So, Fin, good news - *defintily* a skirmish! Bad news, even a 5 is only a partial success. I'll give you a choice of tow options
OPTOIN 1: you put him down quickly and you manged to protect yourself - *but* it's noisy. As in, loud enough to wake the house.
OPTION 2: you put him down quickly and quietly - *but* he manges to stab you first. Taek Level 2 harm, Stab Wound.
Ha, be careful what you wish for, eh? Finraeth is in the team to take the knocks that get dished out, so I'll take option 2 please :)
Anyway, let's plant the knife and get the hells out of here without getting sidetracked any further, yeah?
I realises you split up and I haenvt focused on Jonah/Lolo - why don't you both work on palnning your getaway? The magic in teh cards has sparked out so you can't rely on being unseen in the same way you got in. Nt to worry though you are all clever so I'm sure you'll come up with something :)
I love how "in teh name of the dead gods" and "thank the dead gods" has become a thing. I'll haeve to start using it in the game!
Haeve we lost momentum? Let me know if you want something to happen in game. Like i said before, BitD is teh opposeite of a railroad, it gives lots of power to PCs to push the game froward, but you know what they say about great power :)
My whole family, including me, is down with covid at the moment. Hope to be back soon.
H but you know what they say about great power :)
It comes with great current squared times resistance?
@Lolo, that really sucks, hope you all get well soon! fwiw, ibuprofen seems to work better than paracetamol in lowering temperature and reducing the aches and pains.
My whole family, including me, is down with covid at the moment. Hope to be back soon.
I'm really sorry to haer that and I hope you all get well again very soon! I've had a bug of some sort, not covid but been out of it mostof the weekend. i'll move us along tomorrow.
More good luck
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She doesn't say anything. Either things were OK and they'd climb up and they'd all be gone, or they weren't and they'd go to plan B. Whatever that was.
Tell me you're playing BitD without telling me you're playing BitD :)
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There's a plan 'B'?
Casia's really got to show up to more pre-planning meetings.
Under the flashback rules, dear sister, we can have as many plans as we like - although remember that Hardison dies in Plans M through Q
Also: glad to have you back with us, Lolo! Hope you and family are doing better.
... although remember that Hardison dies in Plans M through Q
Shout out! Great Show!
Have you watched the new stuff with Noah Wyle? I've seen the introduction episode, but haven't gone back to watch any more.
I was really sceptical when they announced the reboot after, what 10+ years since the first series? And no Nate - WTF?!
But I have to admit, they had me at hello the first "Dammit, Hardison!" I binge-watched the whole thing and am avidly waiting for more.
Yeah, it's a very disttincitve show.
I have no idea what this show is :) Looks amusing though.
It's called Leverage - you can stream it on Prime Video (and probably elsewhere) - and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I think you'd really like it.
Ah, cool - I'll check it out!
EDIT: Hmmm, how to get back? Is it better in this case to be quick rather than stealthy? Should we just get off the roof first?
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It's your call, although remnember you can go from roof to roof as well - if you have the right gear :)
On a diferent note, a couple of teh games I was in have stopped recnelyt so I find I have a bit more time. After Easter I am planning to run another game on top of this one. I really like the BitD system and there's another game in that styel called Wicked Ones - you can get it for free!!!! here - where you play monsterd trying to build your lair while those damn adventruners keep coming in to kill you and take your stuff. Would any of you be interested? Otherwise, let me know what game system/AP you'd like me to run. You're a great group to GM and it would save me setting up a recruitment post and weeding people out :)
On teh flip side of that, if any of you are running a game or thinking of running one and looking for a player, please let me know ;)
Teh other option I frogot to add: Saveage Worlds game system. I recenlyt tried this one out and it's a lot of fun - manages to be rules-lite but still have some depth to it, especily in character creation. There's a Saveage Worlds for Pathfinder on Drivethrurpg.com, you have to buy it but it's not expnsive.
They've converted the whole of Rise of the Runeloreds to the SW system and I'd be up for running that if anyone wants to give it a go?
EDIT: see how to play SW here
The cultural reference you're missing for Wicked Ones is Dungeon Keeper, btw. It's a multiplayer version of Dungeon Keeper :-)
I'd be up for that! Also willing to give Savage Worlds a go. Anything except Starfinder, really.
Oh, Dungeon Keeper is a cool game.
I'm not sure how much bandwidth I have to learn a new system, but I've also never played Runelords. I'd be tentatively interested in either.
On teh flip side of that, if any of you are running a game or thinking of running one and looking for a player, please let me know ;)
I'm putting together a Curse of the Crimson Throne game for a GM that is running a game for me. That game will be a solo game but I could tentatively run a second table if there's interest from folks here. It wouldn't be a post a day game, probably every other day. I'd be altering some things as well so it won't be exactly the AP as written.
I just jumped in as a player for another 5E game and will likely start GMing another in a month or so. Along with the two 5E games I'm currently GMing and the FATE game I'm trying out, that makes my bandwidth pretty tapped at the moment.
For our escape, when you say "the right gear" would that be something more than the rope and grappling hook we already have? Because I'm tapped equipment wise after dealing with the ghost.
I also have no gear left. Lolo has a rope, pistols, and ammo.
Assuming this is another Prowl roll.
I'm putting together a Curse of the Crimson Throne game for a GM that is running a game for me. That game will be a solo game but I could tentatively run a second table if there's interest from folks here.
Interest! :D CotCT is great (although you can tell Paizo was just starting out on the whole Campaign Traits idea because they set up as a nemesis an NPC who doesn't last the first scene), IMO certainly in the top 5 APs Paizo has ever done.
In terms of gear, remember that we took the Thief Rigging upgrade for our Crew, so we get 2 free load of tools or gear. Also Finraeth still has a few slots available, I think he has only used a blackjack at this point.
S&%#. Group action, or fall to his death?
Casia will take the lead/stress if it's a Group Action.
CotCT is great (although you can tell Paizo was just starting out on the whole Campaign Traits idea because they set up as a nemesis an NPC who doesn't last the first scene)
Yup, that's one thing I plan to do differently. Lamm will play a much bigger role, and be around a lot longer, in my version of the AP.
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CotCT is great (although you can tell Paizo was just starting out on the whole Campaign Traits idea because they set up as a nemesis an NPC who doesn't last the first scene)Yup, that's one thing I plan to do differently. Lamm will play a much bigger role, and be around a lot longer, in my version of the AP.
Waht's the saying? You had my interest, now you have my atention? ;)
3 more stress for Casia. At lest Jonah got a 4. Taht's partial success so let's say you made it across the rooftops but you've been spoted from the street. Teh race is on!
@Lolo - That does sound intriguing! Can you say more without giving away the plot? Or is it supposed to be a mystery?
@GM - would a Study roll help, to navigate a good route home?
OK. Better than nothing.
@Lolo - That does sound intriguing! Can you say more without giving away the plot? Or is it supposed to be a mystery?
No, no mystery but minor AP spoilers.
So, to start the AP the PCs are entertaining thoughts of revenge/rebellion, and should have some heroic sides to them, but due to Lamm's insulated nature and prowess the PCs won't be in a position to do anything about their tormentor any time soon (in my version he runs his criminal empire from Eel's End, surrounded by flunkies, and is a pretty powerful NPC - someone to be feared).
Lamm will also play a roll in the larger metaplot, but that is to be discovered.
So it seems a couple of us are interested. I'd like to have four folks to start. Let me reach out to a couple of folks and see if they are interested, and if so, I'll set a game up.
Interesting! I am defintly up for that if you can face running that many games :)
@Fin - that's success with conmplications, and the complication here is the party splits. I could roll but I won't - you and Lolo get speprated from Casia and Jonah.
So I'm guessing there must be a bunch of chimneys with smoke coming out of them as all of the houses and buildings need warmth. Jonah will rip up his shirt to use it plug up a couple of the chimneys. It'll take a few minutes, but that should cause smoke to start billowing from windows, etc. A quick shout of fire from Casia hidden in the shadows might then cause enough of a distraction and confusion to allow us to slip further ahead of the pursuit.
I'm thinking Tinker, but if Wreck is better, than I'll spend 1 stress to get the d6.
That works, I loeve the creative solutions you are all coming up with :)
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Niiiice! A clean getaway.
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OK, I've got 4-5 people interested in a game of CotCT. I'll set up a campaign soon. In the interim, here's some character creation rules. We can refine backstory in the discussion tab once I get things set up.
Classes: any Paizo 1e. CotCT is largely an urban adventure. There's one extended jaunt outside of the city that I'm not sure I'm going to use yet.
Level: 1st
Point buy: Assuming 5 people, I'm inclined to go 15 point buy, but that makes playing 3/4 classes and MAD class difficult. What do y'all think?
GP: roll or take average, whatever is better
HP: Standard 1e PFS rules (max at first, 1/2+1 subsequent)
Leveling would be by milestone.
Traits: 2 traits, one must be a background trait. See fluff, below, for more information on background traits.
Skills: This is largely an urban adventure but having at least one person with some wilderness skills wouldn't hurt. I'm waffling on background skills. Assuming we have five players, it may not be necessary.
Other house rules: Automatic bonus progression, variant multiclassing, combat stamina (free for fighters, feat for others).
I'm OK with elephant in the room feat tax fixes if others like it. Happy to consider other rule options as well.
The NPCs are important - y'all would be locals and know some folks. I plan on bringing your NPCs into the story at various points. A name and a sentence or two describing your NPCs' relation to your PC, as well as any quirks, personality, or description you'd like them to have would be enough.
As mentioned above, you'll start out as a local under the thumb of Gaedran Lamm, a fairly significant crime lord in Korvosa. You can still be heroic or have heroic qualities, and I'd personally prefer that your PC has at least the room to grow into a hero. I'll need a reason for why your PC is under Lamm's thumb. The first act in the story is largely the story of how your PCs get out from under Lamm's control. The campaign traits (see below) can help in deciding this.
You were hardly a model citizen as a child or young adult. Your reasons for turning to a life of crime may be varied, but what matters is that you eventually fell in with a certain well-connected and notorious crime lord named Gaedren Lamm. His reputation as a snake and a treacherous scoundrel was known to you, but for reasons of your own, you chose not to turn him down when he offered you a chance to work for him. You may have assumed you were an exception, or that you’d be able to handle him, or perhaps even planned to betray him. As it worked out, though, Gaedren got the upper hand and took you down you first. You may have served time in jail, may have been beaten by his thugs and left for dead, or could simply have had your profits stolen out from under you. Whatever the cause, Gaedren wronged you, and you are eager for the chance to get revenge.
Choose one of the following benefits.
Hungry for Revenge: You’ve never forgiven Gaedren for his betrayal, and have vowed to make him pay for what he did. Whether that’s seeing him rot in jail or a shallow grave, you hope to taste vengeance someday. Whenever you deal damage with a melee weapon on a creature that is flat-footed, you gain a +1 trait bonus on the damage roll.
Reformed Criminal: You’ve given up the life of crime, and managed to talk your way out of any repercussions such as jail time or fines. You’ve told yourself that you would rather leave your past behind, yet the concept of seeing Gaedren Lamm pay for his crimes still appeals to you. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is a class skill for you.
No crime is too despicable for Gaedren Lamm and his thugs—a gang of lowlife murderers, kidnappers, and drug dealers that operate in Korvosa’s Midland district. You’ve lost someone to Lamm and now you’re out for revenge. While Lamm remains alive and free, you are not slain until your hit point total reaches a negative number equal to your Constitution score + 3. Once Lamm is imprisoned or killed, you lose the former benefit but gain 3 permanent hit points.
Someone you know has become addicted to shiver, a drug distilled from the venom of tropical arachnids known as dream spiders. The drug induces sleep filled with vivid dreams, during which the user’s body shakes and shivers, giving the substance its street name. You’ve always thought of shiver as a problem of the lower class, but then someone you know overdosed on the stuff. You’ve done a bit of investigating and have learned that the villain who got your friend addicted in the first place was a crime lord named Gaedren Lamm. Unfortunately, the guards seem to be focused on the bigger dealers. They don’t have time to devote many resources to what they’ve called “a bit player in a beggar’s problem.” It would seem that if Gaedren’s operation is to be stopped, it falls to you.
Choose one of the following benefits.
Addicted Friend: The addict is a friend or lover who might or might not have survived the overdose. Your research into the drug scene and local politics has given you a respectable education in street knowledge. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (local) checks, and Knowledge (local) is a class skill for you.
Personal Addiction: You were the addict. You blame Gaedren for your brush with death and hate how his drugs are causing similar problems among other youths. Fortunately, your body recovers quickly from toxins, and you gain a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saving throws.
Someone you know and love was accused of murder. A supposed eyewitness account from a local fisherman seemed to be enough to seal the case, but the accused had enough alibis that sentencing wasn’t immediate. Someone confronted the fisherman and discovered he was intimidated into providing false witness and forced into planting the murder weapon by the actual murderer—a local crime lord named Gaedren Lamm, whose thugs killed the fisherman before he could recant his testimony. Although this removed the key witness and resulted in the accused being set free, the stigma was enough to badly damage the accused’s reputation. If you can find Gaedren, you’re sure you can find evidence that ties him to the murder and can clear the accused’s name.
Choose one of the following benefits.
Dropout: You were the one accused of the murder. Although you were eventually freed when a friend confronted the fisherman and got the truth, the damage had been done. You were forced to leave your school or church. As a result, you were forced to self-train and promised yourself you would become better at your chosen profession despite the spurning of your peers. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Spellcraft checks, and Spellcraft is a class skill for you.
Family Honor: The person who was framed was a family member, perhaps a father or sister. You managed to trick the fisherman into revealing the truth with your skilled tongue. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff checks, and Bluff is a class skill for you.
Someone you loved was knifed to death in a dark alley one night. You were called to the scene by the Korvosan Guard to identify the body, and as rough as that was for you, you also noticed a ring was missing from your loved one’s finger. Whoever murdered your loved one stole that ring— you’re convinced of it. You’ve done some investigation on your own and recently found the ring for sale at a local merchant’s shop. To your great frustration, you can’t yet afford the 500 gp to buy it back, but the merchant did tell you from whom he purchased the ring: a man named Gaedren Lamm. It seems likely this criminal killed your loved one, or at the very least, he knows who did. The only problem is finding him.
Choose one of the following benefits.
All Alone: The murder victim was a lover. With your lover’s death, a part of you died as well, leaving you haunted, grim, and prone to dark musings. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Intimidate checks, and Intimidate is a class skill for you.
Orphaned: The murder victim was your only surviving parent. You had to work hard to make ends meet for yourself and any siblings, and often had to scavenge for food. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Survival checks, and Survival is a class skill for you.
You suspect that a child you know has been abducted by Gaedren Lamm. Whatever the relationship, you’ve heard rumors about “Lamm’s Lambs,” and of how the old man uses children as pickpockets and agents for his crimes. You’ve even heard rumors that the child you’re looking for has been spotted in the marketplaces in the company of known cutpurses and pickpockets. Although the Korvosan Guard has been understanding of your plight, it has its hands full with “more important” matters these days, it seems, and has not yet been able to learn anything more about Gaedren. No one else is interested in bringing Gaedren down and rescuing his victims— that task falls to you. Yet where could the old scoundrel be hiding?
Choose one of the following benefits.
Missing Sibling: The missing child is a brother or sister. Although everyone else has given up hope, you believe your sibling still lives. Your constant search for the missing sibling has developed into great skill at rumormongering and finding out information from others. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sense Motive checks, and Sense Motive is a class skill for you.
Missing Son or Daughter: The missing child is your own son or daughter, a niece or nephew, or a child you were charged with protecting. The child was abducted during a trip to the market or other daily event. Your stubbornness and long hours spent searching for rumors grant you a +1 trait bonus on Will saves.
You spent a period of time as one of Gaedren Lamm’s enslaved orphans, doing all manner of dirty work for him. Maybe you were abducted from your parent’s home or during a trip to the market. Perhaps the irresponsible matron who ruled your orphanage traded you to him in return for a desperately needed financial loan. Or perhaps you, like most of Gaedren’s slaves, were merely a child of the street who succumbed to his promise of regular meals and a roof in return for what he said would be “a little light work.” Whatever the case, you spent several years of your life as one of “Lamm’s Lambs” before escaping. You’ve nursed a grudge against the old man ever since.
Choose one of the following benefits.
Religious: Today, while on a job for Gaedren, you found a holy symbol of the god you worship, and intrigued by it, you snuck off to attend services. When Gaedren found out, he beat you to within an inch of your life and broke your holy symbol. Your faith let you block out the pain, and you escaped his control and took shelter in the church, where you spent the rest of your youth. You gain a +2 trait bonus on concentration checks and Constitution checks to stabilize at negative hit points.
Tortured: After you made one too many errors, Gaedren tortured you and left you for dead in a garbage heap. Your scars and memories have motivated you to hone your reaction speed and make you rather jumpy. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Reflex saves.
Your family is particularly hearty, and has even passed down tales of a Varisian ancestor who sought to cure (or, some loose-lipped relatives say, create) diseases. You gain a +1 trait bonus on saving throws made to resist diseases. Additionally, you are immune to the diseases Vorel’s phage and blood veil. You do not need to be of the Varisian ethnicity to take this campaign trait, but if you’re not, your background should explain how you have a Varisian ancestor.
Thanks for posting that, and again I really appreciate you offering to run a game. I would play a different character on a 15-point buy than I would with a 20-point buy, but it's your call as the GM.
I note that the traits spell out a relationship to Lamm in the past tense but it seems from your post that the idea is for us to still be in his debt. Have I understood that right?
Yeah, that's the main reason I'm thinking about bumping it up to the 20 points. Edit: Let's go with 20 point-buy. It is much easier to make a viable, say Medium for example, with 20 than 15 points.
Regarding traits, they do suggest that the PCs' association with Lamm is more or less in the past. My intent is that yes, everyone is very much still in Lamm's debt. Traits should be modified as needed. If you take the betrayed (reformed criminal) trait for example, it could be re-interpreted like this:
Reformed Criminal: When it comes down to it, you've only ever been a criminal because of Lamm. You barely escaped jail after the last job, and intend to give up the life of crime. While you plan to leave your past behind, the idea of seeing Gaedren Lamm pay for his crimes is very appealing to you; whether it is you or someone you can convince to twist the final proverbial knife into Lamm's back matters little. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is a class skill for you.
I din'dn't even know 15 point buy was a thing.
I haeve some ideas in mind but need to think a bit more. Do you know what other pepole want to play?
It looks like both sides have managesd a success so I will wrap this one up. Well done on another score! Lyssa will be pleased.
Looking at XP if this score is wrapped up. GM can you confirm that Jonah would have the following:
2 XP for using Arcane knowledge (playing cards and Roric)
2 XP for expressing beliefs/heritage (multiple times)
1 XP for issues with vice (dealing with Naty)
Surprisingly, I don't recall making any Desperate rolls this time around. So a total of 5 XP?
I haeve some ideas in mind but need to think a bit more. Do you know what other pepole want to play?
I don't. Play what you want, with five folks I'm sure the PCs will be able to cover gaps, and if not...
That will be fun too :)
I'll get the game set up tonight or tomorrow.
Great, I'm very much looking forward to it :)
Same here!
On teh topic of new games, I'm not going ahead with Wicked Oenes. Roleplay of characters taht kill innocents is to close to real life right mow. I'll happily run a game of Scum & Vilany instead - think BitD in space.
Anyone interested?
Scum & Vilny is the same game mechanics as BitD, dice pool, playshets and so on, but instead of deciding on your gang you get a choice of three different "flavours" of sci fi
Smugglers/traders - teh Firefly option, your ship is unarmed and scams rather than violence are your thing. Of course, you still occasional need the violence.
Bounty hunter - your ship has a couple of weapons but you are mostly going to get into fights with other people. You're well equipped for it and violence can bee your first option rather than last resort.
Rebels - the Star Wars option. Go up against the Galactic Hegemon (yes I spelled that right, I checked) with your (small!) warship. This one has the most ship Vs ship combat if that is ur thing.
Looking at XP if this score is wrapped up. GM can you confirm that Jonah would have the following:
2 XP for using Arcane knowledge (playing cards and Roric)
2 XP for expressing beliefs/heritage (multiple times)
1 XP for issues with vice (dealing with Naty)Surprisingly, I don't recall making any Desperate rolls this time around. So a total of 5 XP?
Sounds about right to me :)
EDIT - Lolo went *out* again did she?
Oh dear
I was going to post Casia's return to the hideout, but since it looks like something 'Bad' is on Lolo's excursion, I'll wait to see if said 'Bad' includes Cas and Jonah.
Yes, prompted by your spoiler, GM, Lolo went out. Ruh-roh :)
Scum and Villainy sounds fun, I need to appraise whether or not I have the bandwidth.
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OK, CotCT game is set up. Please head on over to the discussion thread.