GM Bret’s PBP Gameday XIII SFS1 #6-99 The End Awakens Tier 3-4 (Inactive)

Game Master BretI

Welcome!

I always do my best to run a friendly game. I want people to have fun and everyone to be able to laugh when something crazy happens.

This is part of a special so it will be critical that we run a fast game.

I really want everyone to be able to post at least once a day, preferably more. If you are going to be away from the game for a short period (such as attending a convention, on a short vacation, or needing to do some business travel), I would ask that you please post that here so everyone involved knows. Please also include a ‘bot me’ spoiler so that it is easier for others to bot you. (See more about this below.)

Chronicle information

I use RPGChronicles as a GM tool to create the game chronicles. There is no need for a player to create an account. I will post the link to RPGChronicle in the campaign information.

Character Profiles

Please have a profile header displaying a brief overview of your character's current status. At the least it should include current/maximum Stamina, Hit Points, Resolve Points, EAC and KAC, and saving throws.

In the character profile, please include a complete stat block. You may put it under a spoiler if you wish, but if you do so please put it under a single spoiler. I do not want it split across multiple spoilers.

If you have your character sheet on a different site, please have a link to it in your character’s headers. This allows me to pull it up from any post by the character, rather than having to go to the profile and from there to the external sheet.

If you want examples, the PbP GM Kit has the pregenerated characters done in BB Code. Use those as a general guideline.

Botting

Botting is when someone else makes a roll or otherwise does something on behalf of your character. Bot is short for robot.

Please include instructions in your profile and a general tactics in case someone else needs to bot your character. I highly recommend this include the dice expressions used for common actions. It is alright if you put this in a separate spoiler from the stat block, but once again please don't split it over multiple spoilers.

If there are resources you don’t mind being used up by botting, please say so. If there are resources you never want someone using, it is alright to say that as well.

If it makes you more comfortable, you could specify who you want to run your character when you can’t post.

In my experience, creating a bot structure can help with your own posts as well. Assuming you put complete dice expressions in the botting directions, it makes it easy to cut and paste.

Initiative in PbP

I will roll all Initiative checks for PCs and NPCs, sort them, and organize them into blocks. I will bold the names of characters that should act. I will take the NPC actions in order and reserve the right to delay an NPC in order to make them act with a group of other NPCs.

When it is your turn to act, please post. Do not wait for someone else to post just because they had a higher Initiative. If you know what you want to do but want to wait for someone else’s action to go off first, just say that.

Here is an example of how you could post before another player but have it go off after another player:

Sir Cumference waits for the elven mechanic Mister Oakleaf to get done firing his bowcaster before charging the Wily Snark.

Attack with High Tech Pointy Stick: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Piercing Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

I (and many other PbP GMs) do grouped Initiative in order to keep the adventure moving. In PbP people will have different posting schedules and often live in different time zones, Waiting for posts in order could make a single round of combat take days to resolve. Even in a normal game, that slows things down too much. In a special, you would never have time to complete anything.

Within the rules, it is as if everyone within the same Initiative block delayed until they could post.

Rules Questions

If there are rules questions, please post them in the discussion thread rather than interrupting the gameplay thread with rules debates.

In closing

Come join me for a fun and fast game!

Hey. Been a while since I've done any PbP, and longer yet since I played on the Paizo boards... so I'll have to dust off some cobwebs in my brain. In fact, the last game I played here was the last time this character was played... and you were a player there! I've got to do some bookkeeping and make sure he's all up to date, but then I'll get the profile updated.

Shouldn’t be a problem as the game doesn’t start until September 8th. Just get it done before that and everything should be fine.

Feel free to ask if you have questions.

Sign in sheet for chronicles is now in the campaign information. You should see a “Sign in here” link at the top of the page.

Hello all! Looking forward to getting this occasionally useful character in another game! :)

All my characters are above or below 3rd or 4th level so I signed up for one of the other tier 1,2 games, but so far I'm the only one signed up. If that doesn't pan out I could run a pregen in this game if you still need players.

We should have enough players.

Thank you to those who have already checked in. I have sent messages to those who signed up but haven’t checked in yet.

Please check your profiles and headers to make sure that they are up to date.

I plan to start the game on September 8th. If you want to post a character introduction before that, the group is aboard one of three starships bound for the planet Krethiskar which has been missing since The Gap. These starships are under the command of Palivhar Chooser of Hues, a host shirren who is a member of the Starfinder Society Forum.

A picture of Palivhar is included in the slides.

Chip needed leveling and a shopping trip, but his profile is all up-to-date now.

Bonus: I realized he didn't meet the prereqs for his first-level feat and, uh, fixed that.

Hello, Sportsfans! Good to be playing with you all.

GM Bret, I've signed in on RPG Chronicles. Burn seems to be up to date. I will add a botting spoiler.

Skipped the botting spoiler. I put in this statement instead.

Botting: Burn's number 1 priority is that all party members make it home. To that end, he'd rather dodge fights, and will support plans to avoid them. In combat, his first action is to drop his pack to free up movement.
(Speed increases to 25) He's happy to use his Reaction Cannon from range, or arc pistol if non-lethal damage is required. Usually, though someone has to stand in the line of battle to prevent enemies from reaching party members, and Burn feels he's the best qualified to do that. His Close Combat and Coordinated Shot feats are useful in melee. Called fusions on his weapons let him switch rapidly as the situation demands.

When I am a player, having a botting spoiler saves me time when posting. You can put dice expressions in the spoilers and just cut and paste them when you need them.

Already have Burns attacks and skills listed at the top of his profile.

Botting spoiler! Sorry, still don't have that. I'll add it.

Already have Burns attacks and skills listed at the top of his profile.

What you have in the profile looks acceptable to me.

That said, I would like to point out that it is possible to include the exact dice expressions in a profile.

See the botting spoiler for my vanguard character (at the bottom of the profile) as an example of how it can be done. When within a spoiler on a profile, dice expressions are not evaluated allowing for direct cut and paste. No edits required.

I have not done experiments to figure out exactly when it avoids expanding dice expressions. There may be ways outside of a spoiler to do it.

FYI: I just realized the official start date is Sunday and i'll be on vacation! Per the VRBO reviews there's good wifi so I'll be checking in but may be less timely and verbose than I should be on day one.

Thanks for the heads up.

Signed in and checked out my character. I am realizing it's been so long since I played him and so long since I've played SFS that I honestly don't remember what I'm doing. Guess I'll figure it out as we go.

Sword v KAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 ... damage: 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Yowser! Did not know that putting dice expressions in a profile's spoiler prevented them from being evaluated. I'm doing this for all my PC's! So much better than my practice of leaving off the leading bracket. and I settled on that after poking around at the problem. Only other solution I found was omitting the space between dice= and the roll descriptor.

GM Bret - you've already made this a great game and we haven't started yet!

All my characters are above or below 3rd or 4th level so I signed up for one of the other tier 1,2 games, but so far I'm the only one signed up. If that doesn't pan out I could run a pregen in this game if you still need players.

You could play up. Burn'll do his best to make sure your PC comes through alive.

Hi, HQ GM just dotting in.

Simple botting directives added for this slug.
This might be a good time to roll the paradoxes, too.
Paradox 1: 1d20 ⇒ 6
Paradox 2: 1d20 ⇒ 18
Paradox 3: 1d20 ⇒ 16

Is Life Science twice on the initial analysis list by accident, or should the second one be another skill?

Is Life Science twice on the initial analysis list by accident, or should the second one be another skill?

Sorry, that was a mistake on my part. Only one life science result available.

Overseer GM here, you're welcome to finish letting everyone have a check before moving to part 1.

In general, I go to the location that has two people agreeing.

If you want, I can go to the location that the first person suggests. That is likely to allow you to see more of the content.

I think my nighttime update schedule is a bit out of sync with the rest. I'll see if I can get a lunchtime update in.

I can move existing tokens on the map, but I'm apparently incapable of adding a token. Could someone please do that for me?

Added your token, Dofon.

It has been about a day since Kuozar was able to act. Does someone want to bot them please?

I'll take Kuozar for now. Just a moment.
The nuar is not on the map yet, though. I'll work on the assumption that he's somewhere close to Grognard and Chip.

I’ve added their avatar.

I DMed many games for Kuozar. That cannon of his is totally lethal. So glad Dofon rolled well.

I forgot to ask... Grognard has +9 Survival so he can't fail the DC 5 to guide Donkey with his knees. Would you still like me to roll it for formalities sake?

If you can’t fail, there is no reason to roll it.

Right after this fight you will be asked if you want to Fight or Flee.

If the group chooses to fight, they'll face another encounter within moments, with no time to rest. Yet, if they survive, they'll potentially buy time for other Starfinders to escape. On the other hand, if the group chooses to flee, they have a greater chance of survival, but run the risk of leaving other Starfinders behind to fight alone, placing their companions at greater risk.

Let me know what the group wants to do once the current battle ends. Only one bug left!

Based on this fight and with one enemy yet to go, I already say, "FIGHT!"

We are lean, mean, fighting machines.

We still have ammo. Fight.

Of course to fight! How else would Kuozar test his weapon?

Thanks for the quick responses, we will plan to go to another round of fighting once Bonkers hopefully kills off the last bug.

Your trust in Bonker's aim is touching. We'll go to game play and see if it was worth it. :)
Sorry, had family in from out of town yesterday afternoon until night. :)

Are there ladders or handholds or hatches that would make it possible (or at least not DC 20 impossible) to get to the top of a trailer? Dofon's Athletics is -1 and they would like to get a better line of fire.

Each of the building pods is 10 feet tall and has a flat roof. It requires a DC 14 Athletics check to climb the exterior walls.

You may want to consider that you are being swarmed by the bugs and although you are choosing to fight, it should be a fight that you are preparing to run from as soon as more of the non-combatants are clear.

There is a point to that. It's a tradition that someone always climbs on top of something to shoot at the swarm of bugs, but it's also true that most of the time it doesn't end well for them.

Waiting for the overseer to announce the transition to the next part.

Since it is dependent on successes, we needed to finish the combat.

Dofon suggests the following priority to the missions:
1. Rescue operation
2. Bunker Labs
3. Hibernation chamber
4. Fungal cave Sounds like fort saves to me...

Agreed Fungal cave sounds bad.

Ahoy, friends - Backup GM Kishmo slidin' into your DMs, while GM Bret is indisposed this weekend. I look forwards to critting you all a smooth and enjoyable Swarm-smashing time :)

Welcome, Backup GM Kishmo!

I’m back!

Thanks Kishmo for taking over while I was away.

@Chip I believe a Mechanic can command their drone via their Custom Rig, even with environmental protections up; it's a bit hand-wavy "just go with it," but the Cusrom Rig bond is rarely broken, even in situations where comms or telepathy would be. So, do you want to still be Sealed?
(Unless GM Bretl has already made a ruling that environmental protections block Custom Rig broadcasts?)

You make a very good point. Although I hadn’t ruled on this, I agree that it should take something special to prevent all communications between a mechanic and their drone.

Chip should assume that he can command his drone.