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We're almost done with round 1. Because of initiative, Kassandra got to do her round 1 action right after her surprise round. In the surprise round, Dasiji did a 5' step, a free action, and a standard action, and then GM Beman moved to a pseudo-block initiative. The surprise round was over and Kassandra had also done her round 1. Then DM Beman had all of the NPCs do their round 1, and declared that the other PCs (the ones whose names were not italicized) could do their round 1 actions. That's when Dasiji did a move action and a standard action. As of right now, we still need for Thanar to declare an action to finish out round 1. I would prefer for DM Beman to fully move to a proper block initiative format, since I think that it's actually clearer for PbPs; but it isn't officially supported yet in PFS, so it makes sense to not.
Dasiji is so surprised by executing the move perfectly (and ending the opponent immediately) that he blinks once and pauses briefly. Scanning the exhibit hall for other dangers, the Sargavan ex-guard trots over to a hulking skeleton holding a mammoth tusk and again swings his greatsword with all of his might.
Dasiji's hands move in a blur and suddenly he's holding his massive two-handed sword. He glides a couple of yards toward the nearest undead, moving with surprising grace for someone his size, and swings his sword down in a diagonal arc with incredible force, using his forward momentum and putting his waist and hips into it. His trainer in the Sargavan Guard would be proud.
Dasiji looks at his two ape-like comrades, remembers their briefing, and curses himself mentally for failing to anticipate something like this. He pulls out a potion from his backpack and offers it to them, speaking in soothing tones as if to wild animals. "This is protection from evil. Do you remember that? Do you want it?" One simian in studded leather armor is climbing a pillar, but another in gray robes is still on the ground. "I don't know if it will help, but it can't hurt." He mimes pulling out the cork and drinking. "Just like that." He holds out the vial.
I got the chronicle by supporting the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter. However, this isn't a generic PDF like a holiday boon. It's in your Paizo downloads. I already tried to get this done once before, under GM Brute Squad, before the module was aborted. Declaring it myself means nothing. Last time, I thought it was done when another player said that they'd use one too; but since this is player-specific, it isn't really done until the GM signs and sends back the watermarked PDF that you send to them. Which reminds me, I need to send that.
Dasiji watches Archibald slip into the mist and considers for a few moments. Then he reaches into a pocket, pulls out a little stone that glows like the braziers in the entryway, and sets it to floating around his head. The Mwangi silently joins the others without any attempt at stealth, and his hands are empty, though one wears a spiked gauntlet.
Btw, I'd like to apply the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter Backer chronicle to this character. I'd like to acquire a permanent mutation, which is... drumroll... Random Mutation: -- Reflective Retinas! Reflective Retinas:
You gain low-light vision. If you already have low-light vision, you now see three times as far in conditions of dim light. If more than one person uses it at a time, then you can choose instead of rolling randomly. It wouldn't make a difference for me, since that was actually the one that I would choose anyway; but it could make a difference for someone else, if you have one that you would like to use.
A dusky-skinned Mwangi stands quietly, listening to the venture captain intently, his burly frame still and his face absent its accustomed smile as he concentrates on the mission. His bow is polite, his voice is lilting, and his words are pronounced precisely. "I am Dasiji Lekaya of the Desperation Bay Lekayas. Shimye-Megalla willing, we will end the danger and save the people." Dasiji's words are pious, but he wears a small arsenal of functional weapons -- greatsword, guisarme, club, spiked guantlet, even a sap for some reason -- and to anyone who knows weapons, his finely-crafted darkwood longbow is clearly a prized possession. His well-made backpack fairly bulges with other equipment and supplies. Clearly, he expects to take care of himself.
Incidentally, by the strangest of coincidences, Dasiji already knows Kassandra quite well; they were in two scenarios together, under GM Brute Squad. And Krash4031 and I just finished playing the entire First Steps series together (albeit with different characters) under GM Alice. And RashidAli, Krash4031 and I are all in both of your PFS PbP Gameday scenarios. Small world, eh? :) Disclosure: Dasiji's last game was an aborted attempt at a PbP of The Godsmouth Heresy under GM Brute Squad. I had made some in-game purchases, so I had to reverse those. I think that I have his Hero Lab and Paizo profiles matching his chronicle sheets again, but please tell me if you see anything questionable.
Archibald is going to spend 2 PP at the beginning of this scenario for a Darkwood Masterwork Quarterstaff. I suggest greenwood instead. It costs a little more -- a total of 504 gp for a greenwood quarterstaff -- but that's still within what you can get for 2 PP. If you don't have Ultimate Equipment yet, the PDF is only $10, and this is what your wood-mystery oracle could get: Ultimate Equipment, pp. 50-51: The secret of greenwood lies in its harvesting. Each length is taken, with leaves still attached, from a tree animated by a treant and cut with care to avoid the death of the tree. A dryad then speaks to and shapes the wood, coaxing the living green of the leaves into the grain of the wood itself. The resulting wood remains alive as long as it is doused with at least one gallon of water (plus 1 gallon for every 10 pounds of the item’s weight) once per week and allowed to rest for an hour in contact with fertile soil. Any wooden or mostly wooden item (such as a bow or spear) made from greenwood is considered a masterwork item. Items not normally made of wood or only partially of wood (such as a battleaxe or a mace) either cannot be made from greenwood or do not gain any special benefit from being made of greenwood.
When damp and in contact with fertile soil, living greenwood heals damage to itself at a rate of 1 hit point per hour, even repairing breaks and regrowing missing pieces. If the weapon has the broken condition, it is repaired during the first hour of contact with fertile soil. Greenwood items take only one-quarter damage from fire. Greenwood can be altered or enhanced with wood-shaping magic such as ironwood, shape wood, and warp wood. The duration of any such effect on a greenwood item is doubled. To determine the price of a greenwood item, use the original weight but add 50 gp per pound to the price of a masterwork version of that item. Items made from darkwood cannot be made into greenwood. Greenwood has the same hit points and hardness as wood.
I've been in a melancholy that had me quit my most demanding/rewarding game, because I couldn't meet my own standards. Unrelated to that, I just finished a book by Barbara Bissonnette called "The Complete Guide to Getting a Job for People with Asperger's Syndrome." (I'm recently re-employed, but still under-employed.) I'm not actually an aspie, but the author can't assume that her audience knows any of the unwritten social rules, which is nice for a geek. It's all laid out very plainly, and I did in fact learn some things. Next step is to buy my own copy, return the library's, and go through it again but doing the exercises. Just thought I'd mention it due to the coincidence. Best wishes with your own journey!
"Sure." Dasiji pulls out a wand and triggers it on himself, then sighs and relaxes with the obvious pleasure of pain erased. "Just follow along and stay quiet. Stab us in the back, and you'll join the residents here forever." He puts the wand away and moves along clockwise to the next door in the L-shaped room, having not really understood their explanation of where they came from.
Dasiji looks at the two birdmen disbelievingly. Even as an Ijo, a Mwangi follower of Shimye-Megalla, he knew about Pharasma. "You want a nice afterlife, yes?" he asks in his lilting accent. "You want to be judged well, and sent where you belong?" He scowls. "These are Pharasman crypts! We're here at their request. You're not. I suggest you leave and never come back, and make a nice donation to ask forgiveness."
"Yes. Clockwise and counter-clockwise are simplest, so the middle is out. We can't tell a difference between the east and west doors, so logically, it would be best to just do whatever comes naturally to the person who will be in front. Which would be me, and I prefer to go left-to-right." The practical ranger gives a modest bow at the conclusion of (by his standards) an impressive feat of abstract deductive reasoning.
Dasiji gives up his struggles reluctantly. "Well, I suppose we could just break one down; but it would probably be nicer for us to use the chime that they gave us, so that they only have to re-lock it, not rebuild it." After a pause, he adds, "And let's be extra careful about marking our turns. I don't want to get as crazy confused as whoever wrote that weird message." Putting words into action, he pulls a piece of chalk out of his pockets and marks the west door, to the left of where they entered the chamber, with a "1" in a circle.
"Well, this writing is old, but not that old." Dasiji reads some scribblings that he found under the dust. "It says, 'My heart beats on the wrong side of my chest, or is it right? Is left right, or is it wrong? I don't know what it means, or why...'" He pauses. "It actually says that, although it's also true that I don't know what it means."
Faced with not just one door but three pairs of the dreaded foe, Dasiji takes a deep breath to relax. The experienced ranger expands his awareness to the smallest details, like he would do to follow the traces of someone's passage in a jungle -- or to watch for signs of being flanked by velociraptors. "At least doors can't pounce," he thinks; it's a comforting belief, albeit a false one.
GM Brute Squad:
As they're about to leave the tentacled corpse, Dasiji snaps his fingers. "Oh I recognize it now! A darkmantle. That was pretty typical behavior, so expect the same if we encounter any more." When they reach the square chamber, the ranger pulls out his crowbar and smacks it against the palm of his other hand. "Doors," he says grimly. "I like to go left to right, in situations like this." He examines the west door for traps before attempting to open it.
Dasiji descends the stone spiral staircase slowly and carefully, watching for danger. He remembers the old Kelish siege tower that he explored as a new Pathfinder, and keeps an eye peeled for his old nemesis: the stuck door. He silently vows that this time, it will be different. This time, I have a crowbar.
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