2. Join the Pathfinder Society, ensuring any ancient relics pertaining to Cheliax remain secure and any further discoveries that could tarnish the reputation of House Thrune are kept secret or discredited.

Ooh... Two characters tied closely to regional lore! So, what order do we want to do the rest of the Bounties, and who wants to GM each?

BTW, the PFS number should be 837, just saw the typo, but too late to edit the post.

Paizo Handle: Quentin Coldwater
Character Name: Vanvathar
PFS / Character Number / Faction: 127656-2005 Grand Archive
Character Ancestry / Background / Class / Level: Ancient Elf / Root Worker / Witch 1 (Alchemist)

I noticed I didn't have any level 1s anymore, so I whipped up a new one. Don't have a cool backstory yet, though. :(

I don't have a preference for Bounties, though obviously I'm more interested in the higher-rated ones. :) As for the order, I'm flexible. I should have lots of free time soon, so I can fill in when others don't feel like it.

Question: Which spell is better to have, Read Aura, or Detect Magic? They sort of dabble in the same space, but my cantrip slots are limited.

Read Aura is the better of the two because it actively lets you identify magic. Detect Magic lets you find magic.

Alright, Zendel is now decked out for PBP with an extensive botting spoiler. I have two glyphs to distribute and a campaign coin. Michael is a campaign coin holder as well. I will likely toss one of my glyph hero points at the Elven Witch, who may be the most fragile amongst us so far. I am fine with my other glyph hero point going wherever.

Don't worry, Vanvathar, your backstory will come!

BTW, that is a nice looking slideshow so far, GM!

Although I won't be able to get the feat on him until 3rd level, Zendel has been adopted by hobgoblins officially. I bought the ACP boon for him months ago -- and then GMed so much that I never got a chance to actually play him. Not that this matters AT ALL for this adventure or ANY of the bounties so far!

BTW, that is a nice looking slideshow so far, GM!

Hey thanks!

I clipped it from a "Bounty Collection" slideshow that is half-made and half-stolen that currently contains B1-B5, with more to come as I get to it. (I am secretly hoping to "steal" whatever slides come from you all >B5 if we get to there to add to it...)

I posted in Flaxseed about there being only three of us in here, so I suspect we will get some people showing up and asking.

Hey friends! I am working on putting everything from my head into a character sheet throughout today and should be good to get started shortly. Excited to give 2e a go! Thank you for the invite Zendel!

Also, for coordinating Bounties after this one, I linked a short spreadsheet in my GM Bar and above the Campaign Tabs called "Bounty Rotation > Schedule / Links "

LoreMaster, I saw your post on Cottonseed. Feel free to stick to your original idea, you don't have to change because of us. :)

Also, I'm a one-glyph GM. I'll give my Hero Point to LoreMaster's character. :)

I'll give one of my two glyphs to Vanvathar, and the other to Ignatius Thrune.

Is your little familiar destined to become a spell slime?

No plans for that right now, that's never occurred to me. Just thought it was a fun backstory bit. :P I should give him a name, but for now he's just a formless blob.

Ron Hawthorn will be character profile. I have him mostly complete in a Google doc just needs finishing touches which i plan to get done tomorrow earlier in the day.

I am okay going with my fighter concept! I think Ron will be fun. I should probably dip my toes in before going to a more complex character like I was originally thinking. Thank you for the hero point! You can give out your own points? I didn't know that! I can't wait to play this with you all!

If you have GMed at least ten games, you get a hero point that you can give out to others.

Paizo Handle: Loremaster GM
Character Name: Ron Hawthorn
PFS / Character Number / Faction: 263825-2001 Horizon Hunters
Character Ancestry / Background / Class / Level: Human Guard Fighter 1

Profile should be all up to date but I definitely see things I am going to adjust about the template I used. But all info is on there! I will catch up on the game play and make my first post within the next few hours.

If Phaeton_NZ is not GMing or playing for us, why don't we just concentrate on the newer bounties from here out? I'd love to focus on the new stuff!

Hmm

Officially posted! Thanks again for including me in the table and your hospitality.

No downtime. Bounties are treated as sanctioned adventures and thus run in campaign mode, which means the GM is free to alter the rules and adventure as they see fit:

Bounties: Short one-hour adventures aimed at introducing new players to the game or representing what characters do in between Pathfinder missions. Bounties are sanctioned for use in the Pathfinder Society campaign. As a sanctioned adventure, bounties do not give downtime.

Sanctioned adventures operate in Campaign Mode, which does not use Pathfinder Society rules. GMs set the rules on character creation and may freely modify the encounters and story. Sanctioned adventures award a Chronicle which may be applied to Pathfinder Society characters as outlined in the sanctioning documents. Sanctioning documents reside on a product’s description page at paizo.com.

So technically while we are playing our Pathfinder Society characters, we're not really playing our characters.

It should be noted however, the bolded section is not actually true of all sanctioned adventures. It was just poorly worded. Bounties specifically do not grant downtime.

They also pay slightly better than other level 1 adventures, because technically, this is what we are doing as our downtime.

Weird how these differ from Quests. I'd rather they keep it consistent, but oh well.

Do we get the free potion that you get on Society missions since this isn't offered through the Society? If not, Ron might want to run out and buy a healing potion before we run out to a fight.

Not as far as I'm aware. Since these are mini-adventures (usually one combat, I believe, at least that's the case with the Quests), you don't get free items. If you're low on cash I'm willing to let you borrow a potion from me. I don't have much to spend it on, anyway.

I have Medicine -- though I am not currently very good at it -- and an Elixir on me already. I would also be willing to share. Zendel has GM credit from two scenarios, so his cash situation is better.

Also GM, someone in Cottonseed was asking for a short Level 1 adventure so I invited them to join us if they could move quickly and be assertive about inviting themselves to join Zendel and Associates.

Although I also long for consistency, I must say that as a GM I prefer the simplicity of Bounties. No fuss about the Day Job rolls or explaining extra things, just a flat rate for money.

Also GM, someone in Cottonseed was asking for a short Level 1 adventure so I invited them to join us if they could move quickly and be assertive about inviting themselves to join Zendel and Associates.

On both sides of the fourth wall, you have taken the role of active recruiter - no complaint here!

Mission Prep!

This is the second Check In for this Bounty. Please complete.

GM Glyphs:
Retired Boons:
Achievement Boons:
Chronicle Boons:
Daily Preparations:
Final Purchases:

Questions about these six entries? Check the Resources above the Campaign Tabs first - you will likely find your answers in there.

Mission Prep!

GM Glyphs: 2 -- Donated to Ignatius and Vanvathar.
Retired Boons: None. I had no fame to purchase them with while fame was still active.
Achievement Boons: Zendel has been adopted by Hobgoblins, and has the ACP boon Ancestral Adoption 1.
Chronicle Boons: None that matter.
Daily Preparations: Once we get started for the desert, Zendel will change out his Primal Cantrip from prestidigitation to Electric Arc.
Final Purchases: Zendel bought an additional Elixir of Life for 3 GP.

Is there still room for another Pathfinder? There's a guy who goes by the name Matei Nakayama who's eager to join an adventure, after a long time afar from the field.

Yes!

Come and join us. But be assertive and invite yourself into our company. We're about to set off for the desert!

Matei Nakayama

You have the weekend to ketchup in Gameplay, and to complete both the Check In followed by Mission Prep!

I will move us along either late Sunday or early Monday.

Welcome!

INITIAL CHECK-IN

Paizo Handle: Diaz Ex Machina
Character Name: Matei Nakayama
PFS / Character Number / Faction: 161295 / 2001 / Envoy's Alliance
Character Ancestry / Background / Class / Level: Human / Ustalavic Academic LOWG / Bard / 1

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MISSION PREP

GM Glyphs: None (Don't really know what are those...).
Retired Boons: None.
Achievement Boons: None.
Chronicle Boons: Sand Slide (from Quest #1: The Sandstone Secret)
Daily Preparations: None (I'm not sure if I should do any...).
Final Purchases: 1 Antiplague, Lesser (3gp).

--------------------------

After a long period of assisting patients at the Pathfinder lodge in Caliphas, Matei is once again ready for field work. After all, he has always been a strong supporter of the philosophy that the best experience for a doctor is in the middle of the action.
The only child of a minor noble family of Ustalav, Matei is the fruit of the union of Varisian and Tian blood. At a very young age he decides to follow in the footsteps of his father, a doctor specializing in afflictions of the mind, and so he begins a course of study at the University of Lepidstadt that will lead him to graduate very early and with commendable marks.
Back in his hometown he begins an internship in the lodge / hospital, giving his best in order to one day obtain a prominent position that allows him to increase his knowledge to better help his patients.

MISSION PREP

GM Glyphs: Nope. First 2e adventure for me
Retired Boons: None.
Achievement Boons: None.
Chronicle Boons: Nope
Daily Preparations: I assume you mean mechanically which i have none. Flavor wise, polishing his shield and armor daily.
Final Purchases: none. I did all my purchases from character building. But nothing since we started.

5/5 Check In and 3/5 Mission Prep!

GM Glyphs: Not yet, but soon!
Retired Boons: None
Achievement Boons: None
Chronicle Boons: None
Daily Preparations: None
Final Purchases: None (0 gp remaining)

Note: When we are about to roll initiative, Ignatius will use his call to arms revelation spell assuming we have allies close enough to me to benefit.

GM Glyphs: One, given to Ron Hawthorn.
Retired Boons: None.
Achievement Boons: None.
Chronicle Boons: None.
Daily Preparations: Prepare the following:
0: Telekinetic Projectile, Light, Guidance, Read Aura, Shield
1: Phantom Pain, Soothe

Two lesser blight bombs, two lesser dread ampoules, two lesser antidotes, two lesser antiplagues (from Alchemist Dedication)

Final Purchases: Minor healing potion (4 gp)

@Vanathar
The Alchemist Dedication should, at 1st level, give you a single daily Infused Reagents (note: not Quick Alchemy) meaning you have to choose from among your formula book below two copies of a single formula.

So: Which are you preparing today?

Ohh, totally missed that, thanks! I'll take the Dread Ampoules.

0: Telekinetic Projectile, Light, Guidance, Read Aura, Shield
1: Phantom Pain, Soothe

Two lesser dread ampoules (from Alchemist Dedication)

Matei follows the gnome and the elf behind the rocks (Stride ◆)[/ooc] [/b]◆).

Clicking on "Cat's Cradle" in my GM Bar or clicking on "Maps / Slides" above the campaign tabs will give you access to the Map to move your Token!

Clicking on "Cat's Cradle" in my GM Bar or clicking on "Maps / Slides" above the campaign tabs will give you access to the Map to move your Token!

I'm sorry, I was sure I moved it!

Hello, I have a character just created level 1 and I would like to play the bounties if there is still room

GM, Ignatius would have his halberd in his hands.

Hello, I have a character just created level 1 and I would like to play the bounties if there is still room

As we're already in combat, the GM should make the call on this one. GM?

I vote no - we are already well underway, and generally, I prefer both running and sitting at smaller tables.

When we switch seats, I will always defer to GM judgement though!

I agree. It would be hard to fit an addition into the story at this late point in the game. I'd be worried that we'd mistake him for a bandit and shoot him.

BTW -- Zendel's languages and background predate this bounty. He picked up Terran because he travels the stone roads on behalf of Oprak, and the stone roads go right through the Plane of Earth.

Now to consider future bounties. I don't mind us keeping this gameplay thread for all four of the bounties that we decide to do.

My votes so far for the remaining 3 are:

Bounty 5 -- sounds hilarious
Bounty 7 -- Clean up duty! Besides, Mike Hallet volunteered to GM that one.
Bounty 8 -- Another Caravan run to pick up where we left off.

Shall I volunteer to GM for Bounty 5?

He waves his halberd in the air and with a quick shout in some magically charged language, he launches a blast of fire at the red creature.

Ignatius, what are the effects of your Oracular Curse which I believe have been advanced to "Minor" Here?

Also, each time you cross such a threshold, you are encouraged to describe what happens!

(What do the other characters see, hear, smell? etc.)

I am not sure I will be in a place to want to GM for awhile again. Last time I got into PbP I dove a little too hard in and got a little overwhelmed so I want to start slow and I have very little experience with 2e. If you want me to drop from the group after this bounty to get someone who would be able to run one, I would totally understand!

Ignatius, what are the effects of your Oracular Curse which I believe have been advanced to "Minor" Here?

(What do the other characters see, hear, smell? etc.)

When Ignatius shouts his call to arms, the call is answered by the cacophony of an infernal legion. The response emboldens Ignatius causing him to eschew defenses and focus on the carnage of battle.

Minor Curse Your body languishes when you aren't bringing harm to your foes. You take a –2 status penalty to AC and saving throws, but each time you make a Strike, you can suspend these penalties until the start of your next turn. (The AC penalty is already shown in the stat block, but the saves are not adjusted.)

I am not sure I will be in a place to want to GM for awhile again. Last time I got into PbP I dove a little too hard in and got a little overwhelmed so I want to start slow and I have very little experience with 2e. If you want me to drop from the group after this bounty to get someone who would be able to run one, I would totally understand!

Do not stress! I'll happily GM two if needed! I just wanted to see how Zendel works before he leveled out of first level. So far, he works fairly well. Of course, he had two adventures as a GM baby prior to this, so he's benefitting from slightly better starting equipment than the rest of the group. That's why he has the longbow already.

The other nice thing is that these Bounties are short -- the perfect way to get your feet wet as a GM or player without committing over much.

Rules Question:

Does the "Strike" described by the Ignatius's Curse have to be a Strike?

Or would Spell Attacks also service to lift the penalty?

I am inclined to think that only weapon attacks count for our purposes here, but am willing to entertain an argument to the contrary!