No, edited to correct my flaky memory.
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Though the snake's sudden appearance catches Uchendu by surprise, sheer momentum carries his blade on through to the spider. Weakened already by Amisi's magic and Quetza's fangs, it has no chance against the half-elf's blade, and dies with barely a whimper.
Crux's acid dart sears the dog's hide, causing it to squeal in pain, but it continues its mad dash forward nonetheless. Hurling itself through the door, it turns its teeth on Kazadarin, standing just inside the doorway.
The dog's attack seems more for show than real intent, though, at least judging by the results it produces. Even caught somewhat off-guard, Kaz manages to fend off the bite with his blade.
Quick clarification: Amisi's magic missile is on round 2 (she's already zapped the spider this round), and Natalyah will go before her. At the same time, though, the point is moot, because the snake's considered to be in combat with Uchendu at the moment, what with it biting him and all.
A burst of light appears in front of the spider's eight eyes, causing it to jerk back. The pause is momentary, however, and the spider returns its attention to the quetzalcoatlus that is attacking it.
I might in the future, but at the moment, I'm sick as a dog and still working (can't afford the time off), so this pace is just about all I can handle. I'll keep it in mind for next time, though.
As Uchendu rushes forward, he fails to spot the large snake curled up in the grass next to the tree; enraged, the serpent's fangs strike out at him.
Quezta's bite is vicious, and sinks deep into the spider's flesh. Almost immediately, though, he coughs and hacks, spitting out vile ichor.
The sound of claws clicking on wood grows slowly closer, but pauses while still well inside the next room. There is a moment of silence, and then the still and darkened fishery is suddenly filled with loud booming barks, enough to shake the wood in the boarded-over windows. A massive, mangy-looking dog bounds into the light, still barking like mad, its teeth flashing in the illumination of the cleric's orison.
Natalyah readies her bow and fires a shot toward the spider, but in her haste the shot flies wide, the arrow disappearing into the jungle foliage. Amisi chants a quick incantation, and an arcane bolt of force sears the carapace of the spider.
Evred and Kaz: There is the sound of movement through the partially open door in the first room. It sounds like claws lightly clicking on wood.
There is little to worry about with respect to keeping an eye on the camp - none of the NPCs are willing to strike out into the wild if the rest of you are willing to do so, so they agree to watch the camp while you head west. Aerys, a little shamefacedly, volunteers to serve as an entertainer for the group while the rest of you are away, though her hands are already shaking a little again. As you head out into the jungle, she has produced a notebook from within her pack and - to your astonishment - starts reading original pirate-themed poetry to an enthralled, if also shocked, Jask and Ishirou. The jungle slows your travel greatly; though Natalyah and Atzi have no difficulty making sure the party stays on course, there's simply no easy path through the dense forest as you head west. The sharp cliffs that surround most of the island prevent even a beach passage, so travel is a struggle, and by the time the sun reaches its noon peak, the group has only managed about two miles of progress toward the western tip of the peninsula... and, based on the map, your best guess is that the tip is still a good three or four miles away. With the heat of the day rapidly building, you seek the shelter of the jungle shade to rest and consider your options. GM stuff:
:
: : Unfortunately, the shade of the tree holds darker secrets of its own - for even as you begin to relax out of the sun, a massive, fast-moving spider four feet high and five feet across its massive spread of legs.
...It may be that D&D reclaims the top spot next month and this came about at least in part because of the relatively light 4E release schedule leading up to the release of Essentials. These are the ones that seem most likely to be big releases in the long run, but it's not clear whether their impact will be felt most in Q3 or in Q4, given how late in the period they came out.
Okay, caught up on the NPC interactions - will get the exploration moving tomorrow.
Higher-level ray spells worth taking. Preferably including ones that do damage + something, because I want to make a zapper-caster sometime, and that concept really shouldn't be 20th level and still running off of a second-level spell.
The southeastern door opens on a smaller office, but it almost immediately bumps into a desk that is partially blocking the doorway from the other side. Squeezing into the room reveals it to be tiny and cramped; the desktop is covered in slates, each with numerous scrawled notes and tiny equations, and a large cabinet slouches against the eastern wall, next to a another door. The south wall also holds a door - likely the exterior door leading out to the boardwalk and dock - but it has been nailed shut by a series of rotten, moldy boards.
Gelik smiles, waving dismissively, but it is clear that the humility is feigned, and he is eating up the flattery. "There's really only one story I want to be in - or, rather, one set of stories: the Pathfinder Chronicles. You know of them, I assume? The finest tales of exploration and adventure in Golarion, and every word true. (Or at least, no word that can be proven false by any other observer.) Of course, getting into them is no small challenge! A Pathfinder must be courageous, skilled, quick-witted, and above all, dashing; naturally, I can only assume my entry into the august ranks of published Pathfinders is but a matter of time."
The smile comes back, though, and Gelik's expression takes on a crafty cast. "Hearing the priest's tale about a shipwreck, however, sparked a memory," he continues, "and I had a thought about a means by which my return to the Society's good graces might be expedited. Smuggler's Shiv has been the gravemarker for dozens of ships over the years, like as not. One of these, or so I have heard, is a ship called the Nightvoice, crewed and captained alike by Pathfinders. The tale of what happened to the Nightvoice has yet to be told, but I have no doubts that learning its fate would do much to shorten my sorrowful sojourn apart from my beloved Society. Perhaps we might be able to add searching for the Nightvoice to our list of endeavors?"
It looks like consensus is being reached here. So, given all that, which way do you want to head out - west, toward the tip of the peninsula; south, toward the other side of the peninsula; or east, toward the rest of the island?
Added to APG FAQ.
I love it when sanity wins. :D
Kaz's picks work their magic in a few seconds, and though there is a faint scraping and squealing from the door, he manages to ease it open without making too much noise. The room beyond looks to be some kind of office, with a single desk and a chair behind it against the far wall. The area looks fairly disused, though there is a small pile of ratty furs and straw heaped in a corner. Four doors - one on the north wall, one on the south, and two on the east - lead out of the room; only the one to the north stands open, though, and Kaz cannot penetrate the gloom inside the building to see what lies beyond it.
Sounds like an awesome con, and I hope you have fun with it! For everyone: I'd like a firm decision from the group about where you are headed next by the end of the day tomorrow, so we can get moving. As a quick recap, the following possible leads have been presented as exploration targets (some of which might be doable simultaneously): * Finding the lighthouse believed to have been built somewhere on the island
(I don't think I'm giving much away at this point when I also note that Gelik has a personal quest to offer as well, if/when you make him friendly.)
The priest of Desna looks around the dock, "Is there anything we can use as a battering ram for the door? Perhaps a bench or a sawhorse?"
"That is fine, Atzi. I will ponder for a while and see if I can remember anything myself - after all, it is not exactly something I have come across that often, in the past..." Uchendu: Uchendu recalls hearing about a particular plant, the viper nettle, whose berries are said to be of great help in overcoming various addicitions, particularly alcohol. The viper nettle is fairly rare, but it is a tropical plant found most often in western Garund, so there might be some on the island somewhere.
Okay, I'm back and things are moving once again. Sorry for the delay, guys, but I think we should be good to go now!
Okay, I'm back and things are moving once again. Sorry for the delay, guys, but I think we should be good to go now!
The doors around the building are locked tight for the night, and all the windows are boarded up; Kazadarin hears nothing within the building. On the building's north side, next to the loading ramp, a set of stairs drop a few feet off to the east, over the river; at their bottom, a third door leads into a lowered section of the fishery, less than a dozen feet above the river's surface. There is no way to circle the building on the river side without jumping across to the boat (which, despite Crux's concerns, seems unlikely to be used as a means of escape for anyone, as it is seemingly being held together only by the ropes and chains that loop around the barge and bind it to the dock; accordingly, Kaz circles around to the south side, proceeding along the boardwalk there toward the eastern dock. The southern walkway is slick and creaks ominously under Kaz's feet as he walks - though the boards hold him up, there are several moments where it seems as though they might not. Here he finds another door, also locked, and can step onto the shaky-looking deck of the moored barge if he wishes.
Waking up Just after sunrise, Inka feels Re-freshed, She can feel the burning magic running through her Vains. She Smiles, Collects her Gear, and steps out of the tent.
When morning breaks on the castaways’ second day on Smuggler’s Shiv, it is clear that the night’s rest has helped at least some of the group gain a grip on their emotions. Jask and Gelik are in noticeably better moods than the day before; the dour cleric is actually humming to himself as he begins his morning prayers, and Gelik’s jokes are slightly less caustic than they were the day before. Sasha and Ishirou still seem uncertain, though, even if Sasha seems to be covering it with brute force optimism. Aerys is the last to roll out of her tent, eyes bloodshot and blinking heavily in the morning light. She picks up the empty bottle of brandy on the ground nearby, studying it for a moment before throwing it aside with an oath.
"All ships have a rum ration; not just pirate vessels," Storian says. "The idea, I believe, is it helps the crew to relax after a hard day working, and it is one of the small pleasures that makes the crew more willing to put up with some of the harsher aspects of sailing. A happier crew is a more efficient crew - so long as they're not drunk on the job, which is why it's rationed."
Suddenly surrounded by people, Aerys looks taken aback, staring wide-eyed from one member of the party to the next. "Cayden’s nose," she mutters, seemingly to herself. "What did I do last night?" After a long pause, she looks around at everyone, then shakes her head and drops to the ground with a grunt. "Okay, yes. I really, really would like a drink. I want a barrel of rum so deep I can crawl inside it and drown. I want to get so hammered that I can’t remember a thing about this island, or dead bodies, or that a*#hole I beat the s!*^ out of whose name I can’t even remember now and who’s probably dead so I feel like s!*^ for still being mad at him." "But you know what I want even more than that? I want to stop wanting it. I’m so damned tired of always reaching for a drink every f#%~ing morning, and not remembering what the f#%~ I did yesterday. This s!*^ is killing me, and I can’t die yet, dammit. I still have a book to… well, f#%~ that. I can’t die yet." She looks back up at the people standing over her, shaking her head with a grimace. "So you want to know what I want to go looking for? Something that would make that happen."
Everybody gets 25 more XP for making Ishirou friendly. Just a head's up guys: life threw me a hell of a curveball today, and I'm not sure if I will be able to post much for the next day or three as a result. I will try to keep things moving as best I can, but it might be Friday before I manage much of substance in the game.
Just a head's up guys: life threw me a hell of a curveball today, and I'm not sure if I will be able to post much for the next day or three as a result. I will try to keep things moving as best I can, but it might be Friday before I manage much of substance in the game.
The fishery is a converted warehouse that partially overhangs the Jeggare River, a squarish building with a wooden boardwalk wrapping around the south wall and a dock, with a decrepit-looking fishing boat moored to it, on the river side. On the north wall is what looks like a loading dock for wagons, consisting of a shaky wooden ramp leading up to a broad platform, with wagon-wide doors leading to the fishery's interior currently shut tight. The reek of brine and week-dead fish hangs heavy in the air about the building, and the old double doors that face the street are closed and probably at least partly rusted in place. A drooping signpost holds nothing but a short length of corroded chain, whatever sign it may have once held seemingly long gone. There are no sounds or signs of movement from within in the gathering darkness.
If Amisi's blush is clear, then Ishirou's is bright enough to make the campfire unneeded for light in the midnight darkness. "I... uh... well..." he stammers, "I'm... er, I'm no dragon, miss. Er, my lady." He blushes again, and somehow manages to do so even harder. "I'm just a guy with an old sword, that's all. I mean, it's an important sword - I mean, it's important to me - but, I mean..." He stops again, looking down at the dirt like he's trying to find some way to burrow into it. "My family's from Minkai, though it has been years since I last saw my home. The sword was... ah, a gift, I guess, from the people I used to work for, the Aspis Consortium. I don't know if you've ever heard of them. Not always the nicest of people, but they paid me well, they took me in when... when I needed someplace to go. I've been working for them for about ten years now, I just left them behind when I left Bloodcove. I thought Sargava might be a better place to be, but now..." He trails off, looking frustrated. "It's like, every time I think I'm going to make things better, some kuso like this happens, and it's worse than before." He falls silent for a long time, staring out into the darkness away from the campfire, before speaking again. "And now it might be happening again. Because that map... It's like the kami are taunting me." He looks at Amisi, with an expression that amost looks desperate. "Maybe you can tell me, because I know my judgement's bakemono dung anymore." He pauses again, but this time, it is as though he were readying himself for something. He takes a long breath, letting it out slowly, before continuing. "The Aspis Consortium," he says hesitantly, "is... well, they're in the business of artifact hunting. They're pretty cutthroat about it. I mean, hell, you're from Osirian, right? They're everywhere there, you probably know that. But while I was working with them, I found a few things myself, things I didn't share with the upper levels, because, well, I couldn't tell if they meant anything. Mostly, I'm talking about maps, you know? Buried treasure, that kind of thing. The ones I kept were ones that didn't have markings or labels, so I had no idea if they were real or where they might link up to. But one of them... well, did you look at that map the Anghazan guy's got? You know how the island's got that long, curving peninsula in the north, and the whole island looks like a backwards 'S'? Well... one of my treasure maps looks like that. Exactly like that, in fact." He raises his eyes to Amisi. "I think I might know where there's treasure buried on this island," he concludes, "but I'm seriously afraid that I might get us all killed if we try to go find it."
Hearing Jask talk of how finding the Brine Demon would ensure his freedom, she places a hand reassuringly on the scholar's shoulder. "If this ship is here then we find it friend. We will secure your hope through the power of our combined strength and will, no matter what." Giving Jask a broad smile and a quick squeeze on the shoulder, she excuses herself from further conversation and wishing Amisi luck in talking to the other survivors, Atzi will begin trying to find some plants that could aid in healing. She will also take the time and try to figure out where they are on the island and hopefully be able to mark it on the map so they have an idea of which way they may need to explore next. In roughly the center of the northern shore of Smuggler's Shiv, there is a "notch" that seems to represent a steep-sided cove. Comparing that cove to her observations of where they awoke this morning, Atzi decides that the "notch" is probably where she and her companions found themselves after the shipwreck. They have moved a short distance inland, but are still quite close to that point. After going over the maps and digging at roots she will spend some time watching the clouds and hopefully predicting the weather in the coming day or two. She will relay her findings to the others as best she can. It is likely to continue to be hot, particularly in the early afternoon, and in the tropics, a daily rainstorm of some variety or another is almost a guarantee. It will likely not last long, however, and usually signals the end of the afternoon's worst heat.
As the afternoon wears into evening, the castaways settle into their tents to try to sleep away the day's strenuous activities and unsettling discoveries. A guard rotation is organized, but many climb into their bedrolls almost at once. For those who stay awake, Gelik tells a series of funny stories about "half-orcs I have known," which Amisi supplements with some dramatic lighting from her light cantrip. Jask checks on everyone (he shakes his head over Aerys' condition), then bids them all good night and turns in himself. Ishirou, before getting some sleep ahead of his guard shift, asks to look over the maps Atzi found onboard the Jenivere, particularly the one of Smuggler's Shiv. He studies it for several minutes, frowning at first in concentration, then turning it sideways once - and dropping his jaw in seeming shock. After a moment, he shakes his head, rolls up the map, and returns it to Uchendu. He will not speak of what the map seemed to mean to him, however, going to his tent without a word. Not long after sundown, those still awake hear what sounds like the flapping of great wings overhead. The night beyond the campfire is almost entirely black, though, even to Natalyah and Uchendu's eyes, and the sound is gone after just a few moments. Beyond that, though, there is nothing but sleep for those not on watch.
Moving camp is something that can be done, but is at least a several-hours process. The fatigue issue came about primarily from the timing; Smuggler's Shiv - and indeed, most of the tropical portion of Golarion, including the Mwangi and all of Sargava - hits the "very hot" environmental condition basically every day from about noon to three, and your morning activities (exploring the Jenivere, holding the funeral, etc.) took you to just about noon by the time it had all wrapped up. So you were basically setting up during the hottest part of the day - the kind of mistake new castaways might easily make, but that experience will quickly correct. And now I'm double checking again. The current plan is to rest in camp for the night, and then for the entire next day as well, to get settled in, try to work some more Diplomacy magic, and so on, yes? And this is the current plan for roles: PCs
NPCs
Is that all correct? I am going to proceed as if it were, and we can retcon if it turns out not to be the case.
On the question of grappling odds in Pathfinder: something to remember is that there are far more ways to improve your odds in PF than there are in 3.5. As far as I know, there are exactly two ways a 1st level character in 3.5 can improve their grapple checks: enlarge person and Improved Grapple. By contrast, in Pathfinder, you have both of those... plus bardic music, flanking, true strike, bless, and pretty much anything else that gets you an attack bonus of any kind. It's far, far easier to build up useful CMB bonuses than it was in 3.5, so in fact a dedicated maneuver build has better odds than a comparable 3.5 character does.
Um...yeah...switch hitter...oops. It's a build that's designed to use multiple attack options rather than specializing on just one. The most common usage seems to be builds that specialize in ranged combat as well as at least one form of melee combat (such as ranger who uses Combat Style feats to get important ranged attack feats like Precise Shot and Deadly Aim while using standard advancement feats to get melee feats like Power Attack).
To make finding these rules easier, I'm going to stick them into my profile, so you will know where to look for them later. Just FYI, I am also keeping some information for my Serpent's Skull PbP on my profile as well - watch out for potential spoilers. |