Giant Slayer beer and pretzels (Inactive)

Game Master drbuzzard

OK, so I am about done finishing this series in roll20 for my home (virtual home?) group. Thus I do already have all the maps in there. However when I play by post I rather dislike having to log into roll20. Thus I am willing to redo the maps in google instead if people want it that way instead.

So what do you folks prefer? Roll20 or google documents?

I’d prefer google docs. I’ve done both and it just feels easier to me.

Also thank you for the selection. Looking forward to gaming with everyone.

I like google docs for it's simplicity and ease of use.

*hugs his brother* WE MADE IT!!!

Hello, I am good with either option for maps. So whatever makes your life easier works for me.

I did not catch how we are doing HPs?

HP is PFS style, so 1/2max+1.

Wow! That came fast! I didn't even get a chance to wish everyone luck before the selections were announced.

Thanks for picking Biruta drbuzzard!

I'm fine with either Roll20 or Google Docs. I use both in other games and don't really have any strong preference.

Thank you for the invitation.

I have used both and I feel google docs is easier but it is up to you if Roll20 is easier on you.

Taking a quick look through everyone it looks like we don't have anyone with disable device. We may have to resort to bashing things open.

Taking a quick look through everyone it looks like we don't have anyone with disable device. We may have to resort to bashing things open.

As an investigator it might be helpful to the party if Biruta picked that up. This is not a mandate of course. I'll be perfectly happy to cause wreck and ruin with traps.

Also, as the party is now picked, you are all welcome to shift your characters some (feats, skills) to make sure the team is a functional.

It is a shame we are doing Background Skills. That would free up some skill points for the dwarven cleric and his paltry 2 + Int modifier.

Dolgrym Giantfoe wrote:

Taking a quick look through everyone it looks like we don't have anyone with disable device. We may have to resort to bashing things open.

As an investigator it might be helpful to the party if Biruta picked that up. This is not a mandate of course. I'll be perfectly happy to cause wreck and ruin with traps.

Also, as the party is now picked, you are all welcome to shift your characters some (feats, skills) to make sure the team is a functional.

Sure, I can find the points to reallocate for covering disable device somewhere. I wasn't going to put points there if another character was covering it. I'll pick up some tools for the job as well.

It is a shame we are doing Background Skills. That would free up some skill points for the dwarven cleric and his paltry 2 + Int modifier.

Yeah, I love background skills. Of course, it's the low skills classes that really need them. But it's always nice to have a character who knows how to do things that aren't core necessities for the class. For example, I'll be yanking the point I'd put in Appraise and putting it toward Disable Device. You'd think a dwarf would have a keen eye for value, but not if it's at the cost of failing crucial checks.

Damn shame that jerk of a GM already nixed background skills.

Yeah! That guy. Next thing we’ll learn that he didn’t even read my amazing 90 page backstory.

It was a dark night. Lightning split the sky when he was born. There was a proph-wait! Come back! I didn’t even get to the part where his parents died!

I, as always, will abide by the GM's rulings. I was just..saying...

I didn’t even get to the part where his parents died!

Hey! My parents died too, and nobody even knows!

Alright, I skimmed some points from elsewhere to put +4 into Disable Device: -1 to Appraise, K Arcana, Perception, and Spellcraft.

I likes maps

I likes maps

That's profound. It doesn't, however, cover the roll20 vs google vote.

I likes maps

Me too brother! I try to make one every day.

I had to finalize gear purchases and money, so that's done now.

I also realized I had stupidly neglected to include the 2/level skill ranks Biruta gets for INT skills from Lore Warden. I've added those in now, which erases the decreases to the skills I'd robbed to cover disable device, plus some change.

No background skills? Biruta the Überfrau says "suck it you non-investigator, non-background skills possessing worms!" :p

As background skills are pretty limited, I'm not the biggest fan. They are very common these days, but they don't really solve the issue of skill disparity, especially on the 2/level classes.

How about we just change classes with 2/level to 4/level and call it good. Won't help the skill god investigator, but should aid the poor cleric/fighter (or wizard.)

I'm good with both map options: maps on Google be easy (but simplistic), maps on Roll20 could have a little more functionality (at least sometimes) -- but at the cost of logging in...

May The Drunkien God bless your next beverage, drbuzzard! I will add those skill points immediately.

I should also mention that I'll be vacationing in Scotland for another 10 days (followed by a day in the air...): during that time, I'll be a-sleepin' when most of youse guys are doing yer evening posts...and you'll (mostly) be a-snoozin' when I wake up and respond:

Grumpy's Fortitude save: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

sometimes I'll wake up bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed (meaning I rolled a good Fort save) -- but maybe not consistently...

As background skills are pretty limited, I'm not the biggest fan. They are very common these days, but they don't really solve the issue of skill disparity, especially on the 2/level classes.

How about we just change classes with 2/level to 4/level and call it good. Won't help the skill god investigator, but should aid the poor cleric/fighter (or wizard.)

I agree that background skills don't do much of anything to fix disparities between classes. Your fix goes way farther there. So given a choice of background skills versus 2 skill/level classes get 4/level, the latter is the obvious winner. Maybe skill checks have become more important in pathfinder over time? I came to the game later so I'm not sure how the early core classes were supposed to manage in the current state of the game.

I like background skills because they are fairly useless from a practical perspective. I like having characters who have other lives outside adventure mode. Lots of characters have backgrounds saying they used to be x or y, and background skills allow the character to back that up. Nobody is ever going to put points into Profession Farmer absent background skills, but once those background points are there in Profession Farmer, many times the player tries to figure out creative ways to apply that skill to situations that come up in games. It's just a nice add on that doesn't knock anything out of whack.

Skill points added. I would also like to buy a Wand of Burning Hands and a Chain shirt to sleep in if that is ok. Sadly, I cannot just camp out in my full plate.

Have to agree with everything Biruta said. For background skills, I personally like to grab things like "profession miner" and the like. Things like that which are in-character and are fun. However, that does little for classes which only get 2 skill points per level (such a huge design flaw, IMO). So I'm more than happy with the ruling for this campaign.

Skill points added. I would also like to buy a Wand of Burning Hands and a Chain shirt to sleep in if that is ok. Sadly, I cannot just camp out in my full plate.

If you have the money, go right ahead.

Will wait another day or two to hear from Kaaltu. If he doesn't show, I'll pick someone else and get started.

I like having Linguistics and Background skills give you that and a few random knowledge skills that I have trouble bothering to take without it. Some of the skills do seem to be rather random and there are other skills that seem like they would make sense to have in it. Mainly social skills. Knowing how to lie or negotiate should be a background skill.

Hey all, sorry that I held things up! I wasn't able to log in yesterday. I am also on vacation; I'm in Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks with my family, my wife's sister's family, and my wife's parents. It's a bit chaotic, and I'm not even remotely in charge of our schedule. :)

We're flying back home this weekend, and any uncertainty in my posting schedule will be due to my faulty personality instead of factors beyond my control.

I prefer Google Drive! I can do Roll20, but I think Google is simpler and the right tool for PbP campaigns. One request: I think it's bettr to have the maps and other files hosted on Google Slides or Google Docs, but not Google Drawings if that's a consideration. Drawings does not work well on mobile sites, and there's not a separate app for it like there is for Docs and Slides.

Finally, an anecdote: when I first created this PC, the GM hand-picked the classes, and this (non-gestalt) inquisitor was the party's trap finder. When us players pointed out that inquisitors don't have trapfinding, the GM revealed that their intent was that I take a trait specific to the Mummy's Mask AP that grants trapfinding as a rogue. Again, this is just an anecdote, and it seems like this party's trap-finding is sorted out, but I would have offered to pick up that trait again if needed.

Looking forward to getting started!

Looks like I will be using google slides. I used to use drawings, but that app doesn't seem to exist anymore.

Dang, aside from Bruta, this is the dourest of alias avatars I've seen in a single campaign in a long time.

Nobody appears to be playing Happy.

Get Orthoon really sloshed, he'll be Happy!

Biruta isn't unhappy. But where does she fit? Is she Snow White? One of the dwarves? Both?

Dopey since she doesn't have a beard?

There's 7 PCs. All dwarves.

I'll let you guys figure it out.

I am calling Sneezy.

If we're just snagging roles, then I'm calling Doc.

I call grudgeful. That's one of them, right?

I already ran "BITTER -- the little-known eighth dwarf", a dozen years ago...

.
I like to repeat a comedian's joke I heard many years ago:

Let's see if this works.

It opens for me

that link worked for me!

(assuming I was supposed to see a boat layout and a map to a swamp...)

<In best Sigmund Freud voice>

“Those were rorschach blots and they were supposed to look like your mother. Now lie down and let’s talk”

The link is good for me, too.

As brothers, Orthoon and Kurgan should have the same alias picture instead of Orthoon and Dolgrym. :)

The map link works for me as well.

This has been Dolgrym's picture since he was first made years ago. If need be it can be changed.

I'll changed Orthoon's.

The link above works for me as well.