| Phang Kwan |
I didn't want to press this line of questioning in character. But, out of character, had Nínghǔ arrived in Willowshore prior to the Reenactment Festival? Or after the invasion? I'm mostly curious if he knows came across the mists outside of town.
| Shen Nínghu |
GM has final say on this, but in my head cannon Ning came after the festival and just before the fogs set in- getting stuck in Willowshore in the process
| GM Cody |
Ninghu would have to have been within the borders ny the first day of summer. That said, its a big area with a lot of roads so they may spent a day or two getting to the town still.
Ninghu would not remember there being a fog or anything out of the ordinary before the fog barrier.
| Shen Nínghu |
Ning is ready, whenever the party wants to adventure forth.
As a mechanical aside: Ning has a strong preference towards Elixirs of life (vs Healing potion). As he moves up his Oracle curse, he takes penalties to magical healing which would apply to potions, but not to Elixirs. So... if we happen to find any along the way, he would kindly request them (even though the healing itself is less) as it will increase the degree of healing in an emergency situation. Thank you for your considerations!
| Yuranosuke |
Just a heads-up, we got a massive winter storm blowing in tomorrow, so I will be stranded at the hotel I work at for the weekend, so I won't be able to do any intensive posting since I'm stuck with just my phone.
| GM Cody |
sorry for the delay, I'll get a post up tomorrow morning. I work nights now, and I'm still adjusting how to use my time well in the mornings before i go to bed and the afternoons when i wake up lol
| Shen Nínghu |
Starting tomorrow I am going to be on a vacation for a strech, without a laptop. I still plan on posting once/day, but I won't be writing long RP or content. If at any point I am holding up the story, please feel free to bot to delay in order to keep things moving for everyone else!
| Ren Yexiang |
@GM Cody: Actually I switched out the wakizashi for short sword because what Ren is using is a jian. It turns out the link to the character sheet doesn't update to changes made in Pathbuilder.
I want a jian specifically because Ren is using her father's old sword. The Jian is probably the best foot soldier choice because it's such a common sword type in China's history. It's basically a straight, double edged weapon with a pointy end. There's no specific length and they varied a lot so Ren's jian is just on the short end of the spectrum of lengths. This is the link for Ren's jian from her character sheet:
Since the jian isn't a weapon available in 2e, I'm having to reskin an approximate match for it. The 3 best options are Flyssa, Shortsword, and Wakizaski given the limitations a need for both finesse and agile places on the options.
I went with shortsword because the Flyssa is actually North African and single-edged. It's characteristics are exactly the same as Shortsword except Flyssa is S variable P, while Shortsword is P variable S. The Wakizashi is maybe better, but it's uncommon so I wasn't sure about picking it. On one hand its damage is 1d4, but it also has deadly d8. Shortsword has 1d6 damage.
So, here's the question. If you don't mind me choosing the Wakizashi, it it actually better to trade the higher damage die for the critical effect in 2e? Crits work differently in 2e so does that have any effect on how common they are? In 1st ed. I'd tend to choose the larger damage die since it always matters and crits aren't very common without feat investment. But what about in this case? Would it be worth the smaller damage die to have deadly d8?
| GM Cody |
I think wakizashi's are only considered uncommon because the majority of adventures take place in the Inner Sea rather than on the Tian Xia continent.
On this side of the world, wakizashi's wouldn't be considered uncommon.
We can definitely consider the wakizashi to be reflavored to look like a Jian, not a problem.
| Phang Kwan |
@GM Cody: this is my bad for not catching this before. If the Thatchling has the undead trait, then Kwan's feat Oath of the Defender would work. Basically, all allies have resistance 2 from creatures with undead trait if they are in Kwan's aura. Then, if it triggers Kwan's reaction, the resistance increases by 5 to 7.
So, all told, I think the only change is the resistance is 2 or 7 for attacks by undead.
| GM Cody |
Oh nice, yeah these Thatchlings are unassuming undead for sure
| Shen Nínghu |
I was missing for the beginning part of the quest- what was the event/circumstance that made us think there would be information about the mayor here? Was he the previous owner? Did he say this is where he was going?
thanks!
| GM Cody |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The governor led a group of guards to chase down some run away prisoners, they cornered them in this inn, and somehow with only the governor and the guards left to give their side of the story, the building caught on fire and the runaway prisoners all perished in the fire, though only 2 of the 3 bodies were recovered in the fire.
Currently you guys are searching for any clue as to the where abouts of the mayor as when the group woke up on the first day of summer to find the town besieged by monsters, the group also found the Governor's house somehow had completely vanished. Where there used to be a whole small estate the ground was completely empty as if there hadn't been an estate there at all.
Granny Hu and Old Matsuki thought maybe something supernatural with a grudge may have had some role in the mysterious vanishing which led to your group checking out this old burnt out inn where the Governor may or may not have simply lit fire to the building and burned the run away prisoners inside.
This event took place three years ago, in the winter
of 7105. Governor Heh received a missive from Sze
to be on the lookout for “dangerous fugitives” said to
have attempted to curse the imperial family. When
one of these fugitives, a singer named Fan Hongrui,
showed up in Willowshore claiming to be searching
for aid in dealing with a friend’s snakebite, the
governor attempted to arrest her.
Fan Hongrui used magic to distract and injure
his guards and then fled. As soon as the guards
recovered, the governor led them in pursuit of the
woman. They tracked her to Canary Inn, a roadside
shelter to the northeast of Willowshore, but in the
tense standoff that followed a fire erupted. Officially,
the fire is believed to have been triggered by the
fugitive, but there are more than a few who claim
the governor and his guards started the blaze in an
attempt to force the fugitive and her allies out into
the open.
What none contest is that the final words Hongrui
sung out as the building burned seemed to unsettle
Governor Heh, for she promised that “All those who
serve Lung Wa will soon known how it feels to lose
it all!” At the time, it seemed little more than the dying
oath of a criminal, but in hindsight, with the country of Lung Wa
collapsing within a year, Old Matsuki wonders
if there was more magic to the oath than they
suspected. In any case, the bodies of Fan Hongrui’s
two accomplices were recovered and buried near the
ruined building, but her remains were never found.
| GM Cody |
It was a tenuous connection at best but with zero leads as to the governor's missing where abouts, anything was better than nothing
| GM Cody |
oh yes, very much so lol
Kappas aren't inherently hostile and have been known to befriend lonely children and lend aid to stranded adventurers by providing directions or minor medical treatment. Still, many areas where kappas dwell feature posted signs warning of their presence that encourage travelers venturing near water to toss in a cucumber—kappas' favorite food—in exchange for safe passage. Kappas sometimes put up these signs themselves to increase the likelihood of receiving a tasty treat.
| Yuranosuke |
Also, is the cucumber thing real?! I just assumed it was a joke! haha
Yeah, it's part of their folklore: the traditional way to protect yourself from any kappa in your area was to carve your name into a cucumber and throw it into the body of water you believe they live in. In exchange for the bribe, they leave you alone!
| Shen Nínghu |
Have a wonderful trip. We will try to not get you killed... but no promises