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Jim scratches his chin. "Looks like only a few people here. What do you think--try to take out a few before moving in, or go for the wholesale slaughter now and hit these folks on the way back?" Feck me, I'm about to take advice from an axe.
Jim shrugs. "If they were fighting inside yon dome, I'd expect to see the dust turned to mud. That puts me in mind of something, though. Can I get a dim light on the ground over here?" The Taldan examines the area around the double doors, looking for tracks that don't belong to a militant half-orc.
Suppressing a pang of curiosity, Jim waves Kaul back. "There might be treasure and things to kill in there, but that can wait. Right now we've got a base to burn. Though I'm a mite concerned by the lack of any apparent lookouts--are they that confident that no one would dare attack?"
Feck, after that island I'm not sure about exploring any ruins for a while. Still, best we know if there's something going to creep up on us from inside. "Kaul, mate, mind putting your night eyes to work spying out what's inside yon door? Try not to be seen from the buildings, hey?"
Jim contemplates the scene, thinking. "That dome looks like it's a good place for us to use as a watchtower, and it might be something more if we're lucky. Let's get a mite closer, keeping it between us and the other buildings."
"Let's keep moving. Kaul, you mind taking point?"
Jim shakes his head. "What'd you get yourself into, mate? Next time, come fetch us and we'll help you get things sorted. Corliss, can you patch him up?"
"Aye, and it sounded a mite like Dingus." Although it'll make him a target for anything lurking about, Jim calls up a corposant glow about his blade that sheds a dim blue light on the trail ahead.
Jim shrugs and follows, rapier in hand.
Jim grins a little, shaking his head. "These days, I'm afraid if I looked overlong at a gorgeous sea witch I'd find myself on the wrong side of the Cap'n."
I have to say that I'm enjoying the system, but 1) it seems like primary combatants fare best under P6/P6+, and 2) my character concept for Jim fits well with taking a lot of lower-level feats that ordinarily wouldn't be taken together (they're weaker options than high-level feats). Jim is mechanically easy to play, which gives me attention to spare for tactics (sometimes) and RP. That said, the object of the game is to have fun, and I'd be good with switching systems to find something more reasonable. I haven't played 5e at all, though, so there'd be something of a learning curve there. The only PF2E character I have in our level range is a wizard, so there'd also be a smaller learning curve there. One of the things about any new system that we'd have to handle with some care is that encounter balancing in modules assumes a certain amount of gear (esp. in PF2E)--level-appropriate weapons and armor, etc. We are decidedly not an optimized party (this is not a bad thing, and is in fact one of the things I like about the Freebooters), and the Cap'n has been doing a good job of adjusting the opposition to keep from steamrollering us (e.g., on paper a seugathi would be a level-appropriate encounter for us; in practice, it would tear us apart). But that depends on the Cap'n's familiarity with the system. The short version: I really enjoy the game, both in concept and execution. If we can implement the concept in a new system, I'd be good with changing.
Good luck with the hound, mate.
Jim continues to listen for unpleasantness.
That was my understanding--every level we'd get 1 skill rank (that couldn't take a skill over 6 ranks), 1 HP, and a feat. It was a departure from P6 as written.
Jim stands relatively calmly below, waiting for screams or a report.
"Aye, mate. Good hunting! Give a shout if you need a hand, hey?"
Oof...sounds like RL sucks rocks for you, Corliss. Good luck with further improvement.
Thank you! I've got one more day of work before we close until January 5th, and have also been dealing with holiday prep. I'll try to get a post up before Christmas, but we'll see. If not, I hope you all have wonderful holidays!
Safe travels, Cap'n! And a belated Happy Birthday to our own half-orc thug!
"Aye, that's what I was thinking. After; I don't want to put Fortune in harm's way unless things really go into the sh1tter. Won't be easy--" He grins. "--but the fun ones never are."
The Taldan ponders a moment. "Success breeds success, they say, and if we take the base down we might be able to recruit from among Drava's crew. Or...Corliss! Does Besmara's favor extend to telling whether someone's lying? Because I've got an idea. It'll maybe mean a little less bloodshed on the front end--sorry, Kaul--but if we can kill the officers how about offering quarter to the swabbies who swear honestly to serve aboard Fortune?"
"When you were flying about, Dingus, did you get a look at how many crew are topside on Scourge? Or watchers outside of the lagoon? If so, I'm thinking we put a small party ashore at night, take out the watchers, then have the Fortune come in and sink Scourge 'fore they can get underway. We can use those scrolls to coordinate 'tween the shore party and Fortune."
Jim whistles a sprightly tune while awaiting the birdsnake's return.
Jim looks around. "He was just here a minute ago--he's the one spotted that ship."
I saw. They changed it with maybe ten minutes to go before the scheduled shutdown.
Skald: "Agreed. I'm called Jim...what should we call you?"
"Cap'n Belinna, we may have a deal. They're enemies of Red Aesha, too, but they won't trust that we are unless we take out her spy base on the Tooth. Burn it to the ground, he says, and they'll ally with us. Your call, but I recommend we take him up on his offer."
All, per the Paizo blog the boards are going down at 8PM GMT (or noon PST) on Monday 11/3, expected to be dark for 1-2 days while they put up the new store.
"Stand down a minute, mates--might not be a fight quite yet." Jim nods at the enormous half-orc. Skald: "Aye, I suppose we do at that. But that's because we're out of Freeport, far to the south, and as I understand it so's she. We've come north chasing her, and I'm sure she'd laugh herself sick should two people sworn to end her come to blows."
Jim draws his rapier as the vessel draws alongside, but only holds it ready to parry. Skald: "You savvy Skald? We're foes of hers, too!"
"Feck! Good eye, mate! ALL HANDS, INCOMING!" The Taldan sets a hand on his rapier hilt, but doesn't draw it yet.
The Taldan's first reaction is disbelief, but that quickly passes. And how many eldritch beasts out of legend have I seen? Feck, there may be something like that out there--sea's a chancy place at best. He nods. "Aye, it's not easy out here. What gives me hope, though, is that we're about the Pirate Queen's business, and from what Corliss and my old mate the Groom tell me the monsters of the deep are Hers. If I'm wrong, though--" He shrugs. "--at least it'll be quick."
"What's on your mind, mate? Ever been this far north before?"
Moses doesn't take any notice of the First Mate. He continues shivering and casting wary glances at the thick fog beyond the rail. Jim catches a couple mumbled words- something about snow and monsters. That's post #18000 in the Gameplay thread! I checked the stats--the Freebooters are currently 9th in number of posts, and of the 8 that have more only two are still active.
I had to go back and look at how we were rolling HP.
I just posted--didn't see your post in Discussion. I'm mostly leveled up, but for my own tracking I'll keep the +5 to remind me where the extra feats/skill ranks/HP came from.
When he knows he'll have some time, Jim makes for the bow himself. He doesn't say anything to start with, just nods to the other sailor.
Jim becomes a somewhat more dangerous rapier fighter--right now he has +7 BAB (due to a signature feat), and he'd go to +8 BAB and qualify for Greater Weapon Focus (rapier). With that and the Power Attack bump, he goes from rapier +12/+7 (1d6 + 12) to rapier +13/+8 (1d6 + 14). Or skip Greater Weapon Focus for the moment and take Improved Critical....
Oh, and I'd be good with advancing to L7 and adding feats there for a while.
Jim holds up the wayfinder. "The one who was still alive when we got there said he had one that detected this one from a distance, which seems like a useful trick. Don't know how far away it'd work, though." The Taldan ponders his captain's words for a moment, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Two years in the Imperial Navy burned away any tendency to believe in something bigger than myself--too many fat-arsed officers who owed their positions to who their parents, or grandparents, or some ancestor even further in the past were, staying dirtside and preaching about 'the glory of Taldor' and getting the accolades while the rest of us bled and died on the ocean. The Pathfinders, though, they're not like that at all...." He grins. "Aye, there's something romantic about risking all just to find out more 'bout the world."
End of fiscal year fun at work, along with House GMing the PFS1E special again. I'll get a post up tomorrow.
Jim rubs his hands together to warm them, then goes to report to Belinna. "Well, Cap'n, I'd call this a success. We survived with mind and body reasonably intact, and got some decent loot. And some information that the Pathfinders will likely pay for. They had their own expedition, you see, but none of 'em made it. We have one of their compass things, though, and some of their notes." The Taldan turns over all the Freebooters found on the island.
Jim grimaces. "Aye. Let's get back--got a few things for the Cap'n."
The Taldan waves to Lola and Onzu. "Good to see you two! Things were a bit raw here last night--how was the weather shipboard?"
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