Dorgen Eversteel's page

My chronicle looks good, thanks. :)

I GMed the game yesterday and I came to pretty much the same conclusion. It's setting up the special nicely, but forgets to really do something of its own. And I guess they undersold the boss a little, it could indeed have used a little more spice.

Regardless, I had great fun! Nice interactions with everyone and we were a good team, I think. :) Well done, everyone!

Dorgen sits down and starts prattling on about all the magic forces at work here animating all the skeletons, and makes an educated guess at how strong Hedga could potentially be. He goes into the nitty-gritty of necromancy and probably loses a lot of people, but he uses big words that sound very impressive.

Arcana: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30
If you rule it's more likely Religion, that's with a +8, so 5 lower.

Thanks everyone for playing, and thank you GM for running! Was an interesting scenario, even though the ending feels a little... anticlimactic.

I hope Granitt's doing okay, with him dropping all of a sudden.

I think our problem is that no one packed thieves' tools. We can at least set a perimiter around it and mark it so the next team going down here is given ample warning.

When the fight is over, Dorgen fusses over everyone's wellbeing, then deflates as it is clear they're not going to find Hedga anytime soon.

"Yah, let's go back. Looks like not much interesting is left down here anyway. We've done enough, I say. Let the next team worry about that necromancer. After all this gloom, I think we've all earned a holiday in the sun.

When everyone makes ready to go back, Dorgen takes the front line to banter with Granitt and hopefully catch that trap with his Dwarven senses.

GM, you forgot to apply the crit damage to the boss for my Hydraulic Push.

Hydraulic Push crit: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 4) = 7 bludgeoning damage

Dorgen whistles appreciatively at how Granitt and Libitina go to town on the enemy. He decides to attack both remaining enemies at the same time. He rubs his hands together, creating sparks, then points at the remaining skull and the big skeleton, and electricity dances between them.

Electric Arc damage: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (1, 2) + 4 = 7

Both may make a DC 20 basic Reflex save to avoid the damage.

He then mutters a prayer and casts his Shield cantrip, just in case.

Dorgen Eversteel wrote:

Level 2 Hydraulic Push. Technically Imelia is in the way, so I guess that's lesser cover, but it shouldn't impact the spell otherwise.

One more thing. The spell description doesn't say that the blast of water has to originate from the caster; all it says is that you call forth a powerful blast of pressurized water. The starting point of the water blast (much like the target) is at the discretion of the caster (as long as both are within 60ft). This makes it so that the caster has some control of the direction of the push; it doesn't have to be away from the caster.

Huh, good point. I always assumed it started from me, but I can totally understand that interpretation. But I'll leave the final call up to the GM.

Unfortunately, HP does not say this. Instead, it states that on a Success, you apply the 3d6 damage, and on a Critical Success, you instead do 6d6 damage. It may look like you deal double damage on the surface, but it isn't. On top of 2*(3d6) not being quite the same as 6d6, the difference becomes much more apparent when the spell is heightened. Heightening the spell by a level only adds 2d6 overall damage regardless of whether the hit was a crit or not. So at level 3, the damage is 7d6 on a Success and 10d6 on a Critical Success. With HP, all a crit does is add another 3d6 of damage regardless of the level it is cast at.

Yeah, apparently the crit only does 3d6 more damage (which still effectively doubles it at spell level 1, but not for higher levels). Which is a bit of a bummer at higher spell levels.

I think I won't put it in much higher spell slots, but I like to pack one or two just for the pushing effect. I wanted to use Gust of Wind instead, but I'd catch Imella with it as well.

Come to think of it, HP's only advantage over Telekinetic Projectile is that HP is 60 feet instead of 30, and the aforementioned knockback. Otherwise, at spell level 1, HP does 3d6, where a Projectile does 2d6+4, so the only reason to use it is the extra reach and crowd control. Which is still a good thing, but next spell level the Projectile will deal more damage, unless I keep heightening the Push.

It's just a little odd that a critical success gives the same amount of bonus dice across all spell levels. A first-level Push does 3d6+3d6, but a sixth-level crit does 11d6+3. Those three extra d6 don't matter all that much when you're already rolling eleven other. If it doubled ALL the dice you rolled, that'd be more in line with other spell effects on a crit. Searing Light, for instance simply spells out "double damage," though maybe the five extra feet pushed compensates for that. It's just an odd omission, IMHO.

EDIT: Not that I'm saying I think I should add 5d6 more damage, I agree with Aleksandr's interpretation, I'm just saying what the rules are by RAW.

Dorgen gasps as the skull nearly knocks out Libitina, but luckily Mandoo stays upright and patches himself up.

"I don't think we're ready for the big guy just yet. Let's see if I can delay it for a bit."

Dorgen rushes forward and weaves a spell, and suddenly a huge stream of water shoots forth from his hands. Dorgen nearly gets knocked back by the sudden pressure, but he carefully aims it at the big skelly.

Level 2 Hydraulic Push. Technically Imelia is in the way, so I guess that's lesser cover, but it shouldn't impact the spell otherwise.

Hydraulic Push: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17
Ah, I can do better. Hero Point!

Hydraulic Push: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
Bludgeoning damage: 5d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 2, 6, 2) = 22
If that's a crit, the spell works a little weird. The interaction between the heightened version and a crit is unclear. Do you apply the crit first, then heighten it (6d6, plus the 2d6 for heightening)? In that case, I should add 3d6 more. But if you heighten first, the crit would only add a singe d6 (3d6 base, plus 2d6 is 5d6, but the crit simply says roll 6d6). And it would mean a level 3 crit deals less damage than a regular level 3 hit (if you assume a crit always deals 6d6, regardless of spell level). I'll leave that up to the GM.

Best wishes to everyone! I caught COVID a while ago, it sucks out loud, but luckily it went by fast. Hope you have a similar speedy recovery.

Also, I'd love to explore the tomb first. The Forever Forge sounds interesting as well, but I get the feeling our group leans towards making sure Hedga's properly dead and all. :P

Herbalism Lore: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

The DC is 16, so I make it. 3 silver times 8 days is 2.4 gold.

I'll bot Granitt. I'll leave Aleksandr for someone who's more familiar with Summoners.
I also see he has fire resist 2.

Granitt grunts a thank you to Mrs. Perkins for the healing, then interposes himself between Green skull and the group. ◆ Stride He holds his war axe firm and tries to thwack it out of the air. ◆ Strike

Granitt's War axe vs Green: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Slashing damage: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (6, 6) + 3 = 15

Then, careful of the wounds it inflicted, he raises his shield. ◆ Raise Shield

Information for the GM: I started prepping this scenario since I'm running it in a few days (hope that's okay). I noticed something.

I haven't looked at this battle's creatures in-depth yet, but I'll try to not let it influence my actions.

As soon as the skulls start flying, Dorgen remembers that he's on the front lines, a place where he does not want to be.

Yep, this seems like danger all right. I think I'm better off in a supporting role, way over there."

Dorgen pushes back into the tunnel and ends up behind Sindarin. There's no space on the map, so I've put him in the wall.

"Looks like you could use a boost. Here you go."
Dorgen casts a spell and touches Sindarin's weapon of choice. It starts humming with magical power.

As promised, a Magic Weapon. +1 to hit, one extra damage die. Used my Drain Bonded Item for the day.

Dorgen helps Sindarin and Mrs. Perkins with tinkering with the lever.

Crafting check: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19

"This thing, to use the professional parlance, is completely borked. Don't think we'll be able to repair that. Maybe I can jury-rig it to make it work temporarily, but it's definitely not a permanent solution."

If indeed a second try is allowed, I'll use Thievery next to fidget with some parts.

Thievery: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Well then. If the DC is 20, I'm gonna be very mad.

Dorgen eyes the "safe" passageway warily. "Yeah, I don't trust this passageway one bit. Let's use the other one."
Does my Stonecunning tell me anything?

At the crevasse, Dorgen says, "Ah, so either we risk getting buried alive in the passageway, or we plunge to our deaths crossing this chasm. Oh joy."

Dorgen falls silent for a moment, then reluctantly says, "I might have a way of crossing this gap, but if my calculations are incorrect, it might end unpleasantly for me. I'd rather have some backup with me, just in case."

I have Jump in my spellbook, which I can switch in with my Arcane Thesis. But as said, in case anything goes wrong, I'd love to have someone with me.

A heads up from me: from tomorrow around this time until Sunday evening I'll be away from my computer. If combat breaks out before then, I'll probably cast a second Magic Weapon on Sindarin with Drain Bonded Item.

"Considering how much trouble this one gave us," Dorgen says in between bouts of coughing, "Maybe skip it this time and leave it until we've cleared the place. No need to out ourselves in danger unnecessarily."

Gonna roll for poison for the fun of it.

Fort save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
Fort save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21
Fort save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Total damage: 2d10 + 1d12 ⇒ (6, 2) + (11) = 19

Dorgen hacks up a worrying amount of phlegm over the span of half a minute, but finally he gets all the irritants out of his nose.

"Phew, that feels much better. I think I lost some weight as well," he says with a weak grin.

Yeah, I feel like we've "solved" this encounter. Unless something jumps us, the only restraints are damage (which we can easily heal away) and time (which we have plenty of).

Not saying we should handwave this away, but more that we shouldn't make this more complicated than it is.

Ooh boy, a Wizard's favourite save...

Fort save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
I'll Hero Point that. 2 HP left.

Fort save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
Better than crit failing, I guess.

Dorgen's surprised at how far the noxious fumes reach, and coughing and spluttering he makes his way back to the group.

"We really need to deal with that pool, it smells like dead farts. Sindarin, you're good with your hands, right? Here, let me help you."

Dorgen chants a quick word of encouragement and casts Guidance on Sindarin.

Poison ticks on the end of my turn, right? Then I'll cast another Guidance on myself to boost my save.

But with no more combat, can't we take our time disabling this thing? Apart from dealing with the people who are poisoned, that is.

"Good work people, one's already down. Let's see if I can help some more..."

Dorgen moves up, making sure to not stand too close to the pool, and fires another Electric Arc at the remaining slimes.

Electricity damage: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (2, 3) + 4 = 9
Basic DC 20 Reflex save to halve/negate the damage.

"Hrrmm, oozes tend to be slow, right? I wonder how well they conduct electricity."

Dorgen moves forward a bit so he has a clear shot at the group of oozes, then rubs his hand together and sets sparks flying towards the red and yellow slimes.

Electric Arc on Yellow and Red. Basic Reflex save DC 20.

Electricity damage: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (1, 1) + 4 = 6

What is the "Border" of the cave? White arrow? Red arrow? I've lined myself up at the purple rectangle.

"I'm not a medical expert, Mrs. Perkins, but it seems they took a dip in a mud bath, I think."

Dorgen puffs and claps his hands, wiping off imaginary dust. "See, that's how you do it. The scientific method: perform an experiment and then do it again to see if it yields similar results."

With Mandoo and Mrs. Perkins taking a break to catch their breaths, Dorgen sits down and starts leafing through his spellbook. "Now, assuming we're going to encounter more resistance, I might need to pack more of a metaphorical punch," he mumbles while practicing some hand movements.

I'm replacing my Comprehend Language spell with a second-level Hydraulic Push through my Arcane Thesis.

GM, I think you didn't update Granitt's HP in your tracker.
By the way, I love how you track statuses and the like in the initiative. It really helps. :)

Seeing his last spell having a great effect on the big bug, Dorgen repeats the spell.

Telekinetic Projectile versus Bug: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Bludgeoning damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (3, 2) + 4 = 9
Um... Wow.

"Granitt, looks like you could use some help hitting the thing, yeah? I hope this helps!"

With a quick flick of his wrist, Dorgen casts a spell and Granitt feels bolstered.
Guidance for Granitt.
Yes, Wizards can get Guidance, if you know how. :P

Dorgen legs it back to get closer to the fight again, then hurls a small piece of magically-empowered debris at the giant beetle.

◆ Stride
◆◆ Telekinetic Projectile

Telekinetic Projectile at Beetle: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (5, 2) + 4 = 11
Woo, crit! Was debating whether I'd use my Hydraulic Push, too bad I didn't use it. Anyway, I'd like to do bludgeoning damage, if a particularly round piece of rock is available. Otherwise, slashing is fine.

"Och, it's a basic spell, but it comes in handy a lot of times. It's good to have when you need to pack some extra punch." Dorgen grins and tries to pass it off as a minor thing, but he's happy that he's able to help out.

Sindarin, who are you attacking, anyway? If it's the same targets as last round, you might want to specify. Damage type might also be good to specify, in case of damage resistances.
Also, if I read the rules correctly, yeah, you need to keep directing your animal every single turn. It's a bit unintuitive, but otherwise you get a lot of actions for free. At level 6 or so you can take a feat that gives Brook 1 action every turn, even if you don't direct her.

GM, Battlemap links to the original fight, not this one. :)

Dorgen is too close to the fight for comfort. So he quickly retreats to the back of the room, then casts a spell on Sindarin's bow.

"Here you go lad, have fun with this."

Magic Weapon. Sinarin, your bow deals an extra die of damage, and you get a +1 to hit.

Dorgen nods in agreement with Mandoo and moves up next to him. He knows better than to take the lead, even though he's aching to know what's in the chest.

I think it falls out of the scope of this scenario, but I'm sure we'll get back here in a future adventure. I'm guessing this is a setup to the special the GM linked to earlier. :)

It's a bit of an un-subtle nod to the special, but as far as setpieces go, it's a good one. :)

Dorgen kneels next to Granitt. Though Torag wasn't his patron deity, it's good to pray to him every once in a while.

He stumbles as Granitt claps him on the back. "Yes, it's clearly His will that we cleanse these halls. Let's not dilly-dally."

He looks back at Sindarin. "Hey, c'mon, let's go. You don't want to get lost here, or you'll get eaten by another giant bat."

Dorgen nudges Granitt in his side. "That looks like Torag's holy symbol. Seems like there's magic all over it. Want to go check it out?"

He follows Mandoo and Libitina, several steps behind. When nothing explodes in their face, he moves up to the warhammer to look at the runes and writing.

Dorgen sighs as Sindarin speaks. "Thanks for standing up for me. I was afraid I was going to get lynched. Glad to have someone holding the group together."

Dorgen shrinks back at Granitt's lecture. "Pardon my enthusiasm, that was merely professional curiosity. While I agree that their actions should be stopped, we should not neglect the value of historical accounts. Knowledge of the past, regardless of the source, may be used to guide our future."

He takes a few steps back and tries to contain his excitement.

I like the dynamic between our characters. Makes things interesting. :)

Ah, I misunderstood. Reading my own spoilered roll kinda defeats the purpose of putting it in a spoiler. Whoops.

Dorgen bounces with excitement as he reads the passage. "Old vaults, traps, necromantic magics, and a person who should've died long ago? This is an archaeologist's dream come true! Maybe she can tell us more about these vaults and the purpose of this area."

Dorgen gets up and starts catalogueing everything he finds.

Any indication of how old this journal is? I'm just wondering about the timeline regarding all of this.

"Mrs. Perkins, you found a diary? Interesting, this could give us some insight into their final days..."

Dorgen lays some bedrolls against a wall and uses them as improvised pillows as he sits down and reads through the journal.

Dorgen pats his pockets and smacks his forehead. "I'm a bloody fool! I've left my trap tools at the Lodge! I can probably find the trap if necessary, but we'll have to get creative if we want to disable it. I say we look for it on our way back and clearly mark it for future expeditions, but let's avoid it if we can for now."

Dorgen steps through the bedrooms. "Seems like they either expected to come back but didn't, or had to flee the place in a hurry. You don't just leave your gear behind like this. Also seems like a lot of people were gathered here. I wonder what their purpose was?"

I know Dwarven and Undercommon, and Society at +12. That Archaeologist Dedication's really paying off now. :)

@Dorgen - Regarding thieves tools, I would say no sorry. I don't want to be a do**hebag but the whole point of exploring ruins is to either be prepared or have ways how to bypass those limitations. I double-checked you will not miss any content by not having the tools with you.

Completely fair, figured it was a long shot anyway. :)

D'oh, I'm pretty good at Thievery (+10), but forgot to buy a kit for it. May I retroactively buy one? >_>

Dorgen hesitates at Granitt's invite. "Though my eyes are pretty sharp, I am not sure if I am made for the front lines." He smooths out his desert robe. "Though it would make sense for us to be on the lookout. We do have a knack for stonework, after all."

I have Stonecunning, and I'll switch my Exploration Tactic to Seeking for now.

Also, for some reason I'm having trouble understanding the notes. Both routes go to the same place, but one is trapped, and the other isn't? I, as a player, am confused why we'd take the dangerous route instead of the normal route, but I'm not necessarily against it.

Yeah, take your time. Moving is stressful. We can wait. :)

Dorgen scoffs as he sees the statue is defaced. "That's Kols, an old dwarven demigod of duty. Very well respected in our pantheon. If anyone's defacing his statue, that immediately angers like, most of dwarvenkind."

He casts a few Prestidigitations to clean the statue of blood.

I could do the other checks as well, but I guess I'll leave some for the others. :)

When the fighting has stopped, Dorgen goes back to the front lines. "Everyone all right? That went better than expected, I think."

Then his eyes fall on the skeletons. "Do you think those are dwarves or more duergar, Granitt? They seem to have our, ahem, particular physique. I'm curious how, and why, they died out here. Were they ambushed by the bats, like us?"

Dorgen makes a few quick sketches and notes of the armour, then hurries towards the big glowing geode.

"The mushrooms seem to have dug their way through the crystal, and absorbed some of its properties. I'll take some home with me for later study."

He digs out a small patch of mushrooms with his clan dagger and carefully places it in his backpack. Then he cleans the dagger and sheathes it again.

As an afterthought, he looks at the fallen enemies.

Arcana: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

"Ah, fascinating! Those are indeed duergar, and the bats seem somehow corrupted by drinking their blood. I've never read anything like this before! This re-classifies duergar completely! I'll have to write Ardelenn about this, his taxonomy of humanoids makes no sense anymore..."

He prattles on for a bit about taxonomy, mostly to himself.

My apologies for meddling in the discussion. I'm sorry if that wasn't wanted/needed.

"Uh, you fight skeletons with slashing weapons! Best way to break bones is to cut them," Dorgen says before the skeleton is almost cut to shreds already. "But it looks like its necromantic energies are unstable! It might explode if it's damaged enough. You don't want to stay too close!"

Suddenly, he's standing face to face with thousands of tiny little bats. He decides to help disperse them. He casts a spell and a nearby loose rock hurls itself through the mass of bats.

◆◆ Telekinetic Projectile

Attack bat swarm: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17
Damage?: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (5, 6) + 4 = 15
Bludgeoning damage would make the most sense for a rock, I guess.

◆ Then, he runs back to the relative safety of the back line.

Aleksandr Ostenoff wrote:

Just because something is large doesn't mean it has reach. The attack entry would say it has reach if it is more than 5 feet. Here is another large creature as an example. The otyugh's tentacles have 10 foot reach, their jaws do not.

Otyugh

That is not aligned with the Size and reach table that I am using.

At the same note, I made an assumption that Bulettes since being huge have a reach of 15 ft, but if I would follow that each attack needs to specify it, it has a 5 ft reach.

I might be misunderstanding, but you're using that table on top of what the scenario gives you? The stat block itself should be enough, you don't have to modify those any further. A large dragon has three different kinds of reach, for instance, all specified in their attacks.

But yeah, creature reach is more art than science. That table is more often wrong than right, I feel. I have no idea why Bulettes have no reach, by all means they should have 10 ft indeed.

Also, a quick way to distinguish between long and tall: if they have limbs they typically don't use to walk with, they're long. Most quadrupeds are usually long, bipeds are tall. This is not foolproof when it comes to centaurs and the like, but basically, arms have reach, legs don't. You need to be pretty close to a horse for it to kick you, but a giant (especially with a weapon like a sword of a club) can reach further away.
Bats would be long. They don't have any limbs that extend from their bodies.

Oop, forgot to mention I have Dubious Knowledge. I'm fine with coming up blank, my bad for not mentioning it before.

Should've asked before, the bat-creature is large-size? They're not quite filling up 4 squares, and I just want to make sure.

Cursing his short stubby legs, Dorgen moves forward to get line of sight on what's happening. Once he finally has the enemies in sight, he assesses the situation.

Recall Knowledge on the caveman, please. Religion at +8.

"Big bat-creature, people! Stay away unless you want to look like a discarded juicebox!"

Granitt wrote:

Thanks for the neat and tidy beard Dorgen, I would have RP'd but we are in combat mode so don't want to interrupt by going back in time, suffice it to say Granitt would have grumbled and growled about the water barrel....

Which is a nice way of saying: 'it was great RP opportunity, butchered by GM by rushing game to much ;)'

Noted! :D

Oh no, you kept the game at a nice pace, I don't begrudge you any of that. It would've been nice if Granitt had responded, but I think it's more important to keep the game rolling than to give everyone time to endlessly play out their characters.

I liked the irony of Dorgen being more rude than Granitt because of his blabbermouth, but now I see Granitt has a whopping 14 Charisma and that makes it even better.

In my mind, smart people always tend to talk down on others, hope I'm pulling that off without offending anyone. Please say so if you're uncomfortable, that wasn't my intention.

He will take a shining ammunition (arrow) in addition to the healing potion. He'll also take the rope - he's quite excited about this. I assume the rope is returned at the end of the scenario?

Yeah, any loot found or given during the scenario is returned to the Society and is basically converted to your GP reward, even if those consumables are used up. The only permanent items you carry across scenarios are items you buy yourself.

Also, I see you have only one Lore skill. As part of your Pathfinder training (depending on your school), you get one free Lore skill. Assuming you're from the Swords school (since that's where you get your ammunition from), you get Gladiatorial, Pathfinder Society, Scouting, or Warfare lore. Plus, at level 5, you get a bonus feat, but that's for later.

Also also, since I was diving into your character tab: you have two Hero Points. We can have a maximum of three.