TOZ's The Blakros Connection [PaizoCon 2022] (Inactive)

Game Master TriOmegaZero

Discussion open for mustering! Reporting info link will be added soon.

I've got different PC options depending on whether we go high or low:

High tier:
Dawa Kookpa - lunar oracle 9 with melee tiger pet and bard shenanigans
Hoprah - sorcerer 9

Low tier:
Bon Jon Bovi - unchained monk 6
Phidöe - vexing dodger/mouser 6 (might be tied up in another game)
Birseko Naam - psychic 6

Happy to play any of these PCs as best fits the rest of the party.

This is going to be an interesting case, as PaizoCon does NOT allow PbP run-overs. We will have six weeks to complete the scenario and if we do not finish by the end date, it WILL be cut short.

My best record at the moment is about 8 weeks, so as long as we are all focused I believe we can manage to complete it on time. I will be pushing much more than in previous games you may have had with me, so expect botting measures to be more aggressive than my usual pace.

I also have a choice based on tier, though even my "low" tier is not in 5-6.

High: Elbesamiya dy Bulaka, paladin of not killing unless truly necessary 9

Low: Shidou Raigami, cavalier on an owlbear 7

I'm heading out of town in the morning for a two week trip. Likely will have very limited time to post until the end of the month but I am onboard for this game - I should be able to post regularly by May 31 (when I think this is scheduled to start?). I'll play any of the characters I mentioned in my previous post (the psychic is now level 7) depending on party need.

Reviewing the guidance so far, I believe the game will start with the con on the 27th. I will doublecheck and update if I learn otherwise.

Looking forward to this!

I'm planning on bringing my 7th level shadow witch.

Sounding like we'll average to low tier, unless we get more players. Still plenty of time to decide among your characters.

Looks like straight down the middle from what I can see (5, 7, 9 on Warhorn, plus two people who can go either way). I personally would prefer up, but am not wedded to it. How does Eklesya feel, since that is the character most at risk from high subtier?

I think we are high tier whatever option everyone goes with. Based on the above the lowest level character options still gives us an APL of 7 which with 5 players would be high tier.

Assuming all five of our sign-ups check in!

I’m still happy with high or low but my vexing dodger is tied up and my psychic is now level 7. Otherwise my options are the same as mentioned before.

Here is my character.

Patrick Messier
124312-21
Dark Archive
Sorcerer(Sage Archetype) - 9

This is also the PC who has GM credit with Serpent's Ire (7-98)

Has also been involved with most of the Blakros missions

Mun is my only high-tier PC that I can bring. He's 8th level now; I have a chronicle to add yet. I will get that done and him leveled before we start.

Could you please delete Patrick Messier from this campaign please? I dotted in the wrong Patrick.

Handled. Briefing will be up in the morning.

My two high tier (level 9) characters both have a lot of overlap with two of the characters that are already posted - I have a lunar oracle with a companion, and I have a sorcerer. So I'm kind of inclined to play one of my other options just so we don't have too much similarity. I have a level 7 psychic but I haven't leveled them up yet and won't be able to until Sunday night or Monday. My level 6 monk (maybe 7, I have to check) would provide some melee, which maybe we need? I think maybe I'm leaning towards the monk unless there are other opinions.

In any case, I still won't be online much (and unable to post character details) until Sunday night or Monday.

Witch 7
Paladin 9
Oracle 7
Sorcerer 9
Paladin 5

I'll be posting tomorrow (Saturday morning Central time). Been a LONG week and lots of gaming to start posting this weekend.

No worries, this weekend is what I would consider bonus time for start up. Once the physical con is done, that's when I expect us to go hard, as Abraham will be back in. I'm also in a Roll20 game Sunday night, so it works all around.

Thanks, TOZ. Good to hear. Some troubleshooting with my character sheets in other games is taking a little longer than expected. I'll do my best to get my intro post in asap regardless!

Pushing forward tonight, assuming Abraham doesn't join in earlier than that.

Sorry, just got my PC updated and am catching up on the gameplay thread now. Hope I haven't slowed us down and looking forward to playing with y'all!

Nah, we got a few extra days out of starting with the con.

Also, great to see Bon Jon again!

:-)

Of course, he may regret being assigned to this particular mission. :P

Please keep out of character discussion of the research rules confined to the discussion thread here. Minor OOC is fine in the gameplay thread, but if you are posting nothing but OOC discussion, please keep the gameplay thread clear for RP content.

I should also point out I only have half of the party in the reporting slide, which makes it difficult to determine APL and ensure you are targeting the correct DCs.

Please also note that I need a PM with a secret related to your character when you have a chance.

Which is certainly not a cause for alarm or anything. Naturally not.

Reporting slide fixed - and it looks like Patrick should be spending some of that accumulated gold.

Ouch. Seems my last adventure dealt with researching old libraries... best I can do is Aid Another with a +6 in Perception (untrained).

Welcome to the showcase scenario, I promise it is not just all research.

Looking at the research rules, it looks like the best plan would be to have Daratar lead the research in room B and Patrick lead the research in room A, as it seems you ideally want a high intelligence character, who has the appropriate skill as a class skill and with multiple ranks in it.

Just to clarify a couple of things. Do characters who aid in the research need to use the same skill as the lead researcher? Additionally, would I be correct in thinking that familiars count towards the limit of 3 people researching (my familiar is a sage so could be useful, but I won't use him if its going to stop a party member from being able to contribute)?

Copying the rules over here as well. I will have to check on the aid another question, but I would consider a familiar to count against the total number of participants.

The research system represents the PCs’ sorting through extensive collections of texts, investigating subtle clues, and track down hidden leads in several different collections. A collection can be almost any source of information used for research, ranging from a complete library to a chest of disorganized documents.

Each research challenge is like an encounter and has two key statistics: a Complexity rating, which reflects the level of complexity of the information being searched, and knowledge points (kp), which are an abstract representation of the amount of information a given collection contains. A research challenge’s Complexity rating acts as the DC for a Research check to unravel that library’s clues. A Research check is akin to a Knowledge skill check, though many research challenges note additional skills a PC can use for that collection.

Attempting a Research check requires an uninterrupted 8-hour period of research, and a character cannot take 10 or take 20 on a Research check. Each 8-hour period of research grants a cumulative +1 bonus on Research checks in that collection. Up to two additional characters can use the aid another action to assist a primary researcher. In addition, some libraries grant a Knowledge bonus—a bonus on specific Knowledge checks (including Research checks) made within that library—due to the depth and completeness of its collections. Research checks cannot be made untrained unless the skill could normally be used untrained.

Succeeding at a Research check reduces a research challenge’s knowledge points, similar to dealing damage to a creature’s hit points. The damage dealt by the primary researcher varies based on her training in the skill she used for the Research check. A primary researcher reduces a collection’s kp by 1d12 + her Intelligence modifier if she has either the Skill Focus feat in the skill or has both 5 ranks in the skill and treats the skill as a class skill. Reduce this to 1d8 + her Intelligence modifier if she has either 5 ranks in the skill or treats the skill as a class skill (but not both). Otherwise, she reduces the collection’s kp by 1d4 + her Intelligence modifier. For every 5 by which a Research check exceeds the collection’s Complexity rating, the primary researcher decreases the kp total by 1 additional point. Rolling a natural 20 on a Research check acts like a critical threat, doubling the kp reduction if a second Research check with the same modifiers (taking no additional time) succeeds. Conversely, rolling a natural 1 on a Research check automatically results in failure, and the collection’s kp increases by 1/4 its maximum knowledge point total as the collection’s complexity causes a researcher to follow a wrong avenue of research.

As the knowledge points are decreased to various “trigger points,” the PCs uncover the collection’s corresponding secrets. By the time a collection’s kp total is reduced to 0, the PCs have learned all that they can from that library. In order to learn more, they must visit another collection and continue their research there.

Skill Focus OR Class Skill + 5 ranks – 1d12+INT
5 ranks OR Class Skill – 1d8+Int
Base – 1d4+Int
Exceed DC by 5 - +1 for every 5
Nat 20 – Critical Threat, roll to confirm to double KP reduction
Nat 1 – Critical fail, increases KP by ¼ maximum

As you are aiding another on the research check instead of the specific skill check, yes you may use any of the valid skills to aid the primary researcher, even if that skill differs from the one the primary is making.

Edit: never mind; got it

Based on the map, and posts in Gameplay/Discussion, this is what I see for our team makeup:

Team A
Patrick
Daosvaria (Patrick's familiar)
Mun

Team B
Daratar
Bon Jon
Elby

Radiarch

So Radiarch doesn't get a spot because Daosvaria is joining the search?

Looks good to me. Bon Jon has a negative Int mod but he should be able to auto-Aid with the Perception skill.

We'll put Radiarch in Team A for morale support. APL averages to 7.5, so I would assume you'd like to round down and have the 4 player adjustment to the 8-9 tier?

so I would assume you'd like to round down and have the 4 player adjustment to the 8-9 tier?

That sounds good to me.

Unfortunately, it was a clever ruse to get you on the map for initiative! So Bon Jon will have something else to do, at least.

Based on Daratar's guidance and/or seeing it strike at Daratar, is it safe to assume that Bon Jon knows which square to target?

Yeah, you absolutely saw Daratar get punched from that direction, plus he'd be pointing that way.

Current AC (presuming that Mage Armor has expired) is 19

The research phase hasn't even started, so no hours have passed since you entered.

Please let me know if your character has played 5-09: The Traitor's Lodge.

I’ve played it, but not on Daratar.

Patrick has not

I have not played it.

Assuming the sparkly stalker is close enough, Elby will move within 10 feet and begin hammering it.

[dice="+1 Impact Adamantine Lucerne Hammer, Power Attack"]1d20+17
[dice="Nonlethal Bludgeoning Damage"]3d6+10+9

If not, waiting for others' actions.

I think the Stalker may already be within 10 feat of Elby as Daratar was stood right behind Elby and the Stalker moved behind Daratar to attack him. So she may well be able to attack it without needing to move.

Not played it either, or heard of it for that matter :)

Based on the map, and posts in Gameplay/Discussion, this is what I see for our team makeup:

Team A
Patrick
Daosvaria (Patrick's familiar)
Mun

Team B
Daratar
Bon Jon
Elby

Radiarch

So Radiarch doesn't get a spot because Daosvaria is joining the search?

If there are no objections here, I'll use the rolls posted and give the results tonight after work.