The thought process will be to keep the chelish ship bunched up, my assumption is that being chained they had to stay fairly close. Then to disable as many as possible to cause confusion in their fleet and send them towards the 'Eye' once the majority of the ship were disabled, then start boarding some to capture.
Using Elek to blast the helms and sails and the sea serpent to damage others, the goal of the fleet would be to keep the chelish from escaping. I had forgotten about talking with the pirate lords so will do that and see how they can help :)
Also will try and work in saving as many pirates from sunken ships as possible.
I think as some point in time today Paizo will be shutting the sight off. So it maybe tonight or tomorrow that we post more.
I couldn't get on Paizo at all yesterday. Glad it's working again.
yeah, on the main page they said they were moving their servers yesterday, then Saturday this week they'll be doing something as well.
Hmmmm, need to decide if I want to focus on ending the battle, or grab one or two ships. Would love to add the two main ships to his fleet, but don't know how possible.
Sadly, I didn't even think of asking the other 'pirate lords' let alone the Firebrands or Grey Corsairs for help. I don't know if it was because he spent the last few months fighting alone, or just thought the Firebrands or Grey Corsairs were just part of the earlier AP.
My next post I'll have Elek speak with Arronax and come up with a plan. I may get it posted tonight, if not tomorrow afternoon, I've got a busier than normal morning planned.
The battle's gone on long enough that your magic circle and winds of vengeance spells have expired.
The battle's gone on long enough that your magic circle and winds of vengeance spells have expired.
LOL, that makes sense, for a moment I was thinking the 'control winds' spell was done....
So the winds active so far are those from the 'Eye' and from he control winds spell. Can he use the control winds spell to push damaged ships away from the storm?
Still trying to find a way to salvage a couple ships to rebuild the fleet.
The control winds spell from the Hurricane Crown works just like the regular spell.
Ok, what do we need to do to wrap this up? I've not the time or inclination to go back through the game researching peripheral characters. Do I need to take an action to execute a plan? Will it make a difference on the battle, or do you want to narrate an ending? At the moment, I feel like feigning Elek's death and him swimming away knowing he killed the man who killed his parents. About the only reason I don't is he really likes his island.
Just give me some sort of plan, and we'll wrap everything up. The outcome of the battle is dependent on your actions, but you'll come out victorious regardless. This is just determining how costly the victory is. XD For the record, there are only two other NPCs who can play a meaningful role: the Master of Gales, and Avimar Sorrinash.
hmmmm he druid and the werewolf. Ok, let me think about it. I'll get something posted in the morning.
Siting here looking at my post from last night I realize the first one is a little blunt, sorry about that, it was a long day.
So I remembered MoG and figured he was doing everything, and that AVimar was a werewolf, but didn't remember anything about anyone else, even Wide Olga who he'd spent a fair amount of time talking to.
Will post him speaking with the druid and figure out how to push them back or whatever.
The over all plan was to push them back in to the storm. He personally would disrupt as many ships ability to sail but torching helm and sails and have the fleet attack from the flanks. I was hoping to be able to capture the two named ships for trophies, but that would have to happen after the fleet was fleeing.
I'll get a post up.
No worries. You've had a lot going on, and I'm sure this has been a lot more involved than you were anticipating. Mass combat and heavy tactics isn't something that's really come up in this AP, and the small battle with Harrigan's fleet a while back didn't allow for any real tactics.
When you reach this point in your own game, you'll see that as-written, it's just a normal fleet battle. As the Island Defense combat showed, those rules aren't particularly interesting and really just boil down to focus-firing on one 'squadron' at a time until everyone's defeated. Definitely not a rousing climax - especially for someone like me who enjoys playing the Total War video game series. XD I sometimes forget that not everyone enjoys the same things I do, so apologies for any frustrations I've inflicted upon you.
Yesterday was especially frustrating dealing with stuff involving my mom. I enjoy large scale battles and such, but without a little foreknowledge that it was what we are doing, nor a visual map and the ability to see and move it gets difficult. Anyway, no blood no foul.
Congratulations on your victory - and successful conclusion to the campaign. We can play out the aftermath via narration if you'd like - especially since you have an opportunity to restructure the Shackles a fair bit. I'll be interested in seeing how you want to play things. XD
Congratulations on your victory - and successful conclusion to the campaign. We can play out the aftermath via narration if you'd like - especially since you have an opportunity to restructure the Shackles a fair bit. I'll be interested in seeing how you want to play things. XD
Results: Three-quarters of the Shackles ships, including three of your own personal ships (your choice), were lost with all hands. Four of the Pirate Lords (your choice) perished. The entire Chelish fleet was destroyed. However, the Dominator - while severely damaged - is salvageable. Because you befriended the locathah tribe earlier in the campaign and found them a safe home, they'll be able to salvage 14 points of Plunder from the sunken ships over the course of a couple months.
Wow, first of all, it's been a great ride! Thank you for the introduction to sphere's I still feel totally out of my league, but it was fun getting exposure to it. Also, your system was a blast. I'm sorry the last month has been so chaotic, I tend to get tunnel vision and dealing with things in RL didn't help.
As for the ending, you've given me a ton of latitude, I'll need to think on it. There are several things I'd had in mind, but will need to take some time to put it all down. I'd thought about giving away ships and promoting his captains to there own charters, but hadn't thought about promoting other captains to the council, I assume that's allowed :)
Hopefully I will get a post up tomorrow, if not, Tuesday.
It has been a ton of fun! Thanks for helping me playtest my system. It's tailored for my home group, so it's been great to see that it's enjoyable for you as well. You've also been really helpful in showing its flaws, so now that we're done, I'll be rewriting the Blaster archetype to clean up the language. XD
For the ending, you deserve a ton of latitude. In my opinion, the title of Hurricane King should mean something. Letting you change up the makeup of the Pirate Council is a great way to do that. You also own Tidewater Rock, the Island of Empty Eyes, and Lucrehold - and the two most-powerful ships in the Shackles (the Dominator and the Filthy Lucre). Elek's definitely carried on his parents' legacy. XD
Now that the armada battle's over, I'll tell you that Sorrinash had multiple weresharks on his crew. They would have been helpful as a 'hit squad' if you'd elected to focus on disabling enemy ships and targeting captains. If you'd reached out to Mase instead, he could have done something similar with his crew of sea elves. XD These were only available because you chose to fight a fair distance from the Eye. If you'd chosen to fight on the fringe of the Eye, your plan of "use storms to destroy the fleet" would have been significantly easier - but only after the contract with Geryon was ended. XD I'm mentioning all this since you're running your own iteration of the campaign. I know your group's quite a ways away from this point, but when the time comes, they might think of reaching out to more than the three captains the campaign as-written suggests.
Take your time posting. It's been fun, and I'd hate for you to feel like you need to rush. XD
Struggling with the idea of picking who lives and dies based on my preferences, so I've decided to let the dice decide:
So the pirate lords he spoke with are safe:
Arronax Endymion, Tessa Fairwind, Master of the Gales
So those who could perish:
1) Avimar Sorrinash, 2) Cerise Bloodmourn. 3) Delemona Burie, 4)Hardluck Massey, 5) Jolis Raffles, 6) Mase Darimar, 7) Maxevale Janis, 8) Wide Olga
Mase Darimar
1) Avimar Sorrinash, 2) Cerise Bloodmourn. 3) Delemona Burie, 4)Hardluck Massey, 5) Jolis Raffles, 6) Maxevale Janis, 7) Wide Olga
Wide Olga
1) Avimar Sorrinash, 2) Cerise Bloodmourn. 3) Delemona Burie, 4)Hardluck Massey, 5) Jolis Raffles, 6) Maxevale Janis,
Hardluck Massey
1) Avimar Sorrinash, 2) Cerise Bloodmourn. 3) Delemona Burie, 4) Jolis Raffles, 5) Maxevale Janis,
Jolis Raffles
So the pirate lords that survived: Avimar Sorrinash, Cerise Bloodmourn. Delemona Burie, Maxevale Janis
His Fleet:
he spoke with Sandara on the 'Banshee's revenge, so it is not at risk:
So ships and captains at risk:
1) Cyclops' eye: Captain Ulfric Ironbeard, a Catamaran:
2) Devil's Bane: Captain "Artful" Rogers, a frigate
3) Black Serpent: Captain Slippery Syl Lonegan, a Frigate
4) Wayfinder: Captain Rogar Ironbeard, a Xebec
5) Grand Storm: Captain Ratline Rattsberger, a Schooner:
6) Rat's Demise: Captain "Crimson" Cogward, a Schooner, l
7) Black Corsair: Captain Bonnie Blades, a Caravel:
8) Devilish Dutchess: Alise Grogblud, a Caravel
9) Mermaid's Revenge: Tilly Brackett, a Caravel
10) Erinyes: Captain Rosie Cusswell, a Caravel
11) Gylou's Cage: "Jaundice" Jape, a Caravel
12) Valerande "Barracuda" Aiger the Wormwood'
So "Artful", Slipper Syl, and Ratline.
the remaining fleet:
1) Cyclops' eye: Captain Ulfric Ironbeard, a Catamaran:
2) Wayfinder: Captain Rogar Ironbeard, a Xebec
3) Rat's Demise: Captain "Crimson" Cogward, a Schooner, l
4) Black Corsair: Captain Bonnie Blades, a Caravel:
5) Devilish Dutchess: Alise Grogblud, a Caravel
6) Mermaid's Revenge: Tilly Brackett, a Caravel
7) Erinyes: Captain Rosie Cusswell, a Caravel
8) Gylou's Cage: "Jaundice" Jape, a Caravel
9) Valerande "Barracuda" Aiger the Wormwood'
Wow, that took longer than I intended, but I think I'm ok with it. I took it out to a year, so he could make his wish. I resisted the urge to go with a long-term effect.
The things I hope will happen: first is nearly ending slavery and the slave trade. Trade coming to the two islands so they become hubs of commerce through the Shackles, eventually making it more prosperous. He will spend his time making war on the Sahuagin, recking slavers and opening up places for the Pathfinders to explore. With the idea of making the Shackles more commercial, more open for exploration and safer. You know, a nice place to visit (like our Caribbean) but with jobs and money...
Again, thank you so much for running the game, I know that some of my questions (due to not knowing the system) must have been mind-numbing at times, but I appreciate you sticking with it and answering them. It has been a great time. If you start any new games, with your home brew system or just PF1 I'd be happy to apply again!
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That was an incredible write-up. You incorporated NPCs from the entire campaign and really put an effort into making people as happy as you could. I'm very impressed.
Thank you so much for playing the game. XD I had a good time and really appreciate your patience. The system's complicated and has a lot of moving parts, so I know it was overwhelming at times. I'm glad you stuck with it.
I'm planning to start something up in the next couple weeks. It'll be another adventure path with my homebrew system, but I'll be going a bit more traditional. No gestalt, a full-size party, and whatnot. Keep an eye on the boards! XD
I will certainly keep an eye out!
I tried to remember the folks that we ran into this time around. I also knew that he couldn't change everything in a generation, but he could set it on a course. As for SUMITHA what a great image! Thanks for not 'limiting' it to the list of spell for 'wish' in the PFSRD, I figured since it was the end of the AP I might get away with it :)
This is only the third AP that I've made it through in ten years on the boards so, thanks for sticking with it. I know with typed communication that Facial expression along with Rate, tone and Volume are unreadable, so I know some of my question had to be annoying. I really appreciated your patience.
So now I'll need to start looking at the classes in your system to see what would be fun to play :)
Again, great game! I had an awesome time!
RH
This was the first AP I've completed on the boards and only the second I've completed overall. I'm glad you stuck around. Now we just need to wrap up Crimson Throne. XD
Having learned how you play, I'd recommend Barbarian (selectable rage), Fighter (antimagic, or Sentinel (tank). XD
yeah, that's what I was thinking, maybe throw ranger or rogue in there, depending on the AP and if I'm going to use a Character I already have a backstory for. And your Monk is a full BAB character, I could see that happening in the right AP. Lot's of options, and several 'classes' are so variable that I could almost play any stereotype. Looking forwards to seeing the recruitment thread.
So we'll be heading into the last book of the AP Crimson Throne right? I hadn't realized this was your first completed AP. I remember reading along with your RoW game that your wife played in for years. I never thought about it finishing.
Hopefully we can see several more AP's done before it's all over :)
Dude I would so play a drunken master tengu...
Extreme customization was one of the primary goals of my system. You'll also notice that each class only has a few archetypes, but they significantly change how the class plays. A drunken master would play completely differently than Torsten's brawler. XD
Reign of Winter got about halfway through Book Five before fizzling out due to lack of player interest. It wasn't really anyone's fault. Despite being advertised as "the Irrisen campaign," it's actually more akin to "slavic Doctor Who." Without spoiling anything, weird things start happening in Book Three, and they just get crazier as the story progresses. It's very fun, but my party was expecting a more traditional "save Irrisen from evil witches" storyline.
For recruitment, I'm considering my options but have it mostly narrowed down to RoW, Mummy's Mask, Carrion Crown, or Strange Aeons. At some point, I also plan to start converting a few PF2e APs to my system, but that's a ways down the road. XD
Yeah, Reign of Winter got really weird when the chicken hut started jumping to different planets and dimensions. It was the only AP that I'd actually finished until I finished RotR about three months ago, and of course S&S here. I have been in several AP's that fizzled out and when I stopped playing for a bit dropped out of others.
I've started all three of the other AP's, didn't get very far with Mummy's Mask or Carrion Crown (never out of book one) I got farther in Strange Aeons and it didn't go so well. it got into the second or third book, but it sort of blew up in my face. If you decide to do Row or SA I would sit it out, no hurt feelings, just not really interested.
The good news if you do a few PF2 AP's I'd know your system :) I'm PF2's Troubles in Otari but not having a lot of fun.
Yeah, Reign of Winter got really weird when the chicken hut started jumping to different planets and dimensions. It was the only AP that I'd actually finished until I finished RotR about three months ago, and of course S&S here. I have been in several AP's that fizzled out and when I stopped playing for a bit dropped out of others.
I've started all three of the other AP's, didn't get very far with Mummy's Mask or Carrion Crown (never out of book one) I got farther in Strange Aeons and it didn't go so well. it got into the second or third book, but it sort of blew up in my face. If you decide to do Row or SA I would sit it out, no hurt feelings, just not really interested.
The good news if you do a few PF2 AP's I'd know your system :) I'm in a PF2 game "Troubles in Otari" but not having a lot of fun with some of the new methodology.
I looked over your Strange Aeons campaign and *wow* what an experience. The GM screwed up that initial forest encounter by misreading a statblock, and things spiraled out of control from there. Instead of trying to fix things when that second encounter happened (even a retcon would have worked), s/he doubled down and actively attempted to "punish" the party. Howard was very reasonable in- and out-of-character, and the entire thing could have been salvaged without much difficulty. What a shame. :-(
I like aspects of PF2e, and from what I've seen, it's extremely well-balanced from a mechanical standpoint. Character creation and the Background system are things that I've adapted to my system, and I also frequently check the PF2e Bestiary to see if its added any interesting monster abilities. I'm not a fan of their magic rework, but the three-action economy is pretty good. Ultimately, the system isn't something I'd enjoy using, but I've been encouraging my players to check it out, as I think they'd have fun with it.
Yeah, Howard kept a cool head. I shouldn't have posted with no sleep, I'd been up 36 hours and was tired and frustrated. The GM was upset because in the dream sequences we didn't act heroically, and most of that was Howards doing. Anyway, I'd played multiple games with both of them together. He was in Australia and she in Singapore so it worked well for me because I posted on third shift. We finished RoW in eleven months... I eventually played with them again, but it wasn't the same.
I think I would have done better with PF2 if I had sat down and read the players guide first. But all I had was Nethys. Hopefully I'll get more comfortable with it eventually.
Yeah, from what I gathered, the GM is a "evil acts are never okay under any circumstances" type, and the resulting lack of nuance can make things limiting. I disagreed with Elek's actions a few times during our campaign, but the rationale behind them made sense from his perspective, so everything was fine. XD
In my opinion, calling it PF2e was a poor choice, as the system really has very little in common with PF1. There's no cross-compatibility, so there was no reason to keep the name. XD
Yeah, I haven't quite figured out PF2.
As for Elek's actions, which ones, or which situations did you disagree with? Just curious :) Do you mean alignment wise, or strategy wise or personality/character wise?
Nothing major, fortunately. Elek was quite Lawful for a pirate, in my opinion. Of course, alignment is always a highly debatable topic, so it's not something I'll ever have strong feelings about - especially since you envisioned Elek as a "gentleman pirate." The cyclops genocide was rough, but you didn't have the whole story of the tribe, so it was understandable. Ultimately, the biggest struggle for me was adjusting to Elek's "two-trick pony" methodology in combat. If he couldn't blast an enemy from the air or eviscerate it with TWF, he really struggled. That was mainly due to your lack of familiarity with the Spheres options and inexperience with higher-level abilities. If you look up dust of disappearance, for example, you'll see why you never ended up finding Harrigan's weather witch. XD In your own campaign, if you ever feel like your players are steamrolling everything, shoot me a message, and I'll suggest some tactics. No matter how strange it seemed at the time, everything that happened in-game was rules-legal. XD
Sadly, my unfamiliarity with casting, high level play and sphere's all made it difficult to totally understand everything, so I asked a lot of question. Hopefully it didn't sound like I thought you weren't doing everything by the book.
I've told the players that I'm sticking to the AP so if they railroad stuff it's on them. But it's just three players, and only one of them has tried to min/max.
As for Elek's alignment, part of it is how I view 'neutral' to me it's not trying to keep balance, but being willing to be lawful or chaotic as the situation needs. I'm glad he came off as a 'gentleman pirate' and I felt like I tried to speak with the cyclops, but it didn't feel like they were willing. But I can see how it seemed harsh.
Yeah, two trick pony is about right :)
Your questions were great! They forced me to get familiar with things I normally don't think about like weather severity. XD You're actually the first player I've had who did a feint build, so I ended up learning a lot about that particular topic. It's surprisingly difficult to counter, as it turns out.
I can't remember if you've seen "Our Flag Means Death," but Elek sometimes reminded me of a much-more-competent Stede Bonnet. XD
That's funny, I've seen two episodes of the show, my daughters 38 and 40 love it. They also turned me on to 'Black Sails' which I really liked.
I loved the feint build, I've not been able to duplicate it with regular PF. It would be hard to resist not doing it again :)
Just a quick heads-up that I'm going to mark the campaign as completed. I'll give it a day or two to make sure you see this, though. Once again, congrats on making it through. It's been a fun ride. XD
That's cool, thanks for the heads up, not like we can't chat in CotCT. Again great game, I had a blast!