If I can't carry it, I don't deserve to have it! Fortunately, I can carry an awful lot...
Hey folks, just checking in as you are much quieter than you had been in the past. Are you bored? I can push harder toward the hoard hunt, but if that's the case, can you please initiate a move into exploring the mountain region? You can seek advice from locals, but the volcanic eruptions will have changed the terrain some, so your first goal will be retracing the steps of the cherufes and ravener to find the way into their domain.
If you're just busy no big deal, but please remember I ask folks to check in the discussion thread once every couple of days even if they have nothing to say IC so I know you're not dead. (This is not a joke, this has actually happened, so please check in.)
If you're not feeling where this is going, please let me know here or IC so I can make adjustments. I can't get a sense of the room by seeing folks' facial expressions around the table, so rely on your feedback to know how things are going. If you aren't happy or have a goal that is not being met, or just need more for your character to do, please let me know. I know we are in a downtime period--which some players relish and some don't get so engaged with--so just let me know what you need and I can try to provide. Thank you.
I've just been coming down with something lately, I'll try to have a post up by tomorrow. No clue what it is, but I have not been feeling my best whatsoever lately. Sorry for the delayed posts as a result.
Sorry you're not feeling well! If you need a break or need to be botted temporarily, just say so.
And I know folks tend to slow down on weekends, but I just want to make sure I am doing what you need of me to keep you engaged. I can't fix things if I don't know what's wrong. Folks are always welcome to PM me if they don't feel comfortable sharing something in the discussion thread.
It is also always okay to say you're not feeling the game any more. Which may not be the case, but I am just putting that out there. We did finish the main module so all of this is bonus. I had wanted to slow down since the pace of the elemental exploration was pretty relentless, but I am just afraid I hit the brakes too hard. Feedback on the pacing really would be welcome (even if you're happy with it and think I'm borrowing trouble by asking).
(And you all might well be just ready to move on, but I want to make sure we're all actually here before we do so. My last IC post was largely to wrap up the post disaster/slower time period and make sure I tied up loose ends for the immediate narrative before carrying on.)
@Krowys: entirely separate question for you, that I keep forgetting to ask: I generally have players control their own familiars/allies/cohorts/etc but can have them talk to you if you would like. If you are okay with me occasionally playing Liber to share info or conversation, let me know.
Oh that's fine. I just try to keep in mind that a Pact Witch familiar was originally a typical familiar (fox) when roleplaying, is the only thing I'd mention. I'm still feeling the campaign, I've just been caught up in waits for a few other things in real life and on the boards (A potential chance to join a Starfinder campaign, and linguistics funding, mainly)
PS: Lazur, I did see your post, but was waiting for other folks to reply to you IC. Thanks for posting
I am definitely still here. We might be suffering a little bit from lack of direction. The adventure was obviously very focused, now things are very open world. I really want to continue as I am enjoying things a lot but you are probably OK pushing us forward. Any sort of castle development type stuff can happen at any point and be handled with flashbacks or side posts fairly easily alongside the main action.
I'm with Mirabelle here. The adventure was highly focused, while the new direction is incredibly open, so it's a bit of choice paralysis. I can't exactly Cone of Cold a house.
I'm for pressing on, as well. And if not that, then maybe some planning sessions for the structure(s) we're building - if we need to detail that.
Also, I'm dealing with a personal situation so my head may not be in the game as much as it should, but I'll try to keep up.
Fair enough. I would like this to be player driven where possible, but I will try to offer some more concrete choices and not throw so much out there at once.
Ariston, very sorry to hear it. As I said to Krowys, if you do need a break, just say so. This is gaming, it shouldn't feel like a chore or a weighty obligation. But it is a commitment, so I just need to know what folks need. I highly encourage self care. Sometimes that includes gaming to escape and sometimes it's to take a break from it. :)
On the building, Lazur suggested starting with a mage tower (in terms of cost and the rooms within; not physically necessarily a tower). If that sounds good to the rest of you, I can work with that. (ETA: I see Mira made some suggestions IC so I'll take that in as well.) Maybe just let me know how much money you're spending (just Orteza's reward or adding to that) so I can price it out.
Just ONE thing I would like to know now is if you are having the oreads work on the building or sending them back to the Earth plane. Just so I can keep track of where my NPCs are in case it becomes relevant later. :)
I am all for hiring the Oreads and using all the cash Orteza gave us to kick things off. Lets see where that gets us and work from there.
Not sure where Trer is. Hoping she/her player will show up soon. I've sent a PM.
I'll post in the game thread tomorrow to move us forward. Please continue to discuss things in the meantime as you desire.
Lazur, if you'll lead the way on looking for the way down, let me know what you'll do.
Krowys, I like the touch of not wanting to leave behind the wandering culture, despite how shaped by Axis he's become.
And yay Ariston for speaking like a true Varanite!
Sorry for the disappointments on the divinations, Mira, but good treasure is hard to find. :)
Sorry for delay. Still haven't heard from Trer. As trying to bot a 17th level PC is a challenge, I think I'll have Trer go exploring by herself and meet with the party later if the player returns.
Gameplay post later today.
Taking from all of y'all's various posts, here's what I am taking for the initial planned build, using the 5750 gp pool Orteza gave you for building:
Starting with the "caster's tower" (building may not necessarily be a tower), for the cost of 4750 gp
(This is 1 artisan's workshop (which will be the stonecutter's workshop), 1 bath, 1 bedroom, 1 cell, 1 ceremonial room (which can be a chapel for Varan and is actually large and elaborate enough you could create a shrine for a number of gods (often there are Shrines to Tria and the Council collectively)), 1 kitchen, 1 lavatory, 1 magical repository (this is an advanced library), 1 office, 1 scriptorium, 1 scrying room, 1 sitting room, 1 storage)
We can add on 1 bedroom (that's two, 1 for Lazur and 1 for Ariston) (300 gp), 1 courtyard (180 gp) (can include an area suitable for camping for those preferring sleeping in the outdoors, and also include the requested gazebo (which will of course come with the usual arrow resistance stats)), 1 lodging (430 gp, which will allow comfortable sleeping arrangements for up to 10 people, which Trer and Krowys can sleep in since they don't want rooms of their own. That uses up 910 more of your pool of building funds, leaving 80 left.
I have not calculated in a bedroom or other room for Mira because I have lost track of whether she wants her own room or just a storage or secret room she can link her magnificent mansion to.
I've also not added in the cost yet of a defensive wall yet, which I know Mira also wanted, but it's 260 gp for up to 40 squares--I need to see how much wall you actually need first.
For personnel, you currently have 2 teams of craftspeople, 1 sage, 2 team of laborers (this is the dwarf stonecutter, the oread leaders, the dwarf architect, and the dwarf's assistants). Right now their purpose is simply to build the place. And I've not really calculated in their own place to sleep/stay, but they could use the lodging for now.
Sound good for starters? Is there anything else you want and/or spend your own money to invest in?
Sounds good to me.
Mira definitely wants a room of her own in the tower. She will also built a secret hideaway inside the cliff. Its helpful to have an emergency teleport flight location with some emergency supplies in it.
The rest seems fine to me. Hopefully we will find plenty of loot we can then apply to building something bigger.
Okay, I'll add another bedroom.
Not counting your cave hideout in the costs since that's of your own making and expense.
Waiting on Krowys and Ariston before moving forward. I know it's the weekend so folks are busy, and Ariston's player has had some IRL stuff to deal with so not rushing, just noting.
I still have not heard from Trer's player but I'm guessing the new job is keeping them busy. I had a friend who worked a similar job and it was hell on the schedule.
I'm good with the plans for the tower.
I'm good as well. Will update with a post today.
Received no funding, so I have been low on motivation the past few days. I should be fine now.
Funding for research? If you don't mind my asking. (I'm an editor in academia so I am very well aware of the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into grants and contracts.)
Regardless of what it is, sorry things have been rough.
I know I've said this before but I will say it again: IRL stuff happens and sometimes folks need time to take care of themselves. If you need a break... all I ask is please say so. This goes for all of you because I know several of you are struggling with some RL stuff (and I just got past two very busy weeks). Be real with yourselves about what you're able and willing to do. I want folks to be here because they want to be, not because they feel obligated to be. (And I recognize that sometimes folks want to play because it offers a fun escape. I'm saying, just in case, no one should feel badly about needing time. Just communicate is all I ask.)
Funding for an MA degree in Linguistics. I don't need a break, but I do need to stop overloading myself and signing up for games because some are slower than others, as I think I've finally hit my limit in terms of number of games.
Ah that sucks. Hope another opportunity comes along. Speaking as someone who just finished paying my student loans last July from my MA 20 years ago, and that was when tuition was much cheaper, I truly hope you get what you need to pursue this.
My advice is no more than six games, fewer if you are GMing. More than that and I notice most folks start phoning it in, and/or they keep up till disaster strikes and then flake on nearly a dozen groups at once because they can't prioritize. Fewer games allows for flexibility when IRL hits the fan.
Yeah, three of my groups (both my VTT games and one PBP) have been extremely flaky, which is what led to me going with a bit too many campaigns. Unless an Iron God opportunity comes up, no more campaigns for me (I have a character that I've had ruminating for literal years that I've never gotten a chance to properly play).
I've heard from Trer's player, who has been quite ill. I'm hoping they can rejoin us soon. As this is a good place for Trer to meet back up with you (after slaying a purple worm offscreen) I'll hold off on advancing for a day or so, but certainly continue to chat and prep in the meantime.
Just a rules note, Mira: mind blank thwarts see invisible but it does not thwart true seeing. True seeing sees through all illusions, so mind blank should not apply (while true seeing is a divination, I am not reading the spell as blocking all divinations, it just blocks certain spells that "gather information about a target" which is different from "seeing things as they really are").
Not that I'm mentioning it at all for any reason whatsoever, but I think lifesense should also overcome invisibility (though I think the invisible creature still counts as concealed).
I dont think that is right. Mind Blank explicitly blocks all spells which try to obtain information about the target through divination magic. That's exactly what True Seeing is doing.
Special senses will generally ignore mind blank. The Echolocation spell defeats it as its a transmutation effect. Blindsense detects the persons square but still leaves them with total concealment (if also invisible) as would Tremorsense if they were on the ground. Blindsight pinpoints you exactly so there is no concealment.
Lifesense is a weird one. It sounds like it works like Blindsense but it doesnt, it actually works like Blindsight.
I am working directly off the spell descriptions of both mind blank and true seeing and trying to determine what both intended. I feel like true seeing is an obvious enough spell that people would use to thwart invisibility that something like mind blank would explicitly say "this spell ignores true seeing" if that was the developer's intent.
I also stand by the fact that true seeing is not gathering information--it is outright cancelling the visual ruse to allow you to "see things as they really are."
True seeing is intended to do one thing really well and that is ignore visual illusions and magical blockades to vision.
Further, if mind blank was intended to cancel all divinations it would say just that without the qualifiers or examples. I think interpreting it that way makes it far too powerful--and given you love to use divinations to gather all kinds of information about people and things, if we go with your interpretation of the spell, I could easily use it against you to be sure your divinations on creatures never work again.
Therefore, I stand by my ruling that mind blank does not cancel true seeing.
(ETA: Also I want Ariston to be able to see you so he can heal you. You have a ton of defenses and may never need it, but at this level you never know what is going to happen.)
OK, in which case Mira is likely to be a lot more cautious. Too many fiends have true seeing.
I can safely say that fiends will not be appearing in the near future.
Sorry for delay, will post tomorrow
Can you add the monsters to the map, I need to see where they are to see if things are in range.
Sorry about that, I'm nursing bronchitis--my lungs decided they were really unhappy about a bonfire a few days ago, of all things--and got distracted by med time.
Map updated. Bear in mind the edges of the room are dark so if you are seeing with Darkvision, some may be outside of your range. Everyone can see the oozes because they are emitting their own light (making the adjacent squares dim light around them) but they are still under the grate and have cover bonuses to saves and reflex.
Does this look ok?
Mirabelle: hp 172/172| | AC 25/24 (T16 FF19) | CMD 20 | Fort +19 Ref +18 Will +22 (+3 vs mind affecting) | freedom of movement, life bubble, mind blank, heroism, invisible, false life, mage armor
Hollow Serpent 1 | HP 60; DR 10/magic and silver, fast heal 10| AC 31 T19 FF21 | Fort +15 Ref +18 Will +19 Channel Resist +7; SR 27 | Freedom of movement, undead traits | benefiting from desecration
Hollow Serpent 2 | HP 230; DR 10/magic and silver, fast heal 10| AC 31 T19 FF21 | Fort +15 Ref +18 Will +19 Channel Resist +7; SR 27 | Freedom of movement, undead traits | benefiting from desecration
Hollow Serpent 3 | HP 230; DR 10/magic and silver, fast heal 10| AC 31 T19 FF21 | Fort +15 Ref +18 Will +19 Channel Resist +7; SR 27 | Freedom of movement, undead traits | benefiting from desecration
Hollow Serpent 4 | HP 230; DR 10/magic and silver, fast heal 10| AC 31 T19 FF21 | Fort +15 Ref +18 Will +19 Channel Resist +7; SR 27 | Freedom of movement, undead traits | benefiting from desecration
Lazur Anil: hp 156/156 | AC 32/31 (T19 FF27) | CMD 34 | Fort +13 Ref +18 Will +15 (+1 versus enchantments; roll twice vs mind-affecting) | Immunities: Illusions | death ward, displacement, echolocation, freedom of movement, life bubble, overland flight, enlarge person, long arm, shield, stone skin
Ariston: HP 105/105 | AC 34 (T18 FF30) | CMD 27/23 CMB +13 | Fort +15 Ref +15 Will +23 (+2 vs charm/compulsion) | Resist: Acid/Cold/Electricity 5 | ring of force shield, life bubble, shield of faith, true seeing
The Mighty Trer: HP 195/195 |AC:+4 36/35 T:19 FF:26 (+1 if opp is bigger)|CMD:45 CMB:26|Fort:21 Ref:14 Will:11 (+3 will when rg, +2 vs enchantment) | life bubble
Giant Immortal Ichor 1 | HP 310; DR 15/-, Reg 10 (good spells, good weapons) | AC 34 T 35 FF 30 | CMB 23 (+25 grapple) CMD 36 (can't be tripped) | Fort +18 Ref +8 Will +11 | amorphous, immune acid, bludgeoning damage, electricity, mind-affecting effects, ooze traits, piercing damage; resist cold 30 | [slow
Giant Immortal Ichor 2 | HP 310; DR 15/-, Reg 10 (good spells, good weapons) | AC 34 T 35 FF 30 | CMB 23 (+25 grapple) CMD 36 (can't be tripped) | Fort +18 Ref +8 Will +11 | amorphous, immune acid, bludgeoning damage, electricity, mind-affecting effects, ooze traits, piercing damage; resist cold 30 | slow
Krowys: hp 123/123 | AC 32/31 (T20 FF26) | CMD 27 | Fort +12 Ref +15 Will +15 (+2 v. Poison & Mind-Affecting) | Resist 5 Electricity | resist fire 30, life bubble overland flight
... and Liber: hp 60/60 | AC 20 T15 FF 17 | Fort +12 Ref +15 Will +15 | SR 22 |
Looks OK to me!
Looks good but I don't have death ward, enlarge person nor stoneskin
I think Resist Fire and Overland Flight would have already run out by now, but otherwise looks fine. Forgot to update my status.
Also, since my turn is last on the initiative order, remember there's a +5 bonus to AC and Flatfoot AC since the Buckler is raised, and only is lowered after casting a somatic spell.
Looks good but I don't have death ward, enlarge person nor stoneskin
Then please take those off your statblock. :)
Thanks!
Miras stat line is up to date. She has some temp HP. Her buff list is longer but most of them dont have any direct combat relevance.
Long Duration Buffs
Extended Contingency (lasts 36 weeks, dimension door on clicking fingers)
Mind Blank(lasts 24 hours)
Extended Veil (lasts 36 hours)
Life Bubble (lasts 36 hours)
Extended Overland Flight (lasts 36 hours)
Extended Darkvision (lasts 36 hours)
Extended Mage Armour (lasts 36 hours)
Extended Ant Haul (lasts 36 hours)
Greater Shapechanger's Gift (lasts 18 hours)
Extended False Life (lasts 36 hours)
Medium Duration Buffs
Extended Echolocation (lasts 6 hours), gives her 40' blindsight
Extended Heroism (lasts 6 hours)
Extended See Invisibility (6 hours)
Okay. Quick question. How high up is the ceiling?
It's 40 feet high in the middle over the grate (and the tunnel you are in goes to 40 ft high--it had to accommodate the ravener), but lowers to about 20 feet high at the edges. (So yes, you can get some height on these things if you wish.)
Will update the fight thread tomorrow.
It isn't much, but it's [Air Geyser fall damage x2 for hitting a ceiling ] possibly better damage I have on the Ichors except for Wail of the Banshee. Will probably target the bone Serpents first.
Looks about right to me!
Trer while you're here we are waiting on your surprise round action
If you could move up into haste range that would be handy.
Mira, sorry, but emergency force sphere is not from an allowed source (it's from the Cheliax book). (I always use Archives of Nethys because the source is at the top and is thus easier to see.) That spell isn't on your usual spell list so I assume you were limited wishing it or something. Do you want a different contingency plan?
Doh, I just assumed I had it for some reason. In which case I will be down at ground level behind the group. Is there space to be out of line of sight in the corridor?
You should be able to use the battlemap to calculate the sightlines where such factors are relevant. Note that you're invisible and the creatures involved have blindsense or lifesense so line of sight isn't really a factor--they either don't know you're there at all or you're in range of their senses regardless.
I am on the move this weekend; after posting this morning, I may be a little slow over the weekend.
PS Per your earlier post I did note some buffs I don't have on the statblock, but I'm not worried about stuff like ant haul for combat tracking.
Minor insubstantial correction: Liber isn't a combat familiar, so it won't come up: but the Constructed trait means she benefits from most Construct traits, including immunity to exhaustion.
Good luck with whatever travels you do have!
On line of sight I more meant if there was a bend in the tunnel behind us. Mira has a 150' ground speed currently.