Story time!
The sandling first appeared in a 1st Edition module called "A4: The Dungeons of the Slave Lords."
I had that module and ran it for some school buds at least a couple of times back in the day. If you're familiar with it at all, it was pretty innovative for its time, as the PCs all start as escaped prisoners with no weapons or equipment (nothing but loin cloths and, bizarrely, a collection of scrolls you can't read in the dark...)
Anyways, the sandling is really quite challenging in such circumstances, but almost universally all of my players landed on a solution: pee on the thing! In hindsight, this is what elementary school kids are destined to come up with.
I remember: (1) we all thought this was hysterical at the time; and (2) trying to come up with mechanics for this. Shockingly, this scenario wasn't covered in significant depth by the rules.
Awesome and hilarious anecdote. I don’t know if I’m relived or sad that you have plenty of other watermaking options available.
The Ibis gets nerfed
Beetle, before we move on in this combat, I’m going to have to ask you to make some adjustments to the Sacred Ibis’ stat block.
I've been marveling at the combat effectiveness of the Ibis, and decided to stat him and Seben up in HeroLab to check the math.
And while everything checks out, including your clever use of Eye for Talent to bump his intelligence and thereby provide access to a vastly improved selection of feats, I did notice that you selected Roc as the base bird. That makes your feathered companion a medium creature and gives it a significant bump in combat power.
After a bit of googling for the size of actual real-world Ibis birds and going over the options for Animal Companions, I believe that the Blackwisp Egret is more suitable as the base creature for the Ibis.
That would reduce the Ibis' size to Small and nerf his combat abilities and AC quite a bit, bringing it more in line with the rest of the party.
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You got it!
You got it!
Appreciate it. I realize it does nerf it quite a bit, but you guys have been one-rounding most combats, with the Ibis delivering substantial damage.
I noted that you took Flyby attack. You should be aware that your movement still provokes AoO when using that, so apply with care.
Story time!
The sandling first appeared in a 1st Edition module called "A4: The Dungeons of the Slave Lords."
I think I may actually have played that scenario as a wee teenager - at least I remember waking up in a dungeon with little equipment.
I think I may actually have played that scenario as a wee teenager - at least I remember waking up in a dungeon with little equipment.
Good times! I remember everyone was converting their loin cloths into improvised slings with rocks. A lot of naked PCs. That too was considered hilarious.
Actually, Seben really could have used a sling for blunt damage in this encounter. Lesson learned. In the future she will pack one. Won't combine with gravity bow though...
Or...Seben could just pick up a couple of these.
But yeah...Damage resistance is a thing in this AP. It won't be the last time you face it, I can reveal that much.
I noted that you took Flyby attack. You should be aware that your movement still provokes AoO when using that, so apply with care.
LOL! Thanks! I still remember it doesn't work the way I originally thought: like a Spring Attack feat. Piranha Strike is lower on the wish list now. It doesn't add quite as much value with the new build as I don't think the Sacred Ibis should be looking to base opponents very often. I think the Sacred Ibis is now more of an Aid Another companion than an independent damage dealer (he has a 25% chance of doing zero damage). My brilliant plan is to use Animal Focus (snake) to try to survive the AoO. We'll see how that goes.
A friend of mine tells me Flyby Attack was designed to be added to dragons. It let's them get off their breath attack in mid-flight and since they are 50 feet away AoO is not an issue. Makes sense. All I need now, is to get me a breath weapon. How hard can it be?
Before I forget again, this was an awesome line by the way:
Angered by the sudden assault of both blade and water, the sandling rises up to it’s full 10 ft height and issues a long, hoarse challenge that sounds like a bucket of gravel poured down a stone chute.
Great audio image. Was that one of the AI assists you were talking about, or is it just some cool GM description? Love it, either way.
That one was all me, I'm happy to say :-) Glad you liked it.
Some clarification on seaching during exploration
Since you guys are taking the careful approach to dungeon exploration, I would like to simplify things a bit to better help me keep track of time consumption.
Normally, Take 20 on perception is assumed to be about 2 minutes of careful searching per 5 ft cube. Since our perceptive scout duo Indus and Sobekhotep are using Take 10, they are moving faster than that. Still, during exploration I think it is reasonable to assume that you are spending a bit more time than just 6 seconds per square.
So, my suggestion is that standard exploration searching takes 1 minute per square in rooms and corridors with 10 ft ceiling height. Each unusual feature, such as doors, chests, tapestries and statues etc. are another minute a piece.
That makes it easier for me to quickly calculate how long you have spent searching each room. Naturally, perception checks while in initiative is handled normally.
For simple rooms, I assume you are moving carefully forward with Sobekhotep and Indus working together and everyone else close behind in the agreed marching order. For large or more complex rooms, I may ask you to specify your exact movements.
Sound fair?
Sounds fair, captain :)
Fair??
You fiend!
You would put the party in a situation in which they might very well have to murder innocent beetles? Glowing beetles with hopes and dreams?
What kind of monster are you?
Hopefully this impending encounter is one of the diplomatic variety, one in which the party experiences one of the great wonders of Golarion. But failing that, I know who I'll be rooting for.
(All good with the search defaults)
Hey now, I just introduced the snake-goddess and named Ahkentepi’s sidechick.
If you have a problem with someone putting honest, hardworking beetles, who just want to dig holes and raise their itty bitty beetle children, in harms way, give Jim Groves a call.
And as for the health and wellbeing of said beetles, well that’s entirely up to a certain adventuring party. Don’t blame me if you all woke up and chose violence this morning.
Then again, I admit that I may or may not have included a custom magic item specifically tailored to one of you in this room and deliberately buried it in the middel of the happy little beetle home. If that’s really what’s there, blame me and not Jim.
But…it’s probably a trap and the GM is just messing with you, right?
Have fun with exploring the rest of the room. :-)
I will indeed lodge a complaint with Mr. Groves.
Fun Fact trivia:
The original Bestiary contained a description of the shell of the "Beetle, Giant". The entry's author got fancy and described one of the many colors of the shell as vermilion. The typesetter made a reading error, and inadvertently listed the Beetle, Giant as "Vermin". Pretty funny stuff, eh?
And then to compound it, they accidentally put a dash next to the Beetle's Intelligence stat, removing the exceedingly high number that was supposed to be in its place.
Took a while for Paizo to get the correction out and a lot of gaming vets still have such mismatched copies. I bet they probably go for a lot on E-Bay as curiosities.
Having always been an adventurous eater, and having seen several varieties of roasted beetles in the markets of Wati, Diorio is wondering if these beetles before them might be of the edible type...stomach rumbling noises reminding him that it has been a few hours since last morsels.
"Good idea with the torch Indus! Does anyone know if these critters are edible? I'm getting really hungry."
A high-pitched SQEEEEEEEAK is heard.
It is the sound of The Beetle scratching Diorio's name off his Christmas card list.
Hmmph!
A high-pitched SQEEEEEEEAK is heard.
It is the sound of The Beetle scratching Diorio's name off his Christmas card list.
Hmmph!
I thought you might have an opinion on beetle cuisine. I've only heard rumors as to their delectable tastiness, I swear.
I understand, Phrip. You too have just been placed in the awkward and near-impossible position of having to role-play a character who doesn't necessarily appreciate the greatness of beetles.
I understand all too well.
Sadly, I am not sure Clive's family will. Rest assured, I will be holding Mr. Jim Groves accountable for his crimes.
Jace,
If a PC, say hypothetically, Diorio or Luek were to take up a position one square east of Indus, am I right that they would be able to strike the beetle? Or is it obstructed?
Assuming an attack from that square is possible, I'd like the Sacred Ibis to fly to the square west of Indus and do the Aid Another thing he's now got going on and confer the +2 attack bonus.
The tricky part is, I don't know which of Indus or Luek is going to go into that square, and by the time I find out, they will have already rolled to attack.
I'm discovering this Aid Another interacts a bit unusually in this scenario with the communal initiative system. It seems like an unintended effect that I would need to make a guess with a 50% chance. What I'd like to do is have the Sacred Ibis confer its Aid bonus on whoever next attacks the red beetle north of Indus from the eastern square. But I don't think the rule as written really provides for that. Does that make sense? Possible?
(All this and watch the ibis will flub its Aid roll...OR one of Luek or Diorio will take that space to the West of Indus and it's academic anyway, but that would be a good thing too.)
Very valid question, Beetle.
You are right in observing that the communal initiative makes Aid Another a bit tricky to manage. Rather than go into a long discussion and since I already nerfed the Sacred Ibis, let me just make this quick amendment to Aid Another:
Aid Another
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you’re in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaginga friendthe party in melee combat, you can attempt to aid yourfriendfellow party members as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed,your friendthe next ally to attack the opponent gains a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or the target of that opponent’s next attack gains a +2 bonus to AC (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aidthe same friendagainst the same opponent, and similar bonuses stack.
Sound good?
As for attacking the remaining beetle, it has partial cover vs anyone in the squares adjacent to Indus and Total Cover vs all other squares.
Hi guys.
I think I'll take a look around. I just got here, so it will take me a bit to catch up. Hope you're having fun.
If you have a problem with someone putting honest, hardworking beetles, who just want to dig holes and raise their itty bitty beetle children, in harms way, give Jim Groves a call.
And as for the health and wellbeing of said beetles, well that’s entirely up to a certain adventuring party. Don’t blame me if you all woke up and chose violence this morning.
Then again, I admit that I may or may not have included a custom magic item specifically tailored to one of you in this room and deliberately buried it in the middel of the happy little beetle home. If that’s really what’s there, blame me and not Jim.
That was a long time ago and now I'm in a much better, healthier place.
Woah!
Speak of the celebrity devil himself!
That was a long time ago and now I'm in a much better, healthier place.
Going for the changed man card, eh? . . .
Well you can start by signing the BPS* petition to have the adventure reprinted. I mean it will take a while to scrub all the offending copies off of eBay. But the digital .pdf's should be fixable immediately.
*Beetle Preservation Society
Very valid question, Beetle.
You are right in observing that the communal initiative makes Aid Another a bit tricky to manage. Rather than go into a long discussion and since I already nerfed the Sacred Ibis, let me just make this quick amendment to Aid Another: . . .
It takes a true prima donna to get the Cores Rules rewritten to your liking...
As for attacking the remaining beetle, it has partial cover vs anyone in the squares adjacent to Indus and Total Cover vs all other squares.
Ah! That makes it even easier. I think the correct thing to do is to use Aid Another to buff Indus' AC (er, or rather, the red beetle's next target) then. I'll get a post out, but in the meantime, it won't be affected if Diorio or Luek go ahead. If they take both the squares and/or end the combat that's good too.
Huzzah! Seems like my summon Adventure Path author spell was succesful once again. Figured I’d drop Jim a line so he could see first hand how we’re treating his masterpiece and respond to those unseemly charges of beetle endangerment.
Thrilled to have you watching, Jim. Please keep those inside stories flowing if you can spare the time.
Huzzah! Seems like my summon Adventure Path author spell was succesful once again. Figured I’d drop Jim a line so he could see first hand how we’re his masterpiece and respond to those unseemly charges of beetle endangerment.
There, fixed it for you :)
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Thrilled to have you watching, Jim. Please keep those inside stories flowing if you can spare the time.
I can't tell the one that I mentioned until I make sure they've gotten to that point!
Edit: Wow, I really like the set-up, with being sponsored by the Hook and Tookah, for exclusive buyer's rights in exchange for room and board. I also really like all the characters. I'm going to read a little bit every day, time permitting. I got to the farm today. Really strong beginning and a neat way to bring the group together.
Holy crap, Bruno! Double natural 20's! A 1-in-400 chance.
Story Time! (...Again!)
I used to play with a group with a weird house rule. It's a rule I know floats around at a few tables at least.
The rule is this: If a player ever rolls a natural 20 twice in a row on a 'to-hit' roll, they would be permitted to roll a third time. A third natural 20 equals an auto kill, full stop. (A roll of 1-19 is meaningless.)
It wouldn't matter in this case as, as you would think would often be the case, the red beetle is already dead from the crit to begin with, but we always tried for the bragging rights associated with the 1-in-8000 chance.
Remarkably, and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe this part, I've actually seen it happen twice. Maybe that exposes that I've spent too much time rolling plastic dice.
The first time I was a player in a high-level one-shot. Another player at the table pulled it off against the BBEG, an actual Balor. It was a two-weapon fighter making a full-attack. It was round 2, and a bit anti-climatic, but everybody was so stunned it didn't matter. Great end to a great game.
The second time it went horribly wrong.
I was DMing an Adventure Path (Age of Worms, anybody remember that?). I rolled a natural 20 and then rolled a second natural 20 when I was confirming a crossbow shot from a lowly minion against a PC. The player insisted I roll the third roll, and that the rule had to cut both ways. I should have refused. Of course I got the 20. That was a bummer. I really liked that character...
I've been opposed to that house rule ever since, randomness is rarely in the PCs favor. But if you want to add a visceral uncertainty to a game, there's always that.
Sooo close ...
Yeah, I remember running Age of Worms. The first chapter was fantastic, and the rest showed promise, but we ended the campaign for some reason ...
We've also had a similar auto kill rule, and yes, it never happens except when it does :)
Ahhh...I've always wanted to do Age of Worms. Talk about epic scope.
Well, if you all behave nicely, perhaps I will run that after we finish this AP. That is, if old age or dementia don't get me first, which is most likely.
The image gallery is updated with a picture of the lash.
Yes!
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Licking guidance > standard guidance.
Just a heads-up, I am also going to be away and off grid until next week (fulfilling my duties for the Beetle Protection Society). Feel free to NPC Seben, if needed. Have a good one, guys!
Duty to the BPS always take priority. We’ll manage Seben and the Ibis in your absence.
My own trip actually got canceled at the last minute (I was literally in the train on the way to the airport), so I’m back in full swing. Someone do some tomb raiding, so I can work my GM magic!
I was going by the values for Take 10, not Take 20 on perception, as indicated HERE. The DC to spot the magic trap was just high enough for Sobekhotep to miss it.
Besides, what's the fun in tomb raiding if you find ALL the traps :-)
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Ah, well, I also said:
Repeating here (without the spoiler) since it seems to have been missed:
Obviously, I won't take 10 (on Perception) when just walking around, but when we arrive at a 'dungeon'...? Of course I will.
With the assist from our other 'front rank' (Indus), that will take us to a 'walking around' 22 Perception. For things like doors and chests I will normally elect to 'Take 20' for a total of 30 or 32.
However, based on what you said, I at least feel better that the writer wasn't deliberately being punitive :-P
What's triggered is triggered, though! Let's see what happens...
Fair point and noted for future reference. I doubt these little jitterbugs will inflict lasting damage.
Be warned, though…if I start to get bored because you auto-find and disarm all the interesting traps, I’m likely to get creative with wandering monsters and such :-)
I’m certainly not going to penalize anyone for making a high-perception character. I’m just mindful that it does not result in the game becoming boring and trivial. So when the party is exceptionally good at finding traps, I’ll have to compensate somehow.
As mentioned, the trap you found in the last room was really cool and elaborate. Triggering it would have resulted in one of those memorable moments that are among the top highlights when you look back at a campaign. In contrast, finding and disabling five traps in a row is not particularly memorable or exciting.
I’ll do my utmost to be fair, but at certain points the Rule of Cool is going to trump RAW. After all, I have to keep you all on your toes.
Um, er... urp!
So! If I have it right, when we looted the would-be tomb raiders who fell to their death down the shaft, we found some potions but also two alchemist fires. I remember making a crack at that time that this must mean swarms-are-a-coming.
I was a bit premature at the time, but those alchemist fires would be quite handy right about now.
I just did a little digging to try to figure out who among us actually has them. Hopefully I am wrong and will be corrected, but I saw a reference to both flasks being given to Sobek. However, he subsequently clarified he didn't want anything as he didn't have carrying capacity. At that point the potions were redistributed, but in my brilliance not the alchemist fire. Currently, the alchemist fire appears on that helpful loot sheet without anyone attached to them.
So, uh, does that mean we, like, left them behind? That seems unlikely. If nothing else, the flasks have more street value than most of the stuff we're carrying around. Perhaps we could distribute them to two random PCs? Seben would certainly volunteer, but that smacks a bit of convenience now.
The current smaller but cuddlier version of the Sacred Ibis has the 'bombard' trick and would be great for dropping alchemist fire on ground-based swarms in a future encounter. There must be an Apocalypse Now joke in there somewhere.
When in doubt, roll the dice!
So, Lueck and Diorio both have a flask of liquid fire.
Sweet!
(The instructions are on the side of the can!)
Sorry guys; I've been having computer issues. I'm hoping I'm back to normal now.
Sorry guys, I've been having Easter issues. I'm hoping I'm back to normal now.