Hello and welcome!
This tab is to be used for out-of-character discussions, feel free to post and discuss anything that might break the flow of the game over in the other tab. Essentially, if the post is not originating from your character or happening within the world your character occupies, feel free to put it here.
In regards to how this game works, there are a couple of links that I can offer, both and that were created by a couple well-reputed players on these boards.
Now, as far as I tend to run games, I will typically take passive rolls for things and try to include them in the narrative that would apply to your character, since they would have some insight into something like that, if minor. Likewise for any saves, as they are your reaction to something and not necessarily in your immediate control. Active rolls are those that you choose to do, and some rolls will be spoilered for you.
More to come, but for now: Welcome.
Test post
A list of Mentors, for those of you raised in the town:
The town of Kassen has never truly known the horrors of the war with Molthune, but occasional raiding parties from Belkzen do sometimes pose a threat. As such, the town has been watched over for many years by Wisslo, who serves as guard captain. Gregor is a staunch man who believes in schedules and regiment over ingenuity and spontaneity, much to the chagrin of the town’s residents. As an aging fighter, Gregor is a qualified teacher, but his lessons are rigid and his discipline harsh. The guards he has trained are quite skilled, but they secretly detest the old man, calling him names behind his back (Captain Is-Slow is the current favorite).
If you ask a dozen
folk in Kassen who the strangest family in town is, you would get the same answer 12 times: the Vargidans. This old family has a touch of magic in its blood, with each one of the children showing some sorcerous talent. Where this magic comes from is a mystery, and the family refuses to speak of such things in mixed company. Lording over the family is the wealthy and eccentric patriarch, Moltus Vargidan. This aging man has white hair that trails down to his knees, and he can often be found wandering the halls of the estate, muttering to himself. Living with him are almost a dozen children (each from a di!erent wife) and a pair of lifelong servants. Sorcerers who come from this house have been forced to learn things for themselves, because the old man shares few of his secrets, and many of the children are starting to believe that his grip on reality is slowly slipping.
Druids are not an uncommon sight in Nirmathas, but Olmira draws stares even in the streets of Kassen. This middle-aged woman only wears clothing made from natural materials (such as bark, leaves, and grass) and is always accompanied by a host of small woodland creatures. She talks to herself and her retinue constantly, having full conversations despite the fact that no one seems to answer her. Over the years, Olmira has had a number of apprentices who have gone on to become successful druids. Those who learn from her are sent on all manner of esoteric missions, such as listening to the wind for a week, planting new seeds throughout town, and mimicking local animals.
The small town of Kassen has only one temple and it is devoted primarily to Erastil, but Father Prasst allows those who worship other friendly gods to pray at the temple as well. While Father Prasst does not o!er services in the names of these deities, there are small shrines to other gods set up in some of the alcoves, including Gozreh, Gorum, Shelyn, and Torag. Father Prasst is a kind and understanding man, but he is hard when it comes to the defense of the community. He is quite young, only 24, and many in the community do not put too much faith in his council, except in spiritual matters. He was trained as a soldier in Tamran, but he left after his first battle to become a priest, and refuses to say why.
While most of the people in Kassen were born and raised within 10 miles of town, Ilimara was born in Qadira in a town with a name most of the humble folk of Kassen could not even pronounce. Not surprisingly, this beautiful and exotic woman keeps to herself. She has lived on the outskirts of town for almost 8 years now, claiming that she is trying to find peace in her heart. Ilimara has had a number of acolytes over the years, each hoping to learn the secrets of Irori that Ilimara claims to practice, but so far, all have abandoned her tutelage for a simpler road. Anyone who learns from her, however, quickly uncovers that there is a darkness hiding in Ilimara, and only those with an iron will can bear to be around it.
Nirmathas is known for its rangers, valiant woodsmen who have spent years carving out a nation and protecting it from foreign and domestic threats. Arnama is one such ranger. She is tough, quiet, and more than willing to risk her life to protect the people of Kassen and the country she has grown to love. Arnama was orphaned during the early wars with Molthune, growing up in a band of adopted parents. These rangers taught her everything she knows. When Arnama came of age, she left the band to find out where her parents came from. That trek led her to Kassen, where she has remained ever since, living in their old house just outside town. Arnama is a skilled ranger but not the best teacher. Those who have tried to learn from her find her impatient and without discipline. She does, however, excel at teaching by example, leading her charges on far-ranging patrols and hunts.
Braggar is one of the two blacksmiths that service Kassen. This dour dwarf runs a small business on the south side of town. Although he is outpaced by his competitor (Renet’s Steel, near the town square), Braggar’s goods are of higher quality. Braggar is a surly mentor, capable of incredible fits of anger if one of his pieces is not turning out as planned. As such, he o$en has to spend time repairing his workshop, which only further slows down his work. Braggar’s teaching style focuses on craft and artifice, but he can also teach pupils about controlling their anger and unleashing it when the time is right.
Those who frequent the Seven Silvers tavern know to count their coins before they leave the table, especially if they have been served by “Short Change,” the halfling waiter who has a propensity for giving less change than is due (although he insists the name is due to his short stature). Although Jimes is genuinely kind and helpful to all the locals, he just can’t help but end up with some of their possessions at the end of the night, be it a few coins or a loose dagger. Most of the townsfolk are quite aware of this and do not take too much o!ense if something goes missing. After all, they know where the missing goods went. Anyone who works with Jimes at the Seven Silvers is sure to get a host of tips and tricks from this good-natured thief, who thinks that a little petty the$ is all in good fun.
On the eastern edge of town is a single tower, leaning slightly to the south, made of bricks and timber. This is the home of Holgast, the town’s local sage and mystic. Although Holgast is very knowledgeable, he is old and quite forgetful, meaning that the townsfolk (the mayor in particular) only consult him if the need is truly great. Holgast spends most of his days wandering about his tower, reading books, smoking his pipe, and taking naps. Once a week, he wanders into town to purchase supplies and provisions with his seemingly inexhaustible reserve of perfect golden coins, which he claims came from an immense hoard some years ago. Holgast makes for a frustrating mentor. His lessons are erratic and old fashioned. His apprentices are required to do all manner of chores for the privilege of learning from him, while he sleeps the day away and teaches very little. Those who have learned anything from him have done so by sneaking into the wizard’s spellbooks while he is napping.
Jocyn is the only real entertainer in the town, having settled here 4 years ago after a fight with orcs up near the Belkzen border le$ him with a crippled leg. Despite his injury, Jocyn is a capable performer, working with a variety of instruments and performance styles. He lives in one of the rooms above the Seven Silvers Tavern, where he performs nightly. Jocyn is a perfect mentor for bard characters. His loose style and relatively carefree nature make him a rather lax teacher, however, and his occasional drunken ramblings hint of a terror in his past that he refuses to speak of any other time.
The people of Lastwall, the militaristic nation to the north, take it as their responsibility to keep the orcs of Belkzen in check. Unfortunately, their forces are spread thin, so they rely on a number of scouts close to the border of Belkzen to keep watch. Sir Dramott is one such scout. Although he has no authority here in town, he regularly reports to his commanders in Lastwall, informing them of any orc activity. Mayor Uptal is grateful for Sir Dramott’s assistance whenever trouble is brewing, but he is concerned about a military o%cer from a foreign land stationed in his town. The people of Kassen respect Sir Dramott, but they would rather he go home and leave them to their own devices. As a mentor, Sir Dramott is capable and wise, if a bit harsh. Unfortunately, all of his lessons deal with service to Lastwall, and his pupils are taught to think of such service as a high honor.
Testtttttttt
Is there a way to get automated emails whenever a post is made?
Here is my character. I'm sure I did a lot wrong and I still need weapons and equipment.
We probably should have picked premade characters as we don't know what we are doing. :)
N Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +0; Senses Perception +0
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DEFENSE
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AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10 (+0 armor, +0 dex, +0 shield)
hp d8
Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +0
------------------------------
OFFENSE
------------------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee
Ranged
------------------------------
STATISTICS
------------------------------
Str 11, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 9 (used the +2 here)
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 10
Traits
Low-Light Vision
Elf Blood
Immune to magic sleep effects
+2 Racial Saving Throw against enchantment spells and effects
Keen Senses: +2 racial bonus on Perception
Multitalented: Two favored classes at 1st level +1 hit point or skill pint upon new level in either of those classes.
Drawbacks
Feats
Skill focus bonus feat
Skills (0 points; 0 class, 0 INT)
Acrobatics (Dex)
Appraise (Int)
Bluff (Cha)
Climb (Str)
Craft (Int)
Diplomacy (Cha)
Disable Device (Dex)
Disguise (Cha)
Escape Artist (Dex)
Intimidate (Cha)
Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int)
Knowledge (local) (Int)
Linguistics (Int)
Perception (Wis)
Perform (Cha)
Profession (Wis)
Sense Motive (Wis),
Sleight of Hand (Dex)
Stealth (Dex)
Swim (Str)
Use Magic Device (Cha).
ACP -0
*ACP applies to these skills
Non-Standard Skill Bonuses
Languages Common, Elvish
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
Sneak attack +1d6
Trapfinding
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Spells
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0th (at will)
1st (0/day)
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GEAR/POSSESSIONS
Water Skin
Spare water skin with crushed glass and chalk in it.
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Carrying Capacity
Light 0-33 lb. Medium 34-67 lb. Heavy 68-100 lb.
Current Load Carried 0 lb.
Money 1 lucky GP 0 SP 0 CP
Dalamagne prefers his nickname "Dal".
Dal lives in a tree hut on the outskirts of town with his mother and works at the local Inn doing odd jobs while he awaits his first adventure. He likes to talk to everyone that stays at the Inn and hear where they have been and what the outside world is like.
Jimes Iggins the hafling waiter at the Seven Silvers tavern taught Dal to pick locks and search for traps. He is somewhat of a mentor.
Dal's father Stanislav was part of a search party looking for a lost group of youths that went after the Everflame a couple of years ago and he never returned. He died a hero in the eyes of the townspeople. Stan used to always give Dal advice about adventuring and he can still remember many of the tips as sound bites in his head.
Dal still carries a lucky gold piece his old man gave him and would like to find his dads remains to give his mom and the townspeople some closure.
He is not fond of pets but always wanted a parakeet he could send for help if he was in a pinch.
Sometimes he can sense trouble and tries to avoid confrontation.
I believe there are subscription icons at the top of the page that are remarkably small... Otherwise, you may have to check in when you have time. For my part, I'll aim to make my posts in the morning and afternoon, which should give enough time between for all of you to post when you can.
Not a problem with the character sheet difficulties, I will add in advice and directions as I see that it can be given. It's good that everyone is new(-ish), that means there are no terrible habits to unlearn. The two sheets I linked were formatted to cover all the bases, which means some of the sections are irrelevant and can be deleted. I will address the others as we go.
This Link can serve as a good guide, though a lot of this can also be corrected in play as well.
You can replace
"Male Human Commoner (Archetype) 1
N Medium Humanoid (Human)"
with
"(Gender)(Race)(Class)(Level)
(Alignment)(Size)(Type)"
The additional parentheses in the initial block are extra qualifiers for your Class or Type, and are irrelevant for our purposes.
Your Initiative uses your Dexterity Modifier, whereas Perception is the total of your skill.
Your skills have the relevant stat in parenthesis, and you get a number of ranks to spend on any skills you like. Ones listed by your class are specific to your class and represent being trained in them, so when you put a point into them, you will get an additional bonus of +3 to represent your specific training per the class you've chosen.
Here are all the adventurers and our walking order.
Dalamagne (Dal) - Half Elf Rogue (Dale)
Eve - Half Elf Ranger (Evelyn)
Yako Downs - Half Orc Fighter (William)
Kora Caril - Elf Cleric (Carolyn)
Galadria - Human Wizard (Geri)
I am working with them today to finalize our characters based off of the links you sent and a video I found.
But if you want to make the initial starting post we can all respond.
We bought hero lab and carolyn is creating the characters. Hopefully there is a way to export it to play by post but maybe we have to manually type it in play by post.
Also how do we add ourselves to the players tab?
The first post is up in the gameplay tab, go ahead and make your introductory posts.
Additionally, if you just want to post your stats, the rest can be derived.
When did you say be there noon?
Final 2 characters are being created and they are making their first posts tonight. Character creation was definitely much harder than we thought it would be.
Excellent introductory posts. The first post of the start of the arc will be coming this afternoon.
Any questions regarding class features or options? Is everyone comfortable with their character? Any uncertainties?
· Do you have a chosen arcane school? It is not mandatory.
· What do you have for your bonded object?
· Don't forget, you have a spellbook.
"A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice. The wizard also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook. At each new wizard level, he gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new wizard level) for his spellbook. At any time, a wizard can also add spells found in other wizards' spellbooks to his own (see Magic)."
We probably have too many questions to post here and may have to post them as we get into certain situations.
The non basic rules are actually very complex. The little pathfinder we played in the past was the basic version and the basic adventures which is much easier than I thought in comparison to the regular rules.
Do you know of a way to get an automated email or text notification whenever there is a new post?
(edit) I see in a previous post you said there are subscription icons. I will check those out.
More character notes:
The "Trait" and "Drawback" sections can be erased.
In the event that you are using Herolab, Go ahead and generate your Attributes with 25 points, and after you've added your racial modifiers, go ahead and divvy up another 3 points into them, however you see fit.
• You have (8) ranks to spend on skills as you like, so your skills list is shorter than it should be. No skill can have more than your Class Level(1) in ranks, but skills that are Class skills for you get a +3 modifier. This modifier represents your training in those skills.
• You do not have your favored class listed. In the even you were intending for Magus, you can go ahead and use the class details listed here.
• I presume your spells listed currently are the ones chosen for the day?
• I do not see your skills listed. You have (4) ranks to spend on skills as you wish. No skill can have more than your Class Level(1) in ranks, but skills that are Class skills for you get a +3 modifier. This modifier represents your training in those skills.
• I do not see your skills listed. You have (6) ranks to spend on skills as you wish. No skill can have more than your Class Level(1) in ranks, but skills that are Class skills for you get a +3 modifier. This modifier represents your training in those skills.
• I see your sheet, and I do not recognize "Wild Enemy +3" under "Special Abilities"
Herolab might be able to output a concise statblock. If you are able, Copy/Paste that into the Profile, pretty please.
We ended up using herolab but rolled oldschool 4d6 taking the best 3 and placing them in the attributes where we wanted them.
Hello! I am in the Abjuration School and did not select a bonded object. Instead I chose a bonded familiar. Thank you for the reminder about the spells. I have reviewed the level 0 and 1 spells.
Favored class is Rogue.
I'm not even sure what a "rank" is. Don't recall seeing that term anywhere but maybe I covid fog... lol
That may be me using an outdated term for "points", my apologies.
You can do dice rolls and initiative and things like that to facilitate the moving along of the adventure. We don't mind.
I can, but they would be passive checks. If you want your character to do something intentionally, you would have to roll. That's why Dalamagne's attempt to cheer the the townsfolk didn't land.
I will ask everyone to double-check and list their skills and feats, though. I can infer, but I don't want to inadvertently short someone of a bonus.
We don't know exactly how to do combat rolls so I just put a bunch of flanking and sneak attack stuff in my post if eligible.
I think flanking gives a +1 for my rogue and then sneak attack is an additional 1d6 of damage if I hit if allowed.
You should be able to move your icon on the map. If you cannot, please let me know.
The key to remember for Sneak Attack is "...whenever (Target) is denied their Dex bonus to AC.". Flanking is one situation, and gears a +2, unless situations are modifying it.
Coding for rolls is
"[D!ce] d#+(mod)[/d!ce]", sub "I" for"!"
I don't think any of us updated (or know how to update) our armor class after we picked our armor/shields.
A short explanation can be found here: Armor Class
In addition, the Core Barbarian's first special ability of Fast Movement only applies "...only when she is wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor, and not carrying a heavy load." Something will have to get sorted, or they'll end up being hampered in the long(er) run.
Finally, please copy and paste your stats into your character's profile so it can be accessed easily, if you would?
Greataxe, Scale Mail, Javelins(5), and a couple of handaxes can work for equipment if you're not particular.
Are you able to output statblocks in Herolab? (Some of) your sheets are missing feats and/or skill totals.
Otherwise I'm free for any questions, and I'll try to remember to include short snippets of rules and possibilities.
We can change Yako to scale mail, great axe, javelins, and hand axes.
We put the numbers from hero lab into each character. I'm not sure why you can't see Yako's? We can see it. Looks like something is wrong with his alias maybe?
I think we fixed everyones armor class.
Yako's numbers are good, but they are on they player's profile, not the character. Just a Cut and Paste should solve that. Am I correct in seeing Yako's Class as "Fighter"? Their post (and roll numbers) imply that they are a Barbarian. Which am I misreading?
Regarding Feats, everybody gets one feat at start.
We will take a look at the feats.
Yako I thought was a fighter and the pluses on his attack will have to be explained by Carolyn who helped him create the attack rolls but I don't think Rage was one of them.
Note: I added Feat: Improved Two-Weapon Fighting* Dex 17, Two-Weapon Fighting, base attack bonus +6 Gain additional off-hand attack
When doing Yako's attack roll I did 1d20 + melee attack bonus + strength mod
On hero lab his melee attack bonus was +5 and his strength mod was +4
For the damage it was 1d8 + strength mod
I may have done that wrong, also forgot rage was a thing.
Note: I added Feat: Improved Two-Weapon Fighting* Dex 17, Two-Weapon Fighting, base attack bonus +6 Gain additional off-hand attack.
I see. Improved Two-Weapon Fighting has several prerequisites. While Dalamagne's Dexterity is definitely high enough, Two-Weapon Fighting, is one prerequisite— which you have a feat to use on that, but the Base Attack Bonus of +6 is something that you do not yet have as a Level 1 Core Rogue..
On hero lab his melee attack bonus was +5 and his strength mod was +4.
You did add it correctly in this case. It's just a situation where the numbers are remarkably similar, as well as Yako's wording being misinterpreted by me. His melee attack bonus total already includes his strength modifier, so it would be:
The damage is correct for the weapon. The Strength modifier was just added twice to his attack roll.
As a fighter he has two feats to choose. One for a starting character, and then one more for the Special Feature of a level one Fighter.
I sent a link to the character info that I am working on. So its all in one place for you and us to refer to and fix any issues. It is a work in progress.
Also we are ready to move on from the illusioned orc attack.
I have gone through and done some sorting and organizing, as I did not understand where some things originate from and had to track them down. Some cells are now hotlinked to their relevant pages for clarity.
I did notice that traits and some feats(?) were mixed in. Traits now have their own row, and the trait box is hotlinked to them.
- Three skill points yet to be unassigned.
- Crossbow training is not available to half-elves as a racial trait.
- Wild Enemy is an unknown thing. Did you mean "Wild Empathy"?
- Two traits to choose if you so desire.
- Arcane Bond: What was your bonded object or creature? I apologize if I missed this earlier.
- Spell Focus is a feat. Improved Initiative is a feat. At this level, you only have one feat to spend. Which did you want?
- Another Trait is still available for selection.
The group agreed that I would put their survival rolls in my post which I did to move the plot along. Thanks.
Character Spreadsheet update:
Dal added 3 Skills - Acrobatics, Stealth, Sense Motive
Kora picked Selective Channeling as a Feat
I added the hero lab skills to Eve and Galadine or are you saying they can only pick 6 and 7 skills respectively out of the list?
Yako still needs to pick his second feat.
Galadine needs to pick a familiar.
All skills can be used with the exception of those listed as "Trained Only". That is called Using a Skill Untrained.
However, without any of the points put into the skills— which represents them training some skills more than others– gained at each level, the numbers will always default to the attribute modifier, and skill checks will become hard to succeed at.
Furthermore, applying points to skills that are listed as class skills grants an additional +3 for them being trained.
So in this case, if they have not picked their 6 and 7 skills, they are only using the bonus(if any) from their attributes, and not their training. Link Here
I have trimmed the skills down to the ones that had points applied to them, please check to ensure that I have done so correctly?
That's a possibility. What factors are going into the total?
That's a possibility. What factors are going into the total?
Not sure, that is what hero lab came up with.
That is a curious return... Do you have any conditional modifiers toggled on, perhaps? I haven't looked at 2e, so I don't know if there's crossover... Is there hover text for the entry?
That number would make sense of you had the Weapon Finesse feat and a masterwork rapier, but with a standard weapon and no feat(without flanking) it should be lower.
That is a valid question and I can see how that may be confusing. The number of skeletons have not increased, they are just able to dedicate their entire action to attacking. Their bonuses are not huge, but that do not have to spend their move action to move lets them fully attack.{Details here}
Additionally, a little bit of context. I've taken to shortening the rolls, as typing the roll command for every roll at length is unnecessarily time-consuming. The bonuses (or penalties) for the creatures will be put under the post line.
There have also been several things that have been missed out on because it seems like everyone is going from one plotted point to the next, which is fine if that is how you , but passive checks are just that— passive. You will have to actively declare that there is something that you want to do, or roll the relevant skill and I can provide more information or context. The key thing to remember is that actively using a skill, or anything that requires an active d20 roll takes a standard action, as effort is being devoted to the skill/task/attack, as opposed to noting details in passing and such.
Now, with the fight out of the way, I wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts, comments, or questions about things, now that we're about to get into the focus of the adventure?
Would anyone like to change anything? Skills, Stat points, Classes?
Is there anything that remains unclear that you would like to know?
Is there anything that I can do to make your experience run smoother?
Can any of the pictures from the adventure be posted somewhere to add to help visualize?
Also open to any suggestions or hints about characters abilities that we aren't using and should. As you can tell we are complete novices. :)
Or maybe tell us when we should have used an ability or something so the next encounter we think to use it.
Also elude maybe to the time of day so we know if we need to bed down for the night.
I'll make a note to pull some of the pictures from the module and add them where I can.
In regards to the recent fight, knowledge about the undead is covered by Knowledge(Religion). That is why I could not clue Kora in to their weaknesses, save the Knowledge(History) check part of the way in, when it might have occurred to her from a story that was told by their mentor.
Galadine's aura saved people from at least four hits that I can think of, excellent work. As an Abjurer Wizard, you have the right outlook. Prevent as much damage as you can, and in this case, you prevented approximately 4d6 and 2d4 worth of damage. The average amount of damage would down anyone besides Yako.
Eve, you did what you could during the fight, which was to keep swinging, and preventing your target from focusing on someone else. You had the right idea with a ranged attack, but without the Precise Shot feat, you're restricted from your higher attack bonus.
Yako, you're playing to your strength. Hit hard, and keep hitting them. The dice were just not in your favor. A solid hit would have crushed any of the skeletons.
Dal, your strength comes from flanking and getting off your Sneak Attacks. Flanking would get you another +2 to hit, and +1d6 to Damage, and otherwise, you're damaging, but not enough— against undead. It was a good call to not utilize Two-Weapon Fighting, as the dagger could only plausibly do enough damage on a critical hit to damage the skeletons.
Everyone, a bit of maneuvering could have created some positioning opportunities, but in the end, you survived.
My spell book is now available. There is a link to a Google doc at the bottom of my character profile in our Google Sheets.
Detect Magic is a spell that Galadine does not have prepared at present. While it is possible for someone highly skilled in a craft to determine whether or not an item is magical, that is not something that can be done on the fly with the current available skillsets.
That does raise the question:
Galadine, how does the character perceive magic? In this case, the magic schools as types, what sense(s) do they give off? Sight? Sound? Scent? Tactile?
Everyone seems to be settling into their characters quite well, as the limitations that you seem to be encountering are more lack of familiarity and function, rather than procedure. So, for those that want to simply peruse some of the other options that grasping the system provides, I present to you:
Path of War — "Magic is universally inherent in everything and everyone. It is all in how you access and channel it."
and
Spheres of Power/Might — "Flexibility for the flexible"
But those are somewhat out there. In the meantime, let me offer my perspective on how I am seeing everyone present their characters and possible directions to consider as you develop.
Sorry, I thought I had the circles lower than the icons in the layers. The circles represent the torchlight, but since everyone has some type of vision, it is effectively 60' unless blocked.
The Fast Track is being used for character advancement, so all of you are 200 xp off of your next level. Solving this room or the other room ought to put you over the mark.