Masks of the Living God: Price of Immortality

Game Master polyfrequencies

Garen made out like a bandit coming out of the tomb. So, I will purchase a wand of cure light wounds for the group (750) and a cloak of resistance +1 (1000) for myself. That will leave me with about 738. If someone needs to buy something, please let me know, I will chip in or give you the cash outright.

Sometimes Random Magic Item Generation is fun in a settlement, so let's see what we have in Tamran this week.

Minor Magic Items: 4d4 ⇒ (2, 2, 1, 3) = 8
Minor Item Categories: 8d100 ⇒ (7, 16, 38, 25, 18, 37, 65, 16) = 222 1 Weapon, 6 Potions, 1 Scroll
Medium Magic Items: 3d4 ⇒ (4, 4, 2) = 10
Medium Item Categories: 10d100 ⇒ (45, 100, 18, 20, 8, 68, 80, 23, 44, 66) = 472 1 Armor/Shield, 2 Weapons, 1 Potion, 2 Rods, 2 Staves, 1 Wand, 1 Wondrous Item
Major Magic Items: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Major Item Categories: 4d100 ⇒ (97, 35, 51, 27) = 210 2 Rings, 1 Scroll, 1 Wondrous Item

Minor Weapon: 1d100 ⇒ 55 +1 Light Flail
Spell Level, Spell
Minor Potion 1: 2d100 ⇒ (98, 83) = 181 Rope Trick, CL 3
Minor Potion 2: 2d100 ⇒ (75, 7) = 82 Barkskin, CL 3
Minor Potion 3: 2d100 ⇒ (8, 81) = 89 Stabilize, CL 1
Minor Potion 4: 2d100 ⇒ (84, 28) = 112 Cure Moderate Wounds, CL 3
Minor Potion 5: 2d100 ⇒ (14, 68) = 82 Resistance, CL 1
Minor Potion 6: 2d100 ⇒ (61, 96) = 157 Warp Wood, CL 3
Arcane or Divine, Number of Spells on Scroll, Scroll Level, Spell
Minor Scroll: 4d100 ⇒ (49, 36, 58, 36) = 179 Arcane, One Spell, Lv2: Glitterdust

Medium Armor/Shield: 1d100 ⇒ 18 +1 Chain Shirt
Medium Weapon 1: 1d100 ⇒ 22 +1 Halfling Sling Staff
Medium Weapon 2: 1d100 ⇒ 85 Special Ability, roll again
Medium Weapon 2, reroll: 1d100 ⇒ 90 2 Special Abilities, roll again
Medium Weapon 2, re-reroll: 1d100 ⇒ 13 2 Special Abilities, roll again
It's a +2...
Special Ability 1: 1d100 ⇒ 16 Flaming
Special Ability 2: 1d100 ⇒ 87 Holy
Longsword. A +2 Holy Flaming Longsword. Or other weapon of choice.

Medium Potion: 2d100 ⇒ (32, 4) = 36 Potion of Align Weapon, CL 3
Medium Rod 1: 1d100 ⇒ 51 Rod of Splendor
Medium Rod 2: 1d100 ⇒ 33 Rod of Metamagic, Enlarge, Greater
Medium Staff 1: 1d100 ⇒ 26 Staff of Fire
Medium Staff 2: 1d100 ⇒ 40 Staff of Swarming Insects
Level, Spell
Medium Wand: 2d100 ⇒ (99, 79) = 178 Wand of Speak with Dead, CL 5
Medium Wondrous Items: 1d100 ⇒ 97 Bag of Holding Type III

Major Ring 1: 1d100 ⇒ 16 Ring of Wizardry I
Major Ring 2: 1d100 ⇒ 35 Ring of Fire Resistance, Major
Arcane or Divine, Number of Spells on Scroll, Scroll Level, Spell
Major Scroll: 4d100 ⇒ (18, 56, 23, 24) = 121 Arcane, One Spell, Lv5: Dominate Person
Major Wondrous Items: 1d100 ⇒ 6 Lantern of Revealing

Going down the list, I'll roll what magic items are and are not available. On a d100, high is good, so 26-100 means that the item is available for purchase. If something is not available this week, we can check again next week.

Garen and Silvio: roll d100s to determine whether each of your items are available, going in order. On a d100, high is good, so 26-100 means that the item is available for purchase. If something is not available this week, we can check again next week.

---

I'm working on a post for Garen to meet the blacksmith and for Charles and Sledge to hear the Razmiran sermon. I should be able to finish it later this evening, but it should be up tomorrow at the latest. Once I know where Silvio is going, I'll slot him into the appropriate scene.

wand: 1d100 ⇒ 85

cloak of resistance: 1d100 ⇒ 65

Sorry for the delay on posting lately.

1d100 ⇒ 49 Cloak of Resistance +1 (1000)
1d100 ⇒ 20 Alchemist's Fire x3 (60)
1d100 ⇒ 76 Acid x2 (20)
1d100 ⇒ 60 Tanglefoot Bag (50)
1d100 ⇒ 64 Scroll of Comprehend Languages (25)
1d100 ⇒ 37 Scroll of Magic Weapon (25)
1d100 ⇒ 5 Scroll of Obscuring Mist (25)
1d100 ⇒ 23 Scroll of Remove Fear (25)
1d100 ⇒ 69 Scroll of Protection from Evil (25)
1d100 ⇒ 84 Scroll of Unbreakable Heart (25)

Okay, so Garen finds both of his items.

Silvio, you don't need to roll for mundane items like the alchemist's fire, the acid, or the tanglefoot bags. So the only things that you can't find this week are the scrolls of obscuring mist and remove fear.

And it sounds like Silvio is hanging outside and Garen is the only one going in to meet with the blacksmith. I'll finish up my description of the scenes ASAP.

Then, if you want to have shopping scenes (up to you), we can do those or skip on to your next chunk of time before the meeting with Aromina.

Sorry y'all, I have been struggling to do the herald's speech justice. My personal standards may be a bit too high for this one. I'll give it one more shot before I engage in the ancient art of handwavium and just progress us forward with something substandard.

You definitely do great work! Don't beat yourself up if you want to make it simple.

Happy either way! Simple or long and elaborate, I'll be here to listen to what you say :)

For inspiration! Feel free to discard, use, or adapt as you see fit. I just asked ChatGPT for something and copied and pasted. :-)

"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed followers of Razmir, and all who stand witness to the power of the Living God, I stand before you today as the herald of the glorious Lord Razmir, to proclaim his divine presence and the unrivaled majesty of his reign. Let these words echo through the chambers of your hearts and ignite the flames of devotion within your souls!

Behold the benevolent gaze of our revered Lord Razmir, whose very existence has brought forth an era of enlightenment and prosperity. He, who walked among us as a mortal, rising from humble beginnings to ascend the divine ladder, is a testament to the boundless potential within each of us. His transformation into the Living God stands as a symbol of hope, reminding us that greatness lies not only in the heavens but also in the hearts of mortals.

In the embrace of Lord Razmir, we find solace and guidance, for he has bestowed upon us the gift of purpose. Through his divine teachings and righteous commandments, he has shattered the shackles of ignorance and shown us the path to ultimate truth. Let his radiant light illuminate our way, for in his presence, all doubts dissipate, and the veils of uncertainty are torn asunder.

Therefore, let us pledge our unwavering loyalty to the one true deity, Lord Razmir, and rejoice in his magnificence. Together, we shall spread his divine message, conquering darkness and igniting the flames of enlightenment across Golarion. In his name, we shall forge a future resplendent with his grace and wisdom, forever marching forward as the heralds of his everlasting glory!"

I'm traveling to Asia for the next couple of weeks, so my posts might be delayed. Will try to check in when I can. Feel free to bot me.

Are you looking for everyone to go through the trials? I can do that but I think Garen would not wish to if possible.

It would be very difficult to run the module if the party splits up. I would really prefer everyone go into this together. There are other potential paths through, but the primary advice that I have read from people who have run this module is don't let the party split up (between people who join the cult and people who don't).

Can Silvio cast spells without a holy symbol? Because it sure seems like he'll need to ditch that for a time. I don't mind if that's the case.

roger

As far as I know, the only spells that require the holy symbol are those that say DF in the components of the spell. That and channeling zbut Silvio can't do that yet.

Out camping will be back Monday.

Sorry for the absence, had a good but busy weekend followed by busy work week.

Hey y'all. I heard back from Sledge. He needs to step back from the campaign for the time being, but he's welcome to return when he's able to again. In the interim, I have reached out to another player that I trust who I think could be a good fit. (Cross-posting this on the Discord server as well.)

Sounds good, thanks!

Hi, everyone!

I’m the new girl Polyfrequencies found to step in for your magus. Looking forward to seeing how we’re going to work an introduction into the game proper!

It’s my first time playing a shaman, so I’m excited to see where it goes. I’ll be dipping a bit into samurai because the ward speaker archetype allows a few neat toys that work well for the sort of animistic take on things I’d like to play around with, and it occurs to me that my shaman archetype makes me an anti-hexcrafter, more or less: primal wardens can’t take witchy hexes, it turns out.

So, probably mainly a support build, leaning on spirit hexes and skirmishing when things inevitably go pear-shaped and it becomes necessary to mix things up in combat?

(Obligatory Blackadder references notwithstanding, Jia’s a much more serious person than the young crone playing her. :) )

Welcome, Jia. Excited to have you aboard! Definitely curious how you'll get introduced--there's always the possibility of more jail cells, it seems.

I just somehow accidentally hit Ctrl+R and wiped out the post that I had been writing. Feeling distraught. I will recreate the post, but it will likely not be as good as what I had initially written. But don't worry--we'll get Jia in by the end of th eevening.

hello, hello

... having gathered that the priests are likely not enthused by the prospect of a new initiate probing too keenly or recording her reflections and observations too assiduously. An unattended moment and not keeping pen and ink ready at hand might reassure the other acolytes too, for that matter.

[dice=Diplomacy, to gather information]1d20+7
Rolls a 13.

Wow, between Garen and me, we're not having much luck being smooth and unobtrusive so far, are we?

I'm trying to imagine how we're coming across. Have we got inconvenient holy symbols slipping out of our robes or something? :p

In Jia's case, I can see her freaking the other acolytes out by always writing things down and asking weird questions* that make them worry that she's going to get a beating eventually, and not wanting to get dragged down with her. XD

*Obnoxious elf seeker: "But what was god doing before he made heaven and earth?"
Exasperated cult leader: "He was making hell for people that ask questions like that."

Great to have you with us, Jia! Looking forward to seeing how your character plays out.

Sorry for the prolonged absence. I need another week or so to power through a busy and stressful time. Please bot me as needed.

Sorry to be missing the introduction of Jia.

We'll get you back in here when you're available, Tazo!

Considering that holy symbols would have been confiscated, I don't think you need to worry too much about that, but I'll find some way of conveying y'all's awkwardness ^_^

May the living god smite thee? Otherwise, Krant might.

To paraphrase the classics, “If you don’t like those gods, I have others!”

Jia absolutely has her pockets full of amulets, trinkets, fetishes, and so on, and like Benny from The Mummy (only not a weasel rat fink), I imagine she has quite a collection of holy symbols.

I can also imagine the poor Razmiran soul who had to take charge of her proscribed personal possessions. “Seriously? … Ok, fine. Go. Just … go.” :)

(Thanks to a nameless security guard who let my aunt into the Vatican museums with a knife, because she literally couldn't find it in the bottom of her purse where the x-rays said it had to be.)

Jia should probably invest in a pantheistic hand sort of deal, which would be doubly appropriate given that Findeladlara is a big deal for the Ilverani.

Holy symbols? Oh, you better believe that's a Krantin'.

*squeals in The Mummy*

Italian security guards let me into the Coliseum with a pocket knife as well. I didn't realize I couldn't bring it, but put it with my keys and such going through the line. They looked at my wife and kids, looked at one another and said, "Eh, familia" then handed it back to me and let me in.

I had a multitool confiscated on my way back from my honeymoon because I forgot to move it back from my carryon to my checked bag. The checked bag was long gone by the time I ran back to the front, so I lost it >_<

At some point, does Charles get his spellbook back and would have time to prepare spells for the day?

Not yet. Soon, hopefully. If you pass... the test.

Hi folks, my theory that things would be better in a week was too optimistic. I suspect work is going to keep me from posting for the next couple of months, with late September being the time where I can jump back in. I have a September 21 deadline I'm facing, and there may be spillover / I'll need to recover. I'm really sorry for the trouble.

I will roll with whatever solution makes sense to you. Happy to have my character botted or have my character or just step away from the action temporarily. If you prefer to move on entirely, I'm okay with that too; I don't want to sap the momentum of any of my games.

Headed to the Young Writer’s Workshop for the week. Not sure about connectivity as I am taking my camper. I will try to post from my phone though I may have a bad signal. Be back Friday evening.

Good luck and enjoy!

I'm still here El Guapo!

Good luck, Silvio! I know work can be a bear sometimes.

Have fun, Garen! Safe travels!

In spite of some turnover and temporary step-aways, I am determined to forge ahead with this story with you all! Silvio will join Sledge in fading into the background for now to potentially be rescued or reemerge at opportune moments! Charles, Garen, and Jia (along with Evlar) will have to figure some things out!

I can post, wifi good at the conference center.

Great! Y'all just let me know what if anything you're doing for the evening. Other than the four of you, there are 9 acolytes in the barracks.

Anything, y'all? Or is it time for bed and moving on to the next day?

The latter, I guess? Jia would absolutely be up for a shoulder poke for some midnight prowling, but Stealth really isn't her strong point.

Gathering intel in a more diplomatic manner, especially when there are a bunch of us for distraction and misdirection, might be easier. :)

I'll wait for at least one more person to chime in and then we'll do that.

i posted in game

Right--after your post on Monday, I asked here if anyone was planning to do anything else in the evening? We currently have one vote from Jia to let it ride and pick up the next day.

My morning post was lost to the ether. I had written about bedding down and tackling things anew. Will redo said post.

*waves to the ether*

I'm sorry to hear that! I hate when that happens.

OK, just how?!??

1) I would rather have good luck spread over all my characters, and
2) I like Jia, and she'll probably grow on me, but if I've accidentally unlocked some messageboard cheat code, I wouldn't have chosen her to receive it. Hmm. :}

We do not know how fickle the dice gods are. We just continue to make sacrifices to them in the hopes that they smile on us when it counts.

Also, as a reminder, Garen and Silvio got some useful information about the "Blessings of Razmir" when they got a 25 and a 26 on their Knowledge (religion) checks. This is coming from the perspective of a Cleric of Erastil and a Paladin of Iomedae. Reproduced below for ease:

For as little as Father Prasst and Sir Dramott had wanted to discuss Razmir, they were each able to provide Garen and Silvio with their best possible understanding of the philosophy behind the Church of Razmir. Charles, for his part, hadn't paid much mind to the godking from across Lake Encarthan, and it seems likely that he has only heard the scantest rumors.

Razmir, the Living God, Master of the 31 Steps, is a Lawful Evil god with the Domains of Charm, Evil, Law, and Trickery (which is consequently a portfolio quite similar to the Prince of Darkness himself, Asmodeus). Forty-eight years ago, in 4661 AR, Razmir became the most recent mortal to attain godhood by passing the Test of the Starstone: a feat last accomplished by Iomedae almost 900 years ago. This likely makes him the youngest god, unless there is some other cosmic being that has yet to announce itself to the multiverse.

Of course, as any faithful Chelaxian citizen would be quick to remind someone critical of the diabolical practices of empire of devil-worshipers, the cosmic appellation of "evil" is propaganda applied by so-called moralists who seek to carve the world into arbitrary categories like "heroes" and "villains" according to their own agendas. Paladins of the Inheritor have, after all, fought alongside clerics of Asmodeus in the Hellknights' crusade against the forces of chaos that seek to undermine both society and the fabric of reality, recognizing their true, mutual enemy.

Besides, what does following Razmir mean practically (i.e., domain-wise) for his priests? That they can render an enemy too befuddled to attack, inflict an enemy with temporary sickness, ensure a reasonable chance of success at complex tasks within margins of error, or protect themselves with illusions. They gain such powers in exchange for following his teachings.

So then what of Razmir's teachings? Well: what is the goal of a person's life? To live the life they want to lead. What do you need to carve out this life? Power: for with Power you can stop others from controlling you. And Razmir, in his great knowledge and wisdom, has seen fit to share the secrets--his 31 Steps--to attaining Power with those who will follow him. It is in following Razmir and his teachings that mortals may aspire to Power, Freedom, and even godhood. All should--and all will--know the glory of Razmir.

I'll say that Jia can have figured out the basics of the above with a DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check, and the whole of it with a DC 20.

Hello! I am on the other side of my busy period a month sooner than I expected! I am going to catch up on life and get back into things. Thanks for keeping me botted during my time away.