Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber. Venture-Lieutenant, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West 475 posts (11,517 including aliases). 3 reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 31 Organized Play characters. 69 aliases.
With those checks its enough to make progress. I will accept Akoril's hero point as the DC for a lore would be 18. Including +2's for most everyone
MONTAGE!
Over the coming months you dedicate your time to helping the citizens of Nantambu by cutting the legs out from under Froglegs' organization.
_________ Akoril
First, Akoril and Okoro collaborate on a map of the city. They plot out strategic points that a crime lord might use to take as much territory as efficiently as possible. They pass the info on to Noxolo and Soomodevi, who dead-drop pigeons at key locations. During this time the two bond, and Okoro teaches Akoril a few tricks to get an edge in games of strategy. We'll move Okoro to Helpful for Akoril and he will teach you his mind games spell one day Ignaci strolls by and overhears something about "Froglegs" and scoffs. Think this "Froglegs" may have something to do with that specialty grippli lockpick Soomdevi found at the beginning of the year? Or maybe you're all still convinced that it belongs to a demon or some nonsense.
_________ Soomdevi
Noxolo and Soomdevi enjoy their time drinking tea and spying on people through the eyes of the dead. They doodle take notes in composition notebooks and watch motes of dust drift through the evening air. After reporting on several protection schemes to the Chime-Ringers, they note that several local shops seem to thrive again. After a couple months weeks, the leads start to dry up. Someone's listening. Watch it. We got a RAT here!! Soomdevi and Noxolo grin as a thug hops over the dead rat in the alleyway. It's Noxolo's birthday and they are having cake.
_________ Alrinkiri
Alrinkiri and Anchor use Akoril's map too — instead of just gathering information they return to the alleyways and byways to retrieve their Rhythm Bones. They have to spend hours and hours listening to boring conversations, but once in a while there's relevant evidence and they mark the rhythm bone as "relevant" and place it in a pile for the Chime Ringers. They make sure to erase any bones that capture non-criminal activity to respect everyones' privacy.
_________ Chimwemwe
Chim and Haibram use their gliders to track the city from above — eventually some Chime-Ringers on the night watch make a gobo for their lantern and shine it up into the clouds when the need a fleeing criminal tracked from above. The symbol is a harrier hawk with a tear-drop shaped head, a combination of the two students' masks. However Haibram has more success than Chim as the blast-boots seem to alert the criminals when they're being watched. 17+2 ≠ 20 In collaborating on the counterweight, haibram shows Chim a few tricks of his own… We'll move Haibram to Helpful to Chim and he will teach you his Airburst spell
_________ Wisps
Wisps befriends one "fizz," a local neer-do-well who becomes her CI. She brings him baked goods and helps him get a normal job as a haberdasher, helping him get away from his life of petty theft. In the process she learns a lot about the workings of the lower-ranked criminals in the city.
☀☀☀
By the time the crime spree is under control, you're well into the third semester of the school year. Added a current year/semester to GM slashline.
However, you haven't managed to find froglegs. Whoever they are they have gone to ground. For now.
"Or at least lead to a moral at the end. We don't want to teach the seedlings to go chasing after each other with fire, weapons or both."
Popcorn grunts. The moral is "Don't mess with chef!"
She rips vines out her arms and windmills them around, the tendrils spiral out and wrap around the vines soon the far side. Grasping Reach, if it works? She pulls them over and ties up the bridge.
Crafting (E):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
She works as quickly as she can to repair Comeback Bridge.
I plan on having a complete tier 1-4 deck to share shortly after we get our drop (which should be after gencon).
I won't be doing high tier this time as I am playing it and want to avoid spoilers! I'll be adding extras of tokens where possible in case others can use them.
Chef dashes up to the vines to inspect them. As she does so she talks to the necwcomers.
I built a rope bridge bridge here myself, you know. An answer to the horrible sprites always stealing my ingredients and then taunting me from the other side of the river. They didn't laugh anymore when they saw me sprinting across my beautiful rope bridge, flail on fire, screaming for my peppercorns!
As for transitioning between exploration and encounters I have players set a default exploration activity and general marching order before the game starts. It's also a good idea for players to place this info in their PC's "Slashline". This gets the collaborative juices flowing, and they should work together to spread out tasks like Scouting and Searching/Trapfindering.
Most GMs collect all the info from them and roll initiative for all creatures (including players) at the start of the encounter. You let them know when their turn is up, and they post.
I'd recommend checking out other GMs' games to see how they do it. There isn't one correct or best way.
Overall there are certain elements of 2e that don't transition to PbP that great — such as reactions — the best way to overcome this is with TEAMWORK. You and your group should openly discuss this stuff to find what works for you.
Chef takes the oversize pot off the coals. She doesn't clean anything else up though, the smells will become more interesting by the time she gets back to her glade.
It takes a couple of days but towards the middle of the week, you're robbed by a smirking elf who carries a lot of knives, two lizardfolk (one of whom seems to really delight in her job and carries a pile of books in a satchel along with her club, and another who hangs back in the shadows and keeps lookout with a crossbow in his hands), and a human bully with a bald head and lots of bad tattoos. Official art for the first three on slide 1!
Having been mugged myself I am not too interested in roleplaying it out in graphic detail, suffice to say they get away with all the gold you earned and your instruments!
Alrinkiri pads along behind the group, who seems rather careless. The Chime-Ringers have been stretched thin lately, and they are sure no one is watching.
They find the gang’s hideout, the most intact building amid a cluster of abandoned wooden shacks. All the windows have been boarded up while the front door hangs open, barely on its hinges. Smoke drifts out of the back of the building, carrying with it the faint smell of charred food. They all dive inside to count their ill-gotten gold.
You have now located their hideout. What's the plan?
Also PbP macro sheets if anyone feels they could use it. (v2 supports both Paizo and Discord, v3 is a bit more info-rich but only has Paizo support at this time)
Chef Popcorn wears a scorched toque blanche; the glade where she does her cooking has been swept clear of all the flammable underbrush. When the local forest sprites hide her jar of peppercorns or salt shaker she tries to laugh instead of smashing everything to bits, because getting mad only eggs them on. HA. HA. HA. HA. Nevertheless, sometimes there's shouting and a racket…
Today Chef Popcorn's "kitchen" reeks of garlic. She has several pounds of cloves piled on her chef's table (a shattered old farmer's cart), and is mashing them up with her war flail before tossing them into a dangerously overfull pot of oil. Something inside pops.
Garlic popcorn! Enough garlic to kill every vampire in Ustalav! She leans over the pot and wafts the pungent smoke into her nostrils, breathing deep. Yes… hmmm… needs more… GARLIC! The flail pulverizes another three bulbs in quick succession. Into the pot they go.
Chef Popcorn, known to her friends as Chef, would never EAT the food she cooks. That would be ridiculous! It's not what a leshy would do. She loves all the amazing smells that lighting ingredients on fire can create. She is an artist of smell. And of course, every Chef is driven to share their creations with their friends. She is excited to see what they think of today's new recipe.
About an hour in. Hero point to Graax who had epic reactions in the last combat, and also for cat allergies and getting trolled by the cat. Which may keep happening for the whole mod so I better pay it forward now!
Amaaaazing. Can you do one for Starfinder Society, too?
(I have one I made myself just for looking at when trying to decide what to play next; I may have added some of my own commentary to be cleaned up, but hit me up if you want the data!)
Humble recites the small poem again, which is an interpretation of the longer koan: Because I don't think a whole koan would typically fit into a 3-action turn!
Koan wrote:
Not falling, not ignoring:
Odd and even are on one die.
Not ignoring, not falling:
Hundreds and thousands of regrets!
The Story of how the Old Man met Irori:
When Irori lived in the mountains and gave talks to his students, a certain old man would come listen and leave right after the talk. But one day he remained and Irori asked, "Who is there?"
The man said, "I am not actually a human being. I lived and taught on this mountain five hundred lifetimes ago, as you do. One day a student asked me, 'Must a person who practices with great devotion still obey the laws of cause and effect?' I said to him, 'No, such a person need not.' Because I said this I was reborn as a wild fox for five hundred lifetimes." Then he asked Irori, "Does a person who practices with great devotion still fall into cause and effect?"
Irori said, "Don't ignore cause and effect."
Immediately the man had great realization. Bowing, he said, "I am now liberated from the body of a wild fox. I will stay in the mountain behind the monastery. Master, could you perform the usual services for a deceased monk for me?"
Irori gathered his followers and told them they must perform a funeral rite. One of the students asked: "What's going on? Everyone is well; there is no one sick and there is no need for a funeral." Irori led his followers to a large rock behind the monastery and showed them a dead fox at the rock's base. They performed the funeral rites cremeted the body.
That evening Irori talked about what happened that day. A student asked him: "A teacher of old gave a wrong answer, and became a wild fox for five hundred lifetimes. But what if he hadn't given a wrong answer?"
Irori said, "Come closer and I will tell you." The student came closer. Irori slapped his face. Laughing, Irori said, "You have an unusual beard!"
The Old Man, enlightened by irori's Turning Word and now free from his fox form, became Irori's herald.
Male Investigator 11 | Perc +19 (M) | Speed: 30' | HP: 118/118 | AC: 29 (30) | Fort: +17 Ref: +20 Will: +20 (Resolve, Slippery Secrets, +2 vs Lead) |Spells: Foc: 1/2; 1: 1/1 2: 0/1 3: 1/1 | Exploration: Investigate (Trapfinder +20 (M)) | Hero Points: 1 | Status: Lead (Yniesse), Mind of Menace, Inspiring Cour.
Blind roll to move things along, but if you prefer rolling please do, all good!
Blind Roll:
[dice=Sadlark's Deception (M)]1d20+22/dice]
Sadlark disguises himself as an enthusiastic but not overly bright young man with thick glasses who's scouting the area for a nonfiction ghost hunting book. He talks loudly about ghosts wherever he goes.
He stands alone on the bridge and shouts: BRO DID SOMEONE JUST SCRATCH ME?!!
Doug Hahn
Venture-Lieutenant, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Yep, I am not scheduling it in my area and I think that is a common understanding among the VO corps in general. I was honestly surprised to see that you played it recently.
Doug Hahn
Venture-Lieutenant, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
2 people marked this as a favorite.
I know 1e had stuff like Companion Cold Weather Outfits but these things aren't in 2e yet.
With no way for the PCs to indemnify their companions against environmental effects such as severe cold, it doesn't seem fair to punish them. I've handwaved it for now and allowed the PCs flavor in a doggy sweater for suspension od disbelief, etc.
Doug Hahn
Venture-Lieutenant, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Seems pretty straightforward overall.
I added some assets on PFS Prep:
- Encrypted / Decrypted letter from the Peddler (I encrypted it according to what the scenario says)
- Letters to minions (Letter to Cole about previous targets, and letter about meeting place) (I made these up)
- Chase handouts with skills listed in order of ascending difficulty
Alrinkiri can be seen walking around with their own jacket, and gets quite good at practicing throws with Haibram near the Soaring Spire where combat bouts are a lot more fun. At night they help Root plant rhythm bones under the stage at the upcoming Sovereign show (he's performing the complete Purple Reign) and though she's searched Root makes it out! The recording sounds excellent.
☀☀☀
Chim
Thank you. Says Esi. They go up on the roof and look at the stars together late into the night…
Ultimately Chimwemwe finds that the "B-" is deserved — though some of Koride's comments are a bit harsh — Esi was just pushing herself too hard. Helping Chimwemwe with his paper (which is ultimately about the narrative that we have of our lives from within is fundamentally a lie), helps get her back on track. The break helps her slow down and refocus; soon she's getting straight A's again. Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast, I guess…
☀☀☀
Akoril
Akoril talks to Ot about Binji's education, and her desire to become a student and help others. The teacher chuckles. Her heart is in the right place. What more can we ask? You can sponsor anyone for the university yourself, once you are raised to the rank of conversant. He thinks. She would go through the same process as you did… though perhaps some remedial schooling would be a good idea first? Do you think you could help her learn?
☀☀☀
Wisps
Wisps, Zachva, and Zanvi make two batches of cookies: "Arrrgghhhh" sugar cookies shaped like pirate hats with sugar glazing and "Chocolate Chirpie" where half the sweets inside are chocolate chips and the other half are crickets. You never know what you'll get in each bite. Surprisingly, the cricket cookies are a hit with the kids after some of the tougher kids in the school eat them on a dare!
In order to earn credit for PFS it must be:
Recognizably Pathfinder.
Recognizably the same story.
Recognizably the same setting.
(Obviously, if you will have more fun changing any of those you *should*. It just means it won't qualify for chronicle sheets.)
This is confusing. I can find nothing about "Recognizably Pathfinder" in the Guide itself, nor do I see it in any sanctioning docs. Further, there is nothing in the guide or sanctioning docs defining what would disqualify a game for earning chronicle sheets. (What does "recognizably Pathfinder" or "recognizably the same story" even mean? The guide says you need to run it in Pathfinder; nothing more, nothing less.)
Vague requirements for earning chronicles seem to have been created in an ad-hoc forum post from the guide lead. If this is the official intent of the team and of Paizo, then this language needs to be clarified and added to the Guide itself.
For reference, here is the actual link to the guide: Modes of Play.
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One nice thing about our current iteration of Adventure mode is that sanctioning happens faster. I love getting sanctioning in adventures same day of publication. Simple is good in that regard.
Doug Hahn
Venture-Lieutenant, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Mark Stratton wrote:
I have no intention of every requiring people to sign up for all sessions, particularly for something that's more than a few sessions long. Yes, we all understand that things come up, but I'd rather not set the expectation that you must be there for all sessions.
My thoughts probably came off as a bit dogmatic when you were just looking for a simple answer. I am right there with NielsenE on general cutoffs too.
3-chronicle modules definitely made getting these things off the ground a lot easier.
Doug Hahn
Venture-Lieutenant, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Why does the player even want to play 1/3 of a module? If you haven't done so, it may also be a good idea to check whether that is OK with the entire group; it seems disruptive, especially with a module like Malevolence which is complex and challenging.
Our stores require players to initially commit to ALL sessions of a scheduled module, or not sign up. As the weeks go by, all participants are expected to collaborate as needed; it's also OK to miss a session because like Rob said things happen.
Anyway, for unforeseen situations that make a player miss games, I would give credit. However, I would be hesitant to encourage pre-planned, partial play-throughs that miss over half the module.
Doug Hahn
Venture-Lieutenant, California—San Francisco Bay Area South & West
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Glad you find it useful!
The intent is to community-source the work with the PF community; anyone can request a change or submit an edit; all the docs are all written in simple Markdown instead of scary computer code. I've already integrated useful updates from a few people.
I have been trying to collect the boons, FaQs, and Errata in a more usable format. You should be able to find what you need there. Esoteric Spellcaster CRB Options, for example. All the items you can purchase are also linked to AoN.
Male Hobgoblin Runelord 1 | 25’ | HP: 16/16 | AC: 15 (Mage Armor; 16 w/shield) | Perc: +2 (T) | F: +5 R: +4 W: +4 (+1 cir. vs spell [+2 vs arcane] as reaction; +1 circ. vs fear or intimidate; +2 to will DC vs intimidate) | Exploration: Investigate | Spells Avail.: 1: 1/2 (1) Foc.: 2/2 Dr.: 1/1 | Hero Points: 0 | Status: Mage Armor
'Aspis' is the organization for which the term 'mendacity' was coined. 'Pathfinder' is a byword for 'hardship.' Each is a menace in its own right; therefore, Gobo cannot blame Branwaen. He, too, shall absquatulate the Blackwood region.
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Back at camp Gobo tries to get as clean as he can. He sharpens his fauchard, making sure its blade is razor-sharp and gleams for his next mission. A Runelord must have pride in his weapon!
The next morning he steps out of his tent with several bloody bandages on his fingers, ready to head to Cassomir and board the Mimosa. He stretches in the sunlight and drops the fauchard. It doesn't matter; in a few hours enough he'll be resting in one of the ship's luxury suites. Soon he'll be sipping champagne with the haut monde in the ballroom under a crystal chandelier… for surely, the Pathfinder Society would not have stinted on travel expenses back to Absalom.
Male Hobgoblin Runelord 1 | 25’ | HP: 16/16 | AC: 15 (Mage Armor; 16 w/shield) | Perc: +2 (T) | F: +5 R: +4 W: +4 (+1 cir. vs spell [+2 vs arcane] as reaction; +1 circ. vs fear or intimidate; +2 to will DC vs intimidate) | Exploration: Investigate | Spells Avail.: 1: 1/2 (1) Foc.: 2/2 Dr.: 1/1 | Hero Points: 0 | Status: Mage Armor
The runelord speaks from the heart, with so much real passion he drops his polearm.
Gobo knows this: Pathfindering requires one to trudge through vile cesspools that suck hungrily at one's fine new boots, pull allies out of drowning mires crawling with flies, choke in the sulfurous stink of centuries-old rotten eggs, be tormented by horrific creatures both living and undead, and last but not least be put upon by the rigors of excessive frugality.
It is axiomatic that Pathfindering is terrible for one's health and self-esteem.
Male Duskwalker Champion (Redeemer) 5 | 20' | HP: 73/73 | AC: 24 (25 with Shld) | Perc: +9 (T; Darkvision) | F: +11 R: +7 W: +11 | Exploration: Scout | Marshal Aura: 10' status vs Fear | LoH used: 0/1 | Status: | Hero Points: 2
Who could have done this?! Yan looks around in a panic, then freezes. Wait I read about something like thin in Ms. Peabody’s book Bake, Borrow, Steal. No one touch anything or move... otherwise you might contaminate the crime scene... of course there was more flour and frosting in the book, and there are more ashes here but... never mind that. We need to look for clues!
Wisps has a tough semester, barely keeping up. Her time is taken up by tracking down the source of spiders that Oba was feeding the griffons, and making sure that the zookeeper only sources quality food from now on — and nothing that is remotely connected to the shape or sense of other humanoids in the area! She has to remind Oba — in front of the magistrate-mayors — that there are anadi students here and that they need to be safe, just like everyone else. Teacher Ot, who witnessed the griffon attack, helps her present her case.
Janatimo, of course, is also amazed by the coincidence. It is both more mundane and more fantastical a coincidence than he would have imagined. Now you see why we did that little exercise at the beginning of the semester, yes? Truth is stranger than fiction!
☀☀☀
Chimwemwe's Retraining
Chimwemwe and Ahassunu work together on his communication. She even asks him to go to an "open mic" night on the speaker's stage, where the amateur poets hang out and read their verse to the world! Some of your ideas are arcane and convoluted. Poetry is the perfect place for that kind of thing! Ahassunu chuckles. Oh sorry, I hope I did not offend. You know, one time while I was on a diplomatic mission to Absalom I said something mildly critical of one Lady Glorianna Morilla's tea… she rambles into along-winded story once again.
Please, make your retraining complete — this is months!
☀☀☀
Soomdevi
Soomdevi spends most of his time working on Glimmer Rain with Janatimo.
Soomdevi's Society (T to decipher writing):1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
He chooses Ignaci's avant-garde language poem in the magazine because it emphasizes the role of the reader in determining a poem's meaning. After the journal comes out Ignaci sees him in the common room and winks at him. Didn't think the school would actually publish something so anti-Cheliax. I hated Baron Utilinusm and all those colonialists. Thanks. There must have been a hidden meaning in the verse. Soomdevi gets the feeling Ignaci has some … personal enmity for the deposed colonial custodian.
Soomdevi:
You also take another secret trip to the Shadow-Magaambya for Koride. Blinks is scared to go back; you know the pup is anxious about being abandoned there.
☀☀☀
Akoril
While Akoril studies, Binji tries to study too, mimicking the magus. While Akoril arranges furniture to the ever-shifting ley-lines, Binji lays her crayons and brooms out in interesting patterns, too. When Akoril finishes, she cleans up after herself but doesn't touch his new arrangements.
In his free time, Akoril studies about the local culture, getting a sense for the ebb and flow of the city — the way the crowds move across the bridges, the boats in the water paddling fast or slow… it's as if they follow their own set of rules… like invisible ley-lines tugging at the hivemind.
Alrinkiri's story, Who Hears the Mpeshi? is published in Glimmer Rain, and they receive a contributor's copy which they put on a shelf. The story makes Root cry. Even if they forget many years from now, perhaps Alrinkiri can come back and read the story… especially because Janatimo casts a preservation spell on the copy!
In the process of writing the story, something about the Mpeshi's plight resonates with them. They have a vague sense of deja vu — of wanting to be heard. But no one heard them. No one listened. Not for so long.
At branch level 4 you get a skill feat in Crafting, Lore, or Performance!
☀☀☀
Binji & the Spiderlings
Binji takes to the job board; structure does her good. She needs the board to be drawn in pictures, though. Kurshkin told Binji reading steal thoughts out of your head! Clearly, the pugwampi heard goblin legends from long ago and used them to ensure her minions stayed underfoot.
The rainy season passes slowly; everyone stays cooped up inside. Zachva and Zanvi are a little more grown up now… they argue with less frequency, but when they do the conflict lasts longer and has deeper intensity. The twins also take to helping Binji now that Wisps has an army of spiders eating the fleas, they lend the grimple servant their coloring books and work on crafting projects together. Zachva and Zanvi are also rather precocious and keen on sharing their learning, and start teaching Binji how to read.
—Hey! Ephie wavers between gratitude for not being covered in vampiric bats, the urge to chop up Mr. Splinters with his axe, and this fresh new horror.
He decides to stick with what he knows best: fresh horrors.
He strides forward and peers at the creature. If they give different things, Ephie will use an action for Occultism, and an action for Arcana, +10 each.
If you help me, my family and I will leave the area. We'll go to the mountains. We will leave you alone!
With the anadis' help you can sneak past Oba and her hunters. Along the way, Soomdevi and the Mpeshi work out some basic gestures, so it can understand basic communication after the spell wears off.
☀☀☀
Farmer Werkneh is on the road near the gates to his property. Funny how he always just seems to appear when people are coming and going from his property.
He rubs his chin. So that's the critter, eh? Didn't know gators could jump. Didn't know goats could fly. He spits. Welp. A man learns something' new every day.
And you say Oba had this thing caged up in her zoo? I ain't happy with her. That's for sure.
You done your job. I'll uphold my end of the bargain. If you school students need anythin' from me, lemme know.Being a prominent member of the farming collective he could help you as a witness for the magistrate-mayor.
Go on then, git. Whatever hijinks you're up to with that critter, do 'em well off my property. He pauses. Hmmm. Can't get back to town with something' like that, leaping' around' behind you. Tell you what. Go borrow my double-wide cart and donkeys. I'll send someone over to retrieve 'em in the morning.
With the farmer's generous help, it's easy to transport the GOAT back to the university. It doesn't like being in the cart, but as long as you leave its top open to the sky it seems to calm down.
Male Hobgoblin Runelord 1 | 25’ | HP: 16/16 | AC: 15 (Mage Armor; 16 w/shield) | Perc: +2 (T) | F: +5 R: +4 W: +4 (+1 cir. vs spell [+2 vs arcane] as reaction; +1 circ. vs fear or intimidate; +2 to will DC vs intimidate) | Exploration: Investigate | Spells Avail.: 1: 1/2 (1) Foc.: 2/2 Dr.: 1/1 | Hero Points: 0 | Status: Mage Armor
Gobo is releived when the filthy ooze dies, then starts to cry when he sees the snake. WAAAH!! Why must calamity after calamity hound Gobo wherever he goes!?
The runelord quickly shrouds himself in a Veil of Confidence, but not before he drops his polearm. FAH! Gobo gestures at a stalactite above the snake, bringing it down on the creature.
Sometimes I roll for players to keep it moving, but I generally believe that allowing PCs to roll themselves creates a more engaging / affirming experience.
That said, a simple rule for these situations might be something such as:
Rule wrote:
Any abilities that modify the dice in advance should be declared by the player, then rolled in a separate post by the gm.
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If a GM is so worried about cheating that they're running scripts and looking at bell curves, I'd wonder whether they're playing in the right environment and with the right people.
There are some other PbP platforms like Gamers Plane that hide the roll results from players until the post is saved. (And also hides them from the GM, last I checked. Trust is a two-way street and if you lack trust in your players they may not have trust you as a GM either. In such a case a platform like Gamers plane where cheat-prevention is universal is probably a better fit.)
