DMD's Shattered Star Table 1

Game Master dickie

Here is your Discussion thread. Take some time to tweak things and when you’re ready you can check in on Gameplay with an introduction of some sort. Feel free to RP things as you go, the game itself will be live for real when your patron first enters. Until then, just have fun getting to know characters.

GP:
https://paizo.com/campaigns/v5748p75ivmei/gameplay&page=last

Woot! Thanks DMD! Hi teammates!

1st question for the thread. I have a spare language left to pick up. Current languages are: Taldane, Elven, Varisian, Sylvan, Abyssal, Thassilonian.

Any suggestions?

Hello All!

Thank you for this exciting opportunity to play this AP. I have never actually heard much about this one in all my time playing PF1e. When I seen your recruitment, I was curious and liked the feel of the readings in the Player's Guide. It seemed to be advertising a good old fashion treasure hunt!

I could be wrong; when does that stop me!

Anansi the Spider is purely a caster. If he needs to ever tank or dps, than we are in real trouble...lol!

I look forward to playing with those that I have had the honor once again. And to meet those that I have not.

I have played (and finished) RotRLs. I have not play any of the other APs tied to this one.

Reporting in! Thanks for having me along!

It's a real honor to be selected! Cleric with aspirations of going mystic theurge, but I can be talked out of it . . . haven't had time to study the party composition yet.

Oops! Never mind about the language question. I didn't look at my sheet first AND I miscounted. Ambriel also has Draconic and Celestial so that's the full amount already accounted for.

Good morning friends! Semi Tanky DPR reporting in!

From looking at chars:

--We have pretty high perception
--Ragnar is probably the best face
--Ambriel is actually superior to a Bard/Skald loremonkey wise until level 6 (which is where Bardic knowledge would overtake her feat)
--Caroliss can off tank, but likely will not want to.
--So can crystal, but also will not really want to.
--Alara and Ragnar are clearly the frontline, Ragnars AC will fluctuate massively (base is 17, with a shield its 19, if he rages with a reach weapon its 15, once he hits level 4 and autoenlarges while raging it will be lower, but hej, reach with something like 3d6+16 damage)

@GM
Can I pick up a drawback for an extra trait? Traitwise, I was thinking of scholar of the great beyond, because him knowing a fair bit about demons makes sense given his background (his maternal-greatgrandmother may well be one, why does she still look like 27 anyway?), perhaps "attached" to being propely dressed and presentable as a drawback? This would double up with how his other "extremely fashionable" trait works, and roleplaying having a soft paroxysm when greased/set on fire/ etc. in combat is pretty hilarious, especially as a class with a rage feature.
I do hope someone has prestigation :).

Caroliss will have Dwarven as a language instead of Draconic, to increase language diversity and because Draconic has the least amount of tie-in to my background.

For my own benefit, here is who we are:
• Ragnar av Gundrun, Male Human (Kellid) Bloodrager (campaign trait: Exchange Agent)
• Anansi the Spider, Male Halfling Shaman (Animist/Speaker for the Past) (campaign trait: Nontraditional Native)
• Alara Shinrin, Female Elf Samurai (Warrior Poet) (campaign trait: Exchange Agent)
• Ambriel Kogalnica, Female Elf Arcanist (School Savant: Void) (campaign trait: Monument Scholar)
• Caroliss Kaddren, Female Half-Elf Cleric (Varisian Pilgrim) of Calistria (campaign trait: Alabaster Outcast: House Kaddren)
• Krystal Popescu, Female Human U. Rogue (campaign trait: Ex-Sczarni)

As much elven blood as human in the party!

Ragnar is 1/8 Demon (he thinks Succubus, due to his Bloodraged form not looking that bestial) 1/8 Fae (Fey Magic, Ragnar thinks Rusalka, he can move his hair, but doesnt have any tactile strength with it, he mostly does this as a party gag), so technically more Elfen then human.

I'm hoping Ambriel might even be able to push the Bard comparison a couple of levels further since she can invest points in a narrower set of skills than a Bard typically can. But even if not, she'll be better able to earn her keep until her magic starts really taking off around 5th - 6th level.

The elf thing is kind ironic. This is the most elven party I've ever been in and Ambriel doesn't even like elves.

Yes! It's a great consolation prize for being dropped from a campaign last week. It's harder to find one that sticks around these days.

I like the smell of posts in the morning!

I am in Florida. By the times on everyone's post, I am guessing some folks are across the Pond...lol?

I had an accident a few weeks ago. It has brought me some mobility issues. I only say this just in case it seems I am a bit slower than usual, if anyone has been in any games with me (Ragnar and Krystal).

@Krystal sorry to see that JR ended. I had a feeling it would.

@Ragnar game on! Wild card...hehe!

I will get my introduction post up soon(ish). I will make my way to the computer soon.

I'm in Portland, Oregon so west coast. Looks like I'll be lagging behind most everyone in posting cycles.

Germany here, GMT +1.

Must resist posting every second post :).

Oh, if Ragnar gets to spergy just say something, I am trying to contrast what he says with what he actually thinks.

Texan here. So I'm in that sweet spot for those in the states.

Nova Scotian here, eh?

So it looks like at least half the party worship Calistria in some way, including a priestess.

Yay! Calistria doesn't get enough love. Just ask her and she'll tell you so.

Also Pacific time here.

Ragnar thinks Calistria is completely relatable, reasonable and perfectly fine to worship.

His issues with worshipping Calistria as a merc are pragmatic.

First, if your mission would mean vengeance, clever employers try to reduce your price. Second, as a Calistrian, you have to take vengeance even on only mildly deceitful employers, and that does reduce the employer population over time, thus driving down merc rates as well.

Being a Gorumite is just peak pragmatism.

The cool thing about Ancestral worship is if one of them suggest anything stupid, you can just ignore them and try another less grumpy ancestor...lol.
Unless of course you want to do something stupid for entertainment purposes, of course.

Oh, general gameplay questions:

--How much risk taking are you guys fine with?
Ragnar is fairly pro "kick the door in and seize the initiative", its not neccessarily the best idea (its arguably a better idea in real life then in rpgs, because acting > reacting) but it keeps the ball rolling to prevent the "PbP party approaches the door" paralysis thing.

--Lethal vs non Lethal?
Ragnar dislikes killing sentients without good reason, you can pay him to kill but that costs extra. He will not bat much of an eyelid if party members kill, and roll his eyes at party member who go the extra line to be non lethal, but he is generally speaking fine with both groups.

Exception, if Ragnar accepts someones surrender that someone is save, if someone fakes a surrender against Ragnar that someone is probably dead.

--Creative problem solutions:
Yes please, Ragnar will, secretly enthusiastically, go along with bluff/disguise/stealth schemes, as long as no one asks him to impersonate the Empress of Cheliax. He is reasonably good at some of these even.
He will also try to bluff that he does not have fun, and will probably fail at this.

I prefer not to 7se drawbacks because they're easy to forget about, but you've made a solid enough case that I will think it over. If I open them up for one, they'd be open for the whole table.

I'm glad to hear pragmatism being bandied about, because my notes when building this table specifically said "less good aligned, more pragmatic and anti-heroish" lol. The other table was meant to be more traditional good guys. Sadly, I was originally going to put Rosabel on this table before she withdrew since she had some redemption based stuff going on plus she would have been a moral center. It is probably for the best though, as the balance between challenging others and feeling like the outsider in a group of outsiders might not have paid off.

If exchange agent would work for knowledge planes (which I think is reasonable, an exchange agent from close to the worldwound would probably have higher knowledge planes) it would be the same mechanically, with no need for authorizing drawbacks.

Not being a dick to prisoners is pragmatism too. He wants to force surrenders (less likely that he gets killed that way), having a reputation for being eminently reasonable towards prisoners is good for that. Also, if you do get captured, that reputation is also useful.

"...If I wanted to spend time with those stuffs, I'd be in Kosovo by now."

Autocorrect strikes again!

Wow, it was a really bad day to have to drive halfway across the state and back! That's a lot of posts! I'll post in gameplay when I've read through them and figured out how to address so much a little later.

Right now I'll hit the meta questions.

Keeping in mind that Ambriel is a grizzled badass... librarian, she may be at variance with group opinion in some ways.

She's a prepared caster, so knowledge is power. Kicking down doors will not be her favored approach. She may well be the most cautious member of the group, a lover of doing the background work, scouting, recon, intel gathering, and planning. She's also probably the squishiest character and with her limited magic to start, she'll be looking for any advantages she can find.

Violence? THAT was NOT mentioned in the letter! I don't see Ambriel and having done anything more violent than use harsh language in her past. It's something she'll need to ease into. However, I do expect she'll acclimate. She's already been thinking a fair amount on the subject of revenge recently. In keeping with her (somewhat) Veronica Mars inspired backstory, I'll offer up THIS as Ambriel's starter theme song.

There are both light and quite dark possible interpretations for the song, and it's not Ambriel, but certain other people who will deciding which they get.

Flexible/Creative problem solving? Yes please!

As for worshipping Calistria, Ambriel takes a more boutique approach to deities. When it is called for, yes she does.

Ragnar, especially if knowledge planes via exchange agent gets approved, will end up having 2 knowledge skills (arcane and planes) and spellcraft, and is nearly native in Abyssal.

Seeing her spell list in character, Ragnar would probably recommend considering sleep, as he would think it a good spell for her due to a) being non violent and b) being castable from a safer distance then color spray (which is stronger, but exposes the caster, especially if one wants to optimize the cone) is.

As far Ragnars theme song well:

Mercenary song

Anansi the Spider doesn't have ant theme songs currently. Although, I suspect once we get going that some songs will randomly be introduced.

@DMD is it breaking boards protocols if we jumped into Table A's Discussion thread to stay in touch? There are a few players in that game that I am in other games with...lol.

Anansi the Spider could use Wis for Knowledge skills. It is a Revelation he is planning to take eventually. Having only 5 ranks per level means that will be a slow road.

His primary role will be buffing/debuffing. I plan to play around with SNA spells, although probably not going to commit the 2 feats for it now, since we are a party of 6. But it most likely may be his offensive option for a bit.

I tool the speak with dead because it fit thematically and to help us get information. Should be fun to rp it. As will be many of his gifts

Violence for violence's sake is definitely not his thing. He appreciates Death as a part of Life. He is Shaonti. They are descendants of a warrior caste, so also not a stranger to it.

The Roll20 page is linked. Grab an open slot when you have a moment.

Go ahead with the Drawback, I'm too exhausted to resist, lol.

I don't mind cross-talk in Discussion.

Okay, have to make sure to setup Table A's Roll20 and get both of you started on some real stuff provided I don't fall asleep at the keyboard :D

Logged into the game on Roll20 no problem. Fore setting up icons I'm Rick K. on roll20

On Roll20, Silvio = Tazo/Caroliss.

Mightypion/Ragnar

I did joink a token but it seems to be too big.

General combat musings:

1: I think its best of GM rolls init for everyone
2: I am fine with GM rolling my AoOs, combat reflexes so I have AoOs (3) even if flat footed.
3: Attack rolls for bardiche with AoO are in profile, +4 to hit for 1d10+9 damage, power attacking because 1d10 +9 kills most level appropriate mooks, while 1d10+6 is sometimes survivable, Bardiches crit at 19-20.
4: Tactics wise, most of us (including Ragnar with 2 throwing axes) have ranged option, I can free action grip bardiche one handed, move action draw throwing axe, standard action throw it, free action grap bardiche 2 handed, allowing me to throw at +3 for d6+4 damage and still have a 3 reach AoOs.
5: Ragnar will, if surprised, strike lethally unless its clearly just a bar fight or the the enemies are using non lethal means. Common sense basically, sneaky Assassins getting the drop on the party=lethal. Belligerent drunk trying to grapple one of the female party members, non lethal (not stealing their vengeance :) )
6: Ragnar will not be optimized for extreme DPR (he gets pretty damn good DPR by default on account of power attacking from 20+ STR with a 2 handed weapon), but have a fair bit of utility making use of Friendly switch which he will grab at level 5, I think this feat is criminally underused on Abyssal bloodragers, because I get large size while raging and can displace party members into any of my squares if I move into them. Which is a free 10 foot movement for them, which does not provoke AoOs (for them), I can even do this with prone allies, as long as they are able to move. Probably Improved init or Iron Will at level 3.

Patrick/Krystal

And I always pictured This as her theme song.

I do wonder what timezone our GM is in :).

Patience my young Padawan.

Our DM did include this bit in recruitment...lol.

I will shoot for an average of 2-3 substantive posts per week. Sometimes that can be faster, especially outside of combat, and sometimes I might be slower on my end due to real life.

Not that it's a competition but having my current situation allows for even more patience...haha!

Hey all, apologies, they flipped my work schedule this week so I'm a little behind. May end up off tomorrow, for sure off Weds so update sometime then.

By the way, I added the rules for accessing Monument Boons to the Campaign Info tab. Scattered around Magnimar are ancient monuments which depict a number of different things. Performing certain rituals at the monuments grants special benefits. The AP adds a couple of new monuments to expand on the ones in the Magnimar city book.

You will be running about the city at times, so I'll mention them when possible when you're in a district or area near such aonument, or you could seek them out yourselves during any free time. Diplomacy to gather information and Knowledge (local or history) checks would be useful in finding them and understanding the ritual needed to complete them in such a case. This is where having the Monument Scholar trait comes in handy!

Ragnar singing while he Bloodrages is flavor.
He will happily explain why post combat, reasons are actually highly pragmatic.

Mercenary Murderhobo Metagaming sperg time:

Pugwampis are interesting things.
The reroll is roughly equivalent to a -5 on the to hit roll, so they effectively have an AC of 18ish.
On their own, they are not very dangerous as they lack much in the way of offensive power, however, because their unluck aura does not allow a save, they can "hit" far above their CR weight if used in conjunction with others.

How to effectively use a Pugwampi:

1: Procure permanent luck bonus. Lucky horseshoe being pretty good.
2: Conjure Pugwampi
3: Restrain Pugwampi
4: Affix restrained Pugwampi to your person, and laugh as you afflict everyone around you who does not have a luck bonus with an effective -5 or so to everything.
5: Stop laughing when some jerk steals your horseshoe, with the cooperation of the Pugwampi who probably doesnt like you all that much.

I ran a home campaign where a trio of Pugwampi were strapped to inside a huge tree. They were prisoners of Mites who lured pcs into tree to combat them.
It was a fun encounter because mites aren't smart and they also were affected...lol.

On a related sidenote, an effing bloodrager with a cold Iron Bardiche and combat reflexes is probably the worst level 1 thing these things could run into. I did expend 2/5 of my rage rounds though.

I flubbed the Knowledge check, but Krystal did do similar work. How much would she know about the Tower Girls?

Ambriel has pretty nutsy knowledge local (+10 I think).

Yes, Ambriel may not have many spells at her disposal yet, but she will be your tour guide to Magnimar. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the sights!

Actually a DC30 with my assist :)

Did Mrs. Heidmarch prefer to keep the societies name out of the whole thing?

"I need her disappearance investigated. Discreetly. Try and find her, and find what the item was her crew might have found. Recover it for me and I will pay you each 500 gold. Double if you can recover Natalya and bring her to me alive."

I supposed it depends on how one translates discreetly...lol.

I figured rolling a 5 meant he forgot her name.

Sorry gang, been in over-scheduled over time hell lately. Starting a new job at the end of the month which will drastivally reduce my commute, giving me back about 10+ hours of time back,. Hopefully I'll be more consistent then. Updates tonight or tomorrow!

I had meant to add some details about monuments when you first entered new districts and forgot already. Rather than interrupt the flow of the current scene, I'm putting stuff here:

As the party turns from Lord Mayor's March onto the Avenue of Honors on their way to the Arvensoar, they find it impossible to miss the pair of statues that stand 200' tall at the Twins' Gate. Cailyn and Romre Vanderale face one another bearing burning staves, held aloft to form an arch over the city gate.

A short while later they pass the eternally burning Founders Flame. The monument consists of a pedestal topped by a bronze bowl filled with a green oil. The fire's color changes from yellow to orange to violet to blue, and back to yellow again.