GM Qronos's Strength of Thousands Campaign

Game Master Qronos

Discuss!

I’m too excited for this game. I was working on my opening post for a while before the thread opened, so it was easy to chuck a big, long, expository post on the page when the green flag dropped.

That’s a good tip though for PbP stuff. You can always be working on posts that paint cinematic pictures in a text file (complete with BBCode denotations if you’d like). Then, when the opportunity occurs, you can drag it onto the PbP window (copy and paste) and voila!

Loved all your intros, guys. @Laesah, have you not quite decided on human yet? Or does the question mark mean something in Paizo-forum-speak?

Can't wait for Maddox to make Much puns and not realize it. And I can already see Maddox and Haunt spending a lot of time talking about interesting leaves. Excited to kick this off!

A girl must keep her secrets, right, @M+0X?

I’m just glad we have at least one completely standard human member of the party to explain human behavior to the rest of us. I'm sure Haunt will have lots of questions for you, Laesah.

Can't wait for Maddox to make Much puns and not realize it. And I can already see Maddox and Haunt spending a lot of time talking about interesting leaves. Excited to kick this off!

Maddox, I'm not saying Haunt is built to be the kid with ADHD who hangs around with the smartest student in school, getting the smart kid in trouble for talking in class by constantly bantering with them about their wildest ideas (while never doing much of the class reading himself), but I'm not saying he's not built to be that guy, either.

A girl must keep her secrets, right, @M+0X?

Haha! Fair enough.

I'm so excited that I'm already 500 words into another story that I'm not sure I'll ever use. Also I started making my backup character, for when Jay kills Much. I had to stop when I realized that you can't use the thief dex to damage if you are a shisk using your arm quills. Lame! I thought a roguish porcuperson would be fun, but Paizo says no. That is MY first world problem for today.

I'm so excited that I'm already 500 words into another story that I'm not sure I'll ever use. Also I started making my backup character, for when Jay kills Much. I had to stop when I realized that you can't use the thief dex to damage if you are a shisk using your arm quills. Lame! I thought a roguish porcuperson would be fun, but Paizo says no. That is MY first world problem for today.

What? Why not?!? I call BS.

Edit to add: Is it because it’s a finesse unarmed attack, not a finesse melee weapon? That’s incredibly frustrating.

I'm so excited that I'm already 500 words into another story that I'm not sure I'll ever use. Also I started making my backup character, for when Jay kills Much. I had to stop when I realized that you can't use the thief dex to damage if you are a shisk using your arm quills. Lame! I thought a roguish porcuperson would be fun, but Paizo says no. That is MY first world problem for today.

I feel like if you ask really nice, Jay would be okay with a porcuperson. They could have some really interesting and fun special skills! They could shoot their needles up to 30 ft. for 1d6 (p) damage, but the catch is there's a limited number total and they don't grow back. By the time you hit level 10 they're a bald porpuperson, or in other words...a human.

I think this idea has legs. Or rather...quills (heyo).

I would 100% support a porcuperson, and I think the rules to do in this case. It's at least murky enough that I'd go for it.

I think Shisk are more hedgehog inspired though, so you've got to eat carrots all adorably like this guy.

What? Why not?!? I call BS.

Edit to add: Is it because it’s a finesse unarmed attack, not a finesse melee weapon? That’s incredibly frustrating.

Yes, that's my understanding exactly. For the same reason you couldn't do a goblin rogue that bit people as a sneak attack with their line of ancestral bite feats. That is the true crime against fun in my book. That gobbo needs to exist.

They could shoot their needles up to 30 ft. for 1d6 (p) damage, but the catch is there's a limited number total and they don't grow back.

Yes, I love that! Thankfully it's just limited to once a day.

Tangentially, I love ancestry feats. Do y'all remember from some earlier version of 3x there were racial paragons? I think you'd skip a class level to just become more of a centaur or whatever. Granted, the name is cringe-worthy now, but I still love the idea. And conversely, I think now that there are no completely evil ancestories, it's more palatable now than it was then. Anywa, it speaks right to my geek and I love it very much.

Kurshkin is restrained.

I very much need a post here for reference so I can make an informed decision, so I've chosen to make my own. Add on if you'd like.

SCHOOLS? DOMAINS? STREAMS? HOUSES? CLANS? MAJORS? BRANCHES?

Cascade Bearers - Dreamers. Poorly-rooted in reality. Likely high. Represented by: Chizire, Mariama

Emerald Boughs - People-pleasers. Social media influencers. Vainglorious. Represented by: Ignaci, Tzeniwe

Rain-Scribes - Adaptable. Apologetic. Hampered by shame and guilt. Represented by: Haibram, Anchor Root

Tempest-Sun Mages - War-mongers. Jocks. Budding alcoholics. Represented by: Esi

Uzunjati - Story-tellers. Cultural pariahs. Seething with rage beneath the surface. Represented by: Okoro, Noxolo

Useful links

Druids
Druid Archetype
Druidic Orders

Wizards
Wizard Archetype
Wizard Schools

All Students
The Five Branches of Scholarship and the details you'll need

Oh! That's right. I had forgotten that we MUST take either the Druid or the Wizard archetype at 2nd level. Thanks for the clarification, Much.

Haunt is smarter than he is wise, so he's going Wizard MC. He switches from playing the fool to roaring at enemies in combat, so Tempest Sun-Mages is the primary branch for him. Still deciding between Rain-Scribes and Uzunjati for secondary.

Laesah is going Druid. She’s also going to major in the Rain-Scribes (and minor in the Cascade Bearers).

Much is going Abjuration Wizard. Then Emerald Boughs major, Tempest-Sun Mages minor.

Busy day today and I’m wiped out. Back online tomorrow.

Haunt's purchases at the Powderpile:

- Scroll of longstrider, level 1, 4gp
- Scroll of heal (x2), level 1, 4gp (8gp total)
- 10 arrows, 1sp

I'm just going to assume that every time Haunt goes to the Powderpile, if he used any arrows in combat at all since the last time, he buys another 10 just to keep in stock. Basically adding 1sp to all his shopping trips so I don't have to keep track as long as we're on campus.

Rough couple of days at work, should be back online tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

Looking to be posting in a few hours and more regularly in the next week.

Conference time!

Current quest objectives inside the library tree...

Takulu Ot seeks the following five works:

• Studies on the Habits and Migration Patterns of Birds and Drakes of the Continent of Garund, recorded in a leather-bound book.

• An Expanded History of the Lesser-Known Peoples of the Mwangi Expanse, recorded on vellum and bound by leather cords.

• The Worlds Between Worlds: Exploring the Planes and Demi-Planes, Volume 4, recorded in an extraordinarily large leather-bound book.

• Treatise on the Various Communicative Methods of Non-Vocally-Projecting Entities, recorded on a scroll that whispers eerily when unrolled.

• Collected Field Notes of the Druid Mata Digemari, a small chest with cramped writing covering its wooden surfaces.

Thanks GM, copied this over to the handout as well.

Given that the team has recently found their very own treehouse clubhouse (that used to be a library), I think that Laesah is going to snuggle into some books and use the lost literature to cram for her upcoming exams in.....the Rain-Scribes! Yes, she's cross-training in order to advance her primary school.

I believe that I've landed on what Laesah's mask is going to be, but I'll need some Crafting (and maybe Haibram's help) to make it.

Lastly, are we reaching level 3 as well as advancing in our schooling?

Edit: Hunh, I think I screwed things up somewhere along the way. Laesah passed her recent exams in her SECONDARY school, the Cascade-Bearers. I had the wrong Lore this entire level. Oh well. She's testing in her primary school this time around, and yes, cramming to make up for it.

Level 3 will hit after the masking ceremony, not after the test. This round of tests is basically an opportunity to get square with where you could/should be as a Level 2 student. if you are all caught up, feel free to take the downtime month and do whatever you'd like with it.

Also, you guys will get all the crafting help you need at the ceremony. You can RP that help as coming from wherever, but don't worry about the dice getting in the way of what you want, visually.

That was perfection in a story-line post, GM. I shan't sully it with further posts. Feel free to continue.

I'll proofread it and update my statblock and taglines later, but I think this is everything for leveling Haunt up to 3:

Thaumaturge 3
Lightning Reflexes - Reflex save increases to Expert
General Feat: Unmistakable Lore
Skills increased to Expert: Academia Lore, Esoteric Lore, Intimidate, Warfare Lore
Received 4gp stipend for the past month (forgot to add that to the sheet earlier)

Tempest-Sun Mages 3
Dedicated Attendant: Magaambyan Attendant Dedication
Spell tradition: Arcane
Skill: Arcana increased to Expert
Cantrip: Warp Step (because I never remember to prepare it in advance of when I want it)

I've updated Much on Pathbuilder and here on the site. Link to the full sheet at the bottom of my statblock.
Fighter 3
Bravery: Will to expert
General Feat: Ancestral Paragon: Hyena familiar
Skill increase to Athletics.
Retrain glaring Intimidiation to Titan Wrestler.
I trip huge or smaller creatures at +12 now, so let's find some Ents!

I have posted Haunt's updated statblock and taglines. I'm holding off on purchases for the moment. It's wildly out of character, but Haunt is saving his money for a +1 weapon potency rune for his rapier. If we do have another month of downtime after this ceremony, with another 4gp stipend and a chance to earn some income, Haunt should be able to scrape together enough to afford it (35gp for the rune, plus 3.5gp to transfer it to the weapon unless the Powder Pile sells them on runestones).

I could DEFINITELY be wrong, but I think there is no extra cost to set the rune. This can all be done at the Powderpile.

Thanks - looking at the CRB, I think you're right. If Xhokan is etching the rune directly onto Haunt's rapier, it makes sense that the cost of the rune would be the total cost. If he has the rune pre-etched onto a runestone, transferring it to a weapon is free as well. I'm only in one other PF2 campaign, and I'm playing a gnome bard in that one; his weapons aren't important enough to his tactics to justify paying full price for fresh runes, he just occasionally pays the cost to transfer runes from enchanted weapons taken from defeated enemies or treasure hoards.

Still doing PaizoCon Online; just wanted to give people to move on the game in my brief absentia.

Haunt’s purchases:

Scrolls of heal (rank 1) x3, 12gp
Scroll of magic missile (rank 1), 4gp
Feather token (ladder), 3gp
Eagle-eye elixir (lesser), 4gp

I am so sorry that I've been so absent for - like, the past month. I'll be playing some catch-up here.

I’m flying out to east tonight to help my father move to Chicago this weekend. The movers will arrive and get his stuff into new apartment on Wednesday, so he’s staying with us until then. I’m likely to be slow to post until late next week as a result. I’ll do my best but please bot me if I’m holding things up.

Haunt level 4:
Additional HP: 8+1 (total: 44)
Class feat: Breached Defenses
Magic for Everyone/Free Archetype Feat: Basic Wizard Spellcasting
Free Spells Added to Spellbook: Longstrider, True Strike
Skill Feat: Terrifying Resistance
Increase Tempest-Sun Mages level to 4
Bonus skill feat (T-SM): Group Coercion
Loot: +11.62gp; healing potion, lesser
Purchases: scroll of magic missile (rank 1), scroll of fleet step (rank 1)

I think that’s everything!

Laesah has taken at level 4.....

Wholeness of Body (increased focus point AND the wholeness of body spell)
Rising Surf (Druid Order spell)
Folk Dowsing (Skill Feat 'cuz you know....water)
Battle Medicine (bonus Order skill feat)

I need to figure out my purchases....

Well, whaddaya know? You can wear both a mask (Mask of Mercy) and a crown (Crown of Companion) at the same time.

Gosh, that's gonna look a bit overly-adorned. Perhaps Laesah is just holding the crown (and not wearing the mask) as we look for the anadi.

I don’t think it’ll do any good until Laesah invests it the next morning anyway, right?

Of course you’re right, Haunt. I had forgotten that requirement.

I don’t think it’ll do any good until Laesah invests it the next morning anyway, right?

Late to the party, but unless Laesah has ten items invested already, I don't think that is true. She can just invest right now with a single action.

You invest your energy in an item with the invested trait as you don it. This process requires 1 or more Interact actions, usually taking the same amount of time it takes to don the item. Once you’ve Invested the Item, you benefit from its constant magical abilities as long as you meet its other requirements (for most invested items, the only other requirement is that you must be wearing the item). This investiture lasts until you remove the item.

You can invest no more than 10 items per day. If you remove an invested item, it loses its investiture. The item still counts against your daily limit after it loses its investiture. You reset the limit during your daily preparations, at which point you Invest your Items anew. If you’re still wearing items you had invested the previous day, you can typically keep them invested on the new day, but they still count against your limit.

Haunt wrote:

I don’t think it’ll do any good until Laesah invests it the next morning anyway, right?

Late to the party, but unless Laesah has ten items invested already, I don't think that is true. She can just invest right now with a single action.

You invest your energy in an item with the invested trait as you don it. This process requires 1 or more Interact actions, usually taking the same amount of time it takes to don the item. Once you’ve Invested the Item, you benefit from its constant magical abilities as long as you meet its other requirements (for most invested items, the only other requirement is that you must be wearing the item). This investiture lasts until you remove the item.

You can invest no more than 10 items per day. If you remove an invested item, it loses its investiture. The item still counts against your daily limit after it loses its investiture. You reset the limit during your daily preparations, at which point you Invest your Items anew. If you’re still wearing items you had invested the previous day, you can typically keep them invested on the new day, but they still count against your limit.

Huh, you may be right. I’m away from my books at the moment, but it’s possible that I’m remembering language from the playtest rules. Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened (looking at you, rules on how to use charges from a staff). I’ll see if I can figure out what I was thinking of this evening.

I really like how our characters act a bit impulsively, like teenagers in a magic school would.

”Strange new magic item? Lemme at it!”

A little extra ka-ching for our kitty. Who gets a striking rune?

YOU GET A STRIKING RUNE. YOU GET A STRIKING RUNE. YOU GET A STRIKING RUNE.

Certainly plenty of cash available just from selling the golem wood (30gp) and reagents (150gp). If you’re serious about letting Haunt buy his striking rune off the top, that leaves us with 115 to split. Laesah and Much can take 40 each and Haunt will take 35.

In addition to the striking rune, while they’re at the PowderPile, Haunt buys:

- 2 scrolls of heal (2nd rank)
- 2 scrolls of heal (1st rank)
- Potency crystal (affixed to his bow)

Hey y'all - I'm going to be the lead for a large work conference beginning tomorrow. I will be tied up for the remainder of this week. My ability to reply to games that I'm in will be considerably limited. It's not that I'll go dark - but I might.

Anyhow, FYI. I should be back in 6 days. Thanks!

Thanks for letting us know, and have fun! (hopefully it's fun)