GM NovelEnigma's Extinction Curse (Inactive)

Game Master asdffghjkl01

This is a private thread with invitations sent out to players.

Character Creation:

1) There are pre-gens available for you to use, but they are not required to play.

2) If you make your own character you begin at level 5, consult the Starting at a Higher Level table for gear. The adventure will finish at level 8.

3) The adventure starts in the city of Kibwe in the Mwangi expanse.

3A) The module prohibits the play of human characters, including partial humans. As the GM, I won't prevent you from playing a human, however, I can tell you that you may have a pretty rough time and there is definitely a reason why humans are prohibited.

3B) While some ancestries may be rather uncommon in this area, I'm open to pretty much any Paizo ancestry being involved as I like to let my players have a bit of freedom beyond what is typically allowed in Pathfinder Society.

4) I am allowing the Free Archetype rule. Essentially, you gain an extra class feat at every even level that can only be used for dedications or archetype feats. You are still restricted by the rules for Dedication in that you typically must take 2 archetype feats before taking a new dedication.

5) There is no official player guide for this module and while I would like players to play something they like or something fun to them, there is some information that can disrupt character builds.

5A) The beginning of the adventure has a ton of oozes. Oozes are mindless. After part 1 (out of 3), they drop off and the enemies become pretty standard.

Getting to know each other:

1) The heroes do not need to be friends or a group already. The opening scene, without giving too much away, involves bystanders being attacked in the market. If you do not have a backstory involving knowing the other PCs, simply having a character that would help battle the hostile force in the market rather than simply running away or hiding would be ideal. In this way, you'll come together as similarly powerful characters working together to defeat a shared foe or to protect innocent lives.

Alignment:

1) While your characters may have nearly any alignment, they need a reason to follow the story railroad. Your goal is to stop the "bad things" TM. If your character has ulterior motives for doing so, such as fame, wealth, power, etc., that is fine, so long as they work together with the other PCs to progress the story.

Is it PFS rules/restrictions otherwise?

This isn't PFS so it's more free form for rules/access. Are you referencing something specific?

Nope. More just checking the boundaries (apart from the ancestry guidance). I have a corgi-riding sprite wizard in the works that I should be able to post later today.

As long as you have a reason to be in Kibwa, sounds fine! I like running a module or AP and getting to let players do non-PFS standard stuff

One of my players will be unable to post at all from August 1st to 12th. I am not going to prevent them from playing due to real life obligations so expect to take a break or do something on the side during this time.

If it makes sense in the module, we can do a section of RP or downtime activities. Alternatively we could do some kind of battle arena during this time just for fun if people are interested. Maybe some level 20 PCs vs high level enemies just for the experience.

Campaign Note:

I really like secret rolls and will be rolling checks that are marked as secret in a separate thread when they come up.

Here is PaleDim's sprite mage, riding a corgi into the fray!

This is a reminder that I'm traveling, and away from computers/internet from Aug 1-12. So I'll miss whatever pre-game discussion happens during that time (and if, e.g. we decide to switch *systems* :P).

Joking aside, as long as we don't land something that is not pixie-friendly, I should be able to make slight adjustments when I get back and before we start.

1) Between reading the Player's Guide and the 1st book of the AP, I would like to start the adventure with your last show working at the Celestial Menagerie under Mistress Dusklight. In order to do so, you'll either need a Signature Trick that you perform in her circus or decide you were a supporting cast member such as a Bandleader, Carnival Barker, Costumer, etc.. Not only will this help get the story started, but it will familiarize you all with the circus rules and mechanics before you have to work your own circus. Since I'm improving this section, it would great if you followed the plot hooks I have to make to get moving towards the actual start of the AP. I'll try my best to make them make sense in the world, but you never know what players will come up with!

In either case, the options are nearly as endless as your imagination for a fantasy circus, but I can definitely help you out with the mechanical side of things. To start, I'll post the following rules to help you design a trick to perform.

The player decides their signature trick’s trick check (which can be a skill check, saving throw, or attack roll), chooses a trick trait (below), and names and dramatically describes the trick.
The signature trick’s level is equal to the PC’s level and increases whenever the PC gains a level. Only the PC who created the signature trick can perform it; NPCs or other PCs cannot perform another PC’s signature trick. Otherwise, signature tricks do not have additional requirements or challenges associated with them.
PCs’ signature tricks improve and grow more complex as they go up in level. For example, while a 1st-level performer can use only a single type of check to perform their trick and their trick has only one trick trait, a 10th-level performer can use one of two different checks for each trick attempt and their trick can have up to two trick traits. Redesigning Tricks: Once a signature trick is created, it is difficult to change. A PC can change their signature trick (including its trick checks and trick traits) whenever they gain a level or by spending 6 consecutive downtime days redesigning the trick.

Traits are things like Aerial, Animal, Alchemical, Magical, Fire, etc. depending on what the trick entails. However, it is important to note that if your trick uses a saving throw as its check, it always has the injury trait which means you have a chance to be injured if you critically fail the saving throw.

2) This is an AP that goes from levels 1-20. As stated in the Discord, I can't promise you right now that I'll get through all 6 books in PbP as that could easily take 2+ years and that is a lot of time for lives to change. However, I will promise to finish whatever book we are currently on as we play and will make this game my top priority for running PbP where even if I can't run PbP much in the future, I'll narrow my bandwidth to only this game, even if its just one post a day. I know how much fun it can be to play a long PbP game with lots of RP and character development and know it can be a real bummer to have only 1 or 2 books played before having to call it quits.

3) This adventure takes place around Absalom on the Isle of Kortos. You're at the city in the center of the world in a circus, so feel free to look at just about any ancestry for play. If there is any AP where a Sprite, Shoony, Fleshwarp, and Anadi were in a party together, it may just be this one.

4) I am allowing the Free Archetype rule. Essentially, you gain an extra class feat at every even level that can only be used for dedications or archetype feats. You are still restricted by the rules for Dedication in that you typically must take 2 archetype feats before taking a new dedication.

5) You're likely already aware, but there are three archetypes from this AP that work very well for the setting. Animal Trainer, Staff Acrobat, and Juggler.

6) If you want a full dive into the Circus Rules, you can find them here.

Getting to Know Each Other:
The easiest way is to all be a part of Celestial Menagerie under Mistress Dusklight. If you are substantially opposed to this, you could attend the PC's last performance as part of Celestial Menagerie instead and wish to join, but other than those two options, I can't think of many others that will keep your PC motivated. The circus mechanic is the life of the AP from what I understand so you'll need a PC that wants to be a part of this life.

as that could easily take 2+ years and that is a lot of time for lives to change.

I would realistically just budget 3 years for an AP. I just fished Dead Suns (Starfinder) with a PbP group and we'd been going at a pretty stable (not always super-fast, but never taking long breaks) pace. It took just over 3 years.

On Naatalu's signature trick: I think it makes the most sense for him to start with the Animal Trait and a Command Animal (Nature) check. At higher levels I expect this to expand to an Acrobatics check and the Aerial trait.

I haven't decided entirely what this will look like, but I expect initially it will involve Clovis (the Corgi) standing on her hind legs and letting Naatalu stand on her head, or walking alongside her. Being very small, they are likely part of the introductory act as well as appearing near and among the audience when least expected to aid or hint audience reactions. Perhaps, being a curmudgeonly fey wizard, Naatalu can take a Statler and Waldorf tone in this role.

I'm still working it out :)

Sorry, PaizoCon Online Europe is taking more of my time and energy than I expected. I'll be here and playing as soon as I can.

I'm trying not to go too far or make too many posts before Numbat joins in, but I am definitely reading posts and seeing yours, Naatalu.

No worries. I figured as much.

Still need to catch up and start posting but at least now I have the basic character sheet ready to go.

Added some history.

Looking forward to getting us underway! Post Zec-EC into gameplay when you're ready for me to continue.

Extinction Curse, now featuring spells from Secrets of Magic such as Bullhorn or Lose the Path!

I know I'm dumping a lot of text on all of you without many skill checks or anything yet, but I want to setup the background of book 1.

After this conversation we'll start a circus section to introduce those rules, finish up the backstory after that, and then move on to book 1!

Should we be running through our tricks at this point?

No, I was just listing them out for confirmation of what everyone is planning on doing. I'm hoping to make it a bit more exciting than "ok, time to roll for your tricks" and moving on!

Edit: seeing that Naatu rolled and you asked, I should have made that clearer, skeet!

The Audio Recording.

I hate my voice and altered it slightly, but I still think the idea was worth it. Let me know if you want me to continue this for other performances.

If this was your circus, you'd normally earn gold equal to Prestige x Final Anticipation for your success.

For CM, I just assumed a prestige of 10, so it would be 32 x 10 = 320g. It is assumed that this is all extra profit after the circus covers its own costs, so you would split this four ways.

As this was bonus content before book 1, I'll say you each got paid 15g for your flat-rate and for a successful show.

The Audio Recording.

I hate my voice and altered it slightly, but I still think the idea was worth it. Let me know if you want me to continue this for other performances.

Ah! Very cool. Just got a chance to listen.

It will soon be time to start book 1!

If there are any areas you want me to focus on, improve on, or otherwise change, do not hesitate to let me know! Want more time to RP? Want me to slow down posts? Speed up posts? Bot less stuff? Tell me so I can give you the game you will enjoy.

I do feel that just reading a block of text where I roll for your circus performances is a bit boring, but I also didn't want to force you to have to come to a crawl as we drag the circus out like a combat encounter. This is mostly why I decided to mix some audio in, but if you have any suggestions that you think we should try, let me hear them!

Sorry folk, I haven't abandoned you. I have had various attacks of life the last couple of days and found myself just too mentally and emotionally exhausted to deal when I reached my designated catch up time last night. I have to run around today before being chained to my desk for Gen Con but hopefully will be back and posting at a good rate very soon.

I don't notice anything that needs changing yet (it's still early in the game).

Yes, you normally start this AP being thrust into this scene with Myron dead and The Professor asking you to run the circus. Quite a lively entrance to an AP.

Indeed. XD

Regarding what to do, is there time to resolve the NPC performers' complications before the show starts? Or perhaps during an act (so one person could run an opening act while the rest resolve issues)? The performer in me recommends starting with something flashy and big for our opener - any thoughts on what might fit the bill?

There is time to fix the tricks now before the show goes on. You can either fix the issues or fill in the gaps with your own tricks. You'll also need to plan the schedule.

As you move to each trick you want to investigate, I'll let you know the issue and possibly how to resolve it.

Open:
Build up 1:
Build up 2:
Main Event:
Finale 1:
Finale 2:
Finale 3:

I am happy to develop a trick for Ash and Zec, I think 7 months in a supportive environment would have been enough time for them.

Would Myron have had a written plan in his trailer or somewhere?

How do we approach the issues? If Zec was going to investigate one, it would probably be Elizia and Mr Tickles, given the animal affinity, or perhaps Axel if that really does involve an aviary.

Myron did not have a written plan; it's up to you to determine the course of the show.

Approaching the issues: Just state which issue you are checking out in gameplay, and I'll post the box text for it. I'll start with Elizia to get us rolling.

Anyone noticed post times seem a bit off? For example it says my above post was made at 4:48 am, but I definitely was not up posting on my games at 4 am

The only listed way to work the Kanbali's is to persuade them to perform without nets using Diplomacy.

The only listed way to get Axel on stage is to use Diplomacy or Intimidate.

I'm always open to creative solutions, such as using Entangle to make temporary nets for the Kanbali family or something similar.

So, Naatalu's vague idea was to use tanglefoot, which would essentially ensure their safety via a mass of goo under the act. It seems practical with enough effort, but he certainly isn't really repairing the nets that wway.

Hey, appearing for a moment as Numbat's husband. She's dealing with her brother being sent to ICU, and is mostly AFK.

We're both sorry for the delay; she'll be back as life permits.

No problem to me. This game will be a marathon, not a sprint, and I'm enjoying running it regardless. As long as none of the players have an issue with pacing, then it's fine with me.

No worries about pace here. Sorry to about the brother. I hope all ends well. Take care.

Hey everyone. I'll be away in the wilderness this weekend, Starting Friday evening and through Sunday evening (Pacific time). Thursday night is likely the last time I can post beforehand, but I should be able to catch up Sunday night!

So I'm doing milestone leveling, but I wanted to keep track of XP as well to see how close the two were.

XP Award: If the heroes convince the Feather-Fall Five to perform, award them each 10 XP

XP Award: If the heroes get Mordaine to perform in an act other than the big number, award them each 10 XP This one doesn't even make sense to me; what if you wanted her as the big number?

XP Award: If the heroes succeed at the Medicine check to treat Mister Tickles, award them each 10 XP

XP Award: If the heroes convince Axel to perform, award them each 10 XP

Total XP: 0

Hey everyone, thanks for your understanding and patience. Things are finally starting to look up, though my family is still my primary focus and time sink. I should be back and posting in the next 48 hours.

Glad everything is looking up!

[dice=Zec Nature]1d20+6

Zec also tries to treat Mr. Tickles goblin pox, but the infection proves too strong for even the hobgoblin.

Prestige 1
Anticipation: 15
Open: Elizia, Nature +7-2, DC 15
Buildup 1: Rhoxl, Acrobatics +6 or Athletics +7?, DC 15
Buildup 1: Zec, Nature +6, DC 15
Main Event: Mordaine, Fort save +8 (injury) or Thievery +7, DC 15
Finale 1 Dwarven Throwers, Acrobatics +7 or Athletics +10, DC 15
Finale 2 Flamboni Sisters, Deception +7 or Fort save +7 (Injury), DC 15
Finale 3 Drake, Acrobatics +7, DC 15

Is there anything else to be helped before the show. What is the scale of the prestige and anticipation scores?

There is nothing to help with before the show, but there will be things to do during the show.

I'm not sure what you mean by scale, but Prestige just determines how much gold you get at the end. 15 anticipation means you need to generate 15 excitement to "succeed" and 30 excitement to "critically succeed." A trick generates Excitement equal to its level (1), so with 7 tricks, you'll need to get an average of about 2 successes each trick.

I don't think the critical success for tricks makes much sense. You generate 1 excitement just like a success, but you also increase Anticipation by half the tricks level, so 1. All that does is push the bar you need to succeed further away when a critical success should only be a benefit.

Change Critical Success to the following:
You generate Excitement equal to the trick's level; this Excitement is added to the circus's total Excitement for the show. You also generate additional Excitement and Anticipation equal to half the trick's level (rounded up); this Anticipation is added to the circus's total Anticipation for the show.

By "scale" I just meant "what's a good or bad number there."

I presume that by anticipation make success harder, it means the reward is higher (and so the goal is to keep building that up and get prestige?).

Check out the Payout & Prestige section of the Circus Rules.

Circus Rewards: Money that is for spending on upgrading the circus
If you have Excitement >= Anticipation then:
(Prestige + Final Anticipation) = Payout (in gp)

If you have Excitement == 2x Anticipation then:
(Prestige + Final Anticipation) x2 = Payout (in gp)

If you have Excitement < Anticipation then:
(Prestige + Final Excitement) × 1/4 = Payout (in gp)

Personal Rewards: [ooc]Your income for being in the circus
If you have Excitement >= Anticipation then:
Earn Income GP for highest Proficiency for Trick Roll x Circus Prestige = PC Wages

If you have Excitement < Anticipation then:
PCs only gain their regular Earn Income GP for their highest Proficiency of Trick Roll.

Prestige
The circus starts with a Prestige of 1, which the PCs increase by performing shows. After a failed show, the circus earns 1 Prestige. If the show was a success, then the circus earns 2 Prestige instead, or 4 Prestige if the show was a critical success. Some circus upgrades require the circus to have a minimum Prestige before they can be purchased.

Currently, as far as I'm aware, there is no way to improve the NPC's tricks. I'm looking into putting a gold cost on increasing an NPC's trick level so you could use the ones you already have at higher levels.

Ah, right! I'd forgotten about that supplement. Thank you!

Sorry, that took me longer to get back than I anticipated. I have tried to catch up with reading the posts.

Is it too late to offer the Kanbali family to stand by with Feather Fall if they are willing to perform?

The Kanbali family is not willing to perform without nets unless you manage to convince them to do so. Also, your lineup is already full without them, so you're not missing out on anything.

It says dealing with the vipers gives you XP as if you defeated them in combat. I believe that since they are level -1, they are two levels lower than you. There are three of them, and each is worth 20xp, so you'd gain 60xp for clearing this encounter.

Total XP: 60