Hamza Mīnakshi's page

The rules system we use(regardless of which it is) has no bearing on the type or quality of stories being told. They mere provide a rules frame work with which to do so.

That said, if we were to ever switch to PF2, Hamza would be a completely unplayable character at that point as both his classes and his PrCs are Path of War, which hasn't(and likely won't be) converted to PF2.

Meaning, I would just bow out of the game, as I have no desire to play/make an entirely different build for him.

Sebecloki wrote:

"you are shunted 1d10 × 100 feet in a random horizontal direction from your desired endpoint"

what about that point?

At worst, I end up 1000ft from where I want to be. I am under the impression this fortress is **massive** so 1000ft off isn't that big a deal.

If it's much smaller than that, and 1000ft is actually a big distance from my destination, then perhaps I'll use a different teleport effect.

Here. Waiting for this to get a reply. Didn't wanna pester you cuz I figured you were busy with work.

"you are shunted 1d10 × 100 feet in a random horizontal direction from your desired endpoint"

what about that point?

At worst, I end up 1000ft from where I want to be. I am under the impression this fortress is **massive** so 1000ft off isn't that big a deal.

If it's much smaller than that, and 1000ft is actually a big distance from my destination, then perhaps I'll use a different teleport effect.

I think because ("you can't make out details of the terrain or areas you pass over during transit") it means lingering in the Plane of Shadow to spy or scout on the Prime Material is not effective.

This is basically how I saw it as well.

Am I misunderstanding something here in this description, or can you not really control where you end up?

Quote:

Because of the blurring of reality between the Plane of Shadow and the Material Plane, you can't make out details of the terrain or areas you pass over during transit, nor can you predict perfectly where your travel will end. It's impossible to judge distances accurately, making the spell virtually useless for scouting or spying. Furthermore, when the spell effect ends, you are shunted 1d10 × 100 feet in a random horizontal direction from your desired endpoint. If this would place you within a solid object, you are shunted 1d10 × 1,000 feet in the same direction. If this would still place you within a solid object, you (and any creatures with you) are shunted to the nearest empty space available, but the strain of this activity renders each creature fatigued (no save).

I always took this to mean you can travel to the general area you wanted. Hamza wants to get near the main citadel, bypassing any defenses in between the outer wall and the fortress.

Glimmerscale smirks in reaction to the demon's nonchalant remarks,

"Why yes, you are quite perceptive that the former demesne of the High Templar Ahmun Ahnpur of Kalidnay is indeed our ultimate objective. However, I do not understand why you effect so sanguine an attitude in regards to the difficulty of reaching said vantage. Do you truly imagine that no defenses lie betwixt our persons and the center of this impressive stronghold."

The shadow demon flashes Glimmerscale a grin "Well, we're about to find out. If this works, we'll pretty close to our goal. If not, we'll do it the more mundane way."

He cuts a shadowy rift in the air with his kama, and motions the pterran to step through. Shadow Walk SLA

Hamza looks to his companion. "I'm going to guess our target is within that skull fortress, and that it would be rather pointless to try and make our way through the outer section, if we don't have to?"

"Then follow me." He says, happy to get away from Lady Arisone and her ridiculous plots. He teleports down from his perch to any shadowed area about a hundred feet from the Scarabbhold.

He then surveys the fortress, looking for the best way inside. 1d20 + 36 ⇒ (8) + 36 = 44 Perception.

"You have indeed deduced my intended purpose, come let us hither unto the perilous walls of the high templar's ancient redoubt."

"I am uniquely suited to such stealthy endeavors. Will you be able to keep up with me? I would hate for you to be left behind because you lack the ability to travel the shadows or hide in the darkness."

Hamza flashes a bit of an evil smile at Glitterscale. "Are you suggesting we infiltrate the Scarabbhold and attempt to abscond with this Seed of Tenebrain, and possibly other ancient artifacts that might within it walls? And likely contend with some rather unpleasant and probably very powerful foes in order to accomplish said heist? Sounds fun."

In character, Hamza would be most interested in option 2 and 3, though I am unsure if he actually has in game knowledge of those things.

It's entirely possible he could accomplish 2 on his own, especially since I still have my badass familiar to aid me, even if the player has left the game.

Raam is his adopted city, and he is actually an insurrectionist within Raam(he has the trait of the same name) and of course, is one of the assassins Seb mentioned.

However, does he even know about the Orb or the machinations of Dregoth in game??

Apologies for not yet voting. My weekend was hella busy as I had to temporarily rearrange my basement as I had a brand new couch delivered today along with the old one being removed.

Give me some time to catch up on some other stuff, and I will let you know what I think we should do. I also need to re-read over all the options before voting.

I made a post to Hamza, and he didn't reply, and then other players have made posts that assume a plot direction we haven't decided on yet.

You posted on Tuesday, and by Wed had posted in discussion about wanting us to pick a direction, and that until you had group consensus, were putting the game on hold.

I'm sorry I haven't replied yet. I've been busy IRL, as I have to completely rearrange my basement as I'm getting a brand new sleeper couch and the old, incredibly heavy one needs to be removed.

Been also helping my mom outside all week, as we've had gorgeous weather.

As for the game, maybe it would be best if you put it on hold. While I do love the game, the world you've created, and my PC, it seems you are in fact rather stressed out.

Not only with this game, but the interest check you were running also seemed to have cause you unnecessary aggravation. Which is unfortunate, as I was pretty hyped for a Tian-Xia Hobogoblin domination game.

If all of this is causing you too much stress, on top of everything you're dealing with your IRL job, perhaps we all need a break?

Heh, it's actually mainly for some maneuvers, but it's not like I can turn it off.

Hamza turns to his recently rescued companion. "How well do you know the Lady? I am uncertain I fully trust her"

Still not sure he can trust her, Hamza attempts to get a read into Lady Arsione's intentions. Sense Motive, Skill God for an 80. Trying to verify how sincere her invention is, and if she has any hidden motives for inviting us.

Seb, were Glitterscale and Arsione speaking 'common/trade tongue'? You made it seem like he couldn't speak any sort of language Hamza and he might have in common, hence the signing.

Gotak is going away; I am withdrawing from the game. Good luck and have fun, everyone!

Oh, that's a bit of a bummer. I kinda liked her. Is there a reason your leaving? Feel free to PM me or message me on Discord if you don't wanna talk about why publicly.

Hamza and Glitterscale reappear roughly a hundred feet or so away from where Lady Arsione is now floating in the air.

"Hmm, this situation appears to have a taken a bit of a turn for the worst."

Seb, I assume Hamza and Glitterscale leave and arrive without interruption?

Hamza teleported through the wall, he never physically bypassed it. Now, if there was an alarm spell around the caravan, he's incorporeal when he's moving, thanks to Incorporeal Step from the Shadow Lord template. As to them reacting, are they right next to him? Shadow Walk is a spell like ability, meaning it's activated as a standard action, is done so mentally(ie there's no way to know what he's doing to thus counter him) and they can't not be counterspelled.

At the silence shattering bellow, Hamza looks around quickly, but realizes the sound is coming from the camp. :::"Definitely time to go. I hope your friend, should she live, is able to make it out of here on her own.":::

The assassin slices the air with his kama, tearing a rift into the shadow plane, and ushers Glitterscale through. Purely fluff use of his Shadow Walk ability.

:::"Well, I guess there's not much we can do about that. If she lives, hopefully she'll chose to reveal herself. Are you ready to leave? I'll get us out of here and past the tarek if you are.":::

:::"Yes, that's who tasked us with investigating what happened to this caravan. Any suggestions on how to find Brighttalon??":::

Incorporeal has always been one of the more complicated abilities.

The last paragraph mentions an incorporeal creature can't be heard if it doesn't want to be, but doesn't say anything about visual perception.

:::Well, well, clever little imp, aren't you? Found me out? I'll warn you I'm tougher than those silly little nails, so don't try anything funny, alright? I took the time you were rummaging around like a drunk ogre to fully prepare myself for any dirty tricks you might be contemplating. But there's no reason we have to start out on the wrong foot, anyway, since I have no wish to harm you. I'm merely interested in getting out of this unpleasant predicament and being on my merry way to the the city-state of Raam, and then to Tyr and Yaramuke. I don't suppose we might strike a mutually equitable deal of some sort so that you might assist me in extracting myself from the midst of the savages that attacked my convoy?:::

Hamza's hands flash quickly in reply to the hidden pterran. :::"Set your mind at ease friend. I am a part of a group sent by Lady Almah to discover what happened to caravan you were a part of. Are you the only survivor, or are there others?":::

actually I interpreted that he was going to use the staff against her, which made her defensive.

Honestly, both are possible interpretations, but Gotak left her actions completely open. She didn't say or hint one way or another what her intent was.

I'm guessing Cae isn't taking chances with a completely unknown person. Which I think is a big part of this. We don't know anything about Gotak or her motivations. She just showed up outta nowhere. We can't trust her cuz we don't know her.

I could argue that Vyse lost control of the staff at the point that Gotak deflected it, but no matter. You have your scenario you want to play out; go to.

While that is possible, he deflected it up against the wall of the fortress, did he not? Meaning until he went to pick it up, nobody had control over it. Which should allow Vyse to regain control.

However, one could also argue that Vyse never lost control. After all, just because you slapped it away, doesn't mean he relinquished his hold on the staff.

All that said, we are bordering on PvP, which I do not believe any of us older players actually want. I don't think Cae 'has a scenario he wants to play out.' Rather, you decided to hand the staff that robs him of his power back to his slave mistress who basically just admitted she was a defiler. I would want to stop that as well. How is that possibly a good idea?

I can see the argument, but that's not what RAW says as far as I can see. If we're going to go with this view, then Glimmerscale is going to use a different function of Intimidate, because that wasn't the understanding I was working with when I posted, I'll change my post to reflect that.

Not everything needs to be strictly RAW, in fact in many cases, going purely by RAW is a mistake. That's why RAI(Rules As Intended) is often used.

Hamza has DR 10/Magic, so what's the bonus damage of each spear? As of right now, he completely ignores the rolled damage. I assume he needs to actually take damage for the poison to apply?

Hey, if I was gonna exploit meta knowledge, I would ignore the compartment because I know it has a trap I can't detect. There were a few instances where depending on what the rug depicted, Hamza would ignore it, but he's curious enough to wanna know what's in there based on it being Raamite.

Am I allowed any saves to avoid the spears? Also, crap, I forgot to update my AC from the rebuild. It's supposed to be 57.

Intrigued and curious as to what might lie beneath a rug depicting imagery from his adopted homeland, Hamza attempts to open the secret compartment.

Yes, I am fully accepting the consequences. I have decent enough defensive options that I am not too worried.

Let me know which knowledge(s) I should roll. After that, I'll decide if Hamza wants to actually open the secret door or not.

Hamza can detect magical traps via trapfinding, once more taking 20 on Perception for a 56 to see if there's any magical traps on the secret door.

Also, does it seem like the pattern on the rug means anything? Should I make a knowledge check on it?

Hamza will attempt to sneak past the tareks who seem preoccupied with their massive feast and tries to investigate the ruined remains of the caravan itself.

Again, taking 20 on Perception for a 56. He's searching the caravan for anything noteworthy or important.

Also, weren't a couple people all about finding this destroyed caravan?

Yeah, Hamza went off to investigate, but I wasn't feel all that well the last couple of days. Nothing serious, just off. Spent yesterday just chilling, and unlocking the Nightborne race in WoW.

I will reply later today. It's a gorgeous, beautiful day out(first we've had in about a week), so my mom and I are gonna make a dump run, and do some outdoor work.

Seb, does it seem possible that I can sneak past tareks without them noticing me? I know my stealth is crazy high, but I would rather not take chances if it seems risky.

How does Hamza get over the 100+ ft. thick and tall walls? There's no gate, the tarek spokesperson came out of a tunnel that goes under the wall.

Well, for starters, he can fly 65ft, good maneuverability. But, far more likely, he used either Shadow Step or Shadow Walk

Shadow Step has a range of 200ft, and I can do it several times a day. Since I was perched up on the roofs of one of the houses at the start of this scene, you told me I could see the caravan from my vantage point, so I know where I'm going.

Now that he's gotten away from Lady Arsione, Hamza steps through the shadows, and reappears among the wreckage of the caravan. He begins searching through the rubble, looking for anything important or noteworthy.

I'm a dink, and forgot we have gestalt PrCs. Hamza has Hide in Plain Sight from Shadowdancer. As long as there's dim light, he can stealth. Stealth total: 82

Gonna take 20 on Perception, for a 52

Seb, is the telepathic communication with Slavathras continuous? Ie, can I contact him whenever, or does he need to message me first?

Ahh, all good. Things can easily get confused online. That's why I asked, to clear stuff up.

I don't think this is going to actually devolve into combat (or at least that's not what I'm intending), but now that people are taking 'attack-like' actions, we need to have an order of sequence to resolve actions.

I have to agree with Gotak. None of us have taken any sort of 'attack-like action'. The only invoking of any sort of rules/mechanics since the duel ended was Hamza shadow stepping away.

Your NPC initiated a combat action by forcibly trying to shut that down.

All the PCs have tried to do is avoid combat via parley, and the discussion of the greater points of good/evil/law/chaos.

If one of us did something hostile, by all means, please point it out. I am at a loss otherwise.

In response to Arsione defying his order to stay away from him, Hamza moves in the blink of the eye, stretching and distorting time, to appear far away from the defiant 'Lady'.

Using Temporal Distortion as a counter, which is an immediate action. They can be used at any time, even when it's not your turn. It allows him to move up to twice his movement speed(110ft) without provoking attacks of opportunity.

As I said above, at the very least, we need to roll initiative, as her doing so is clearly a combat action. Especially after Hamza told her to come no closer.

Spending a mythic power point to use Mythic Improved Initiative, treating my roll as natural 20. This gives me a 72

Is she still going to try and prevent Hamza from shadow porting away?

Arsione is going to try to step forward quickly to prevent Hamza from using his shadow abilities. What kind of check, or opposed check, do you think would be fair?

An initiative check, for starters. Beyond that, unsure. But I am going to bed, as it's almost 5am.

"Honestly, I don't care what you all do. None of this matters to me. I tried to prevent this fight, but you seem hell-bent on bloodshed. Fine, so be it. Go ahead and slaughter each other, have fun, enjoy yourselves."

With that said, the assassin steps into the shadows and disappears.