Strange Aeons

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

Erikdt, I'm glad you're joining us! I've gotten to play with you briefly, I think, in a short-lived game, and I'm looking forward to more!

And yes, fine to have us head back now.

Sure thing, YBD! I've updated Ephra'im's starting equipment.

And hello again gyrfalcon! Good to see you!

I followed the thread for a little while when YBD first started the campaign, but I fell off after they got past the chute. I've since skimmed it. Also, I've played the first part of this adventure path a couple of times (but never very far), so this is probably a good place for me to step back in. (Incidentally, Lara was basically the character I played the other times, which is why I proposed it. No worries about her not fitting with the group!)

I don't think Ephra'im should strike out on his own-- much better to wait for the party to come back to the chapel for him to introduce himself. I don't want them to think he's another doppelganger! If they've been injured, that seems like a natural way for us to meet, since he prides himself on helping out all the survivors. And if he hears that they've discovered a library with useful information he won't be able to help himself-- his curiosity about their situation will make him seek them out no matter what.

I'm going out of town for a long weekend, and my internet access will be spotty on just my phone. I should be back to full posting strength on Sunday evening.

Posted to All of My Games
My partner received news of a family medical emergency this afternoon. As a result, we're driving across the country tomorrow for what could be a final visit. I'll update Gameplay when I can (it's a good way to keep my mind off of things) but will have limited time and internet access for the next nine days or so.

I'm so sorry to hear, YBD. Take care of yourself and your family. Nothing else matters like that. And if this is the end for an in-law, I hope that it's as gentle and connected as it can be.

Thanks for letting us know, YBD! Take care.

Hey, TBD, I hope you and your partner find strength in these kind of moments. Take care!

Thanks for your patience. We just got home last night, so I'll be a little slow for the next couple days as I recover from the 3,600-mile round-trip. :-)

Hey YBD, welcome back. I hope you and your partner are doing well. Take your well-deserved rest.

Baldrek's first save I believe triggers during his past round, so he'd be already nauseated by the time Mia took her turn.

I believe it would be fair to let her alter her actions for this round (if she wants to), because she'd be keeping me hasted in a round I can't do nothing.

I would change it and Haste Ephra'im, but that's up to YBD!

It doesn't convey those benefits to your allies, though, as you Scouted as a Swift action rather than a Standard

I wanted to clarify something here for the future, when it might matter. If Ephra'im didn't use an action at all, but simply made a Knowledge check when he first perceived the enemy, would he still get the benefits of Scout? Here's the relevant text:

As a swift action, you may identify a creature’s weaknesses (DC 10 + creature’s CR) as described under the Knowledge skill, but may substitute a Perception check for the appropriate Knowledge check at a -5 penalty. This only reveals the target’s weaknesses, or lack thereof, (such as damage reduction types and vulnerabilities), and does not reveal any additional information about the target. Once you have succeeded at a scout attempt or Knowledge check against a target, any talents or effects that require you to scout a target may be used against the target for the next 24 hours; after this period you must successfully use the scout ability against the target again to continue benefiting from related effects.

The first part seems to me to be describing what you get if you Scout as a swift action, namely less information but you can use Perception. The second part ("Once you have succeeded at a scout attempt or Knowledge check against a target") seems to me to say that he gets to treat a successful Knowledge check as if he had Scouted the target for 24 hours. Granted, this wouldn't convey the benefits of Scout to his team members, because that needs a standard action, but I don't think he needs to spend a swift action to get the benefit himself, if I'm reading it correctly. Then again, if he fails the initial Knowledge check, I think he could make another attempt as a swift action, though it would reveal more limited information.

Hasting Ephra'im instead is fine with me. :-)

@Ephra'im: That's a great question, and it led me into a deep dive of the Spheres Discord. From what I learned, the Scout ability is poorly worded, and it leads to several bizarre outcomes if interpreted RAW. For example, you'd have to make a separate Knowledge check for each iteration of a creature, and if any escaped, you'd need to keep track of that fact in case you encounter that specific creature again in the next 24hrs.

As such, I believe the intent is for you to spend a Swift action to scout a creature (via Perception -5 or the relevant Knowledge skill). If successful, you'll gain the relevant benefits (except for the duration-limited ones) for the next 24hrs. This corresponds with other base sphere abilities (Wrestle: snag, Scoundrel: marked target) and keeps the Studied Scout feat and the 3rd-level Conscript class feature relevant. This also eliminates some cheese, as Knowledge checks become trivially easy with minimal investment, so the action cost prevents free Scout bonuses against literally everything you encounter for the entire campaign. ;-)

I haven't heard from gyrfalcon for a while, so I've sent a PM.

Hey gang, sorry to be so quiet. I was on the road for 10 days...and it turned out to be WAY busier than I'd expected.

I'm back now. Work's still nutty, but I'll be able to be back in the game.

Believe we might need the enemies icons on the map.

Hey everyone! Just letting you all know that this saturday I'll go through a medical procedure and will be unavaiable. It's fairly simple, so by Monday I should be able to post.
If need be, feel free to bot Mya, it's not like it's hard!

Hey everyone,
Took one day more than expected but I'm back. After the perception checks, I'll join the scene back in.
Thanks for the patience!

Just a quick check-in to see how everyone's doing.

I'm here and ready!

I am also here!

I'm here too, though still at limited capacity.

I started a (good) new job in September that involves a lot of reading, writing, and decision making...which leaves me with less free time (especially after parenting and household responsibilities)...and more likely to be too mentally exhausted to post, when I finally am free. :-/

I've honestly been trying to figure out if (and how soon) this'll change. I'm reluctant games, but also don't want to keep slowing things down.

My hope is to keep playing this game, but I should be honest that it won't make sense if I don't reach an easier equilibrium with the rest of my life before too long.

Holding off on updating in case Baldrek, Ephra'im, or Tassa want to act this round. :-)

Whoops! I swear I wrote out a post...and then probably forgot to click Submit. :-/

Thanks for the reminder!

Welcome back, by the way. Hopefully the chaos of this year will lead to some stability in the new year. :-)

Whoops, I meant to post but I held off to see what everyone else was doing first. :)

Oh, thanks so much for the kind words, and for your patience!

Life's gone from unbearably overfull to only uncomfortably so...and I suspect by mid-or-late Jan it will be better again. (Not bad things, just too many responsibilities at once.) Fingers crossed!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Thanks, YBD! To you and yours as well! And a very scary solstice to all!

Happy holidays!!

It's been quiet for a while, so I'm doing a quick check-in. Mya and Ephra'im have been posting regularly, and I'm guessing Tassa's still dealing with the life stuff they've mentioned previously.

Didn't have much time during the weekend, but I'm here, yep.

Wait, Mya, Anticipate Peril is a Paizo spell. How are you casting it as a spherecaster? (I suspect there's a way, I just am curious.)

Time Mystery Oracle awarded me, according to YBD's homebrew rules! it is literally the only Paizo spell I have.

Unless I'm doing something very wrong!

The custom oracle class gives mystery spells as spell-like abilities castable 1/day.

That's exactly right. It's a way to keep a few flavorful Paizo spells that are difficult to replicate in Spheres without giving the already-well-balanced Oracle a significant power boost. :-)

Going to hold off on updating in case Tassa wants to shapeshift.

Ahhh, cool. I forgot you'd made some flavorful homebrew additions!

Has it been more than 20 min since this post?

If so, I'll reshift into that form but not hybrid, and just using concentration for now.

Baldrek? Ephra'im? Were you wanting to do anything?

Well, I was waiting for Tassa to step out. We had mentioned we were going to talk to Winter, but then she said she'd step in to try the web thing.

I guess if she doesn't step out we will have to assume she's been paralyzed somehow, and try to think of a good way to get her out without stepping into the impenetrable darkness ourselves. Maybe we could try to lasso her with some rope and pull her out?

I think it's the same six second round when I entered the room. DM's just giving you a chance to act before I start my second round. That said, I think there's a reasonable chance I can tie the thing up next round. So far I've lost my voice for an hour but nothing worse than that.

Not that it would matter too much, since we've got it trapped, but I think undeads can't be the target of a coup de grace, since it requires a Fortitude save and they are immune to it unless it also applies to objects.

It could be said that you can try it, making the crit, but then it auto passes the Fortitude save.

Saying this only as a thought experience if it becomes significant in the future. Sometimes, as GMs, we stablish precedents to move along that could bite us in the ass later.

Ahhh, interesting.

From what I saw, it's an automatic hit and crit, but the "save or die" part doesn't trigger.

Makes sense!

Doh! I thought I replied but clearly didn't submit.

I'm out now but will check my laptop when I'm home tomorrow and post then.

A friend of mine linked to this, and I thought it was a great essay on a subject near and dear to all of us. Not trying to call anyone out or anything, but I bet we can all appreciate the sentiment!

That brings everyone to Level Three! For those of you unfamiliar with my homebrew, in addition to your regular class advancement, you'll gain a +1 resistance bonus to all saves.

Huzzah! Here's what I chose for Ephra'im:

- +1 to BAB
- +1 to Fort
- +1d8 hp
- danger sense +1, investigator talent x1, keen recollection, studied strike +2d6
- Investigator Talent: Effortless Aid (can aid another as move, or as swift for 1 inspiration)
- Feat: Healer's Hands (it's not very impressive yet, so we'll probably still need to rely on Salves)
- 11 skill points
- resistance +1 bonus

Sweet! I'll think about my next talent this weekend.

In the meantime, I _think_ we still don't have Backgrounds, right? (Perhaps coming if/when we remember more of our prior lives...assuming we're not all just elaborate constructs.)