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Kemat and Arloric check on the prisoner, and he eagerly accepts the offer of food and water. Then Telerin channels energy into the room, and he shudders as it washes over him.
His tone immediately changes from that of a weakened, desperate man to something altogether different. In a firm, appraising voice, he says, "Clever. And here I believed I'd thought of everything." The manacles fall off as his form shifts.
They don't resist as you tie them up. One of them even says, "You went through Konneshka and the gargoyles like they were paper. I'm not stupid enough to try something."
It also gave them the opportunity to make it clear that the versatile heritages are open for any ancestry. Instead of the "original" elf/human and human/orc assumption. This is the larger reason, IMHO. The implication that only humans could cross-breed was always a little rude. That, and it's unnecessarily reductive. People's ancestries are way more complicated than that, even in the real world.
Clearly, the difference here is that "half-elf" and "half-orc" are hyphenated, while "halfling" is not. I, for one, am alarmed by this anti-hyphen agenda.
I have been reviewing what comes next after you take the castle, and I don't have any qualms about labeling most of it as "filler". Dungeon crawls aren't so great in this format because combat takes forever, and even if I was keeping on top of things as much as I'd like it'd be months of drudgery. So I am planning to trim off the fat.
you can ready a swift action with your standard action Readying a swift action doesn't replace your swift with a standard. You are just setting a trigger on when you use your swift action. I think the issue with performing a swift as a standard action is that a character could take two swift actions in the round, which would be OP. There is no rule that lets you take a swift action as a standard.
The rules on lighting define what you can see in an area that is illuminated by a light source, not what light sources you can see. There are no rules for the latter, and you'll need to use your discretion. In total darkness, a bright light source can be seen from a considerable distance.
My second PF campaign was the one where I really dove into the lore, and played a multiclass wizard/evangelist of Shelyn. I really fell in love with Crystalhue as a holiday, and how much it feels like the spirit of Christmas.
Try deleting your cookies for paizo.com
We are playing Age of Worms as a PF1e conversion. Our GM substituted an entire dungeon in one of the AoW chapters because, many years back in their homebrewed campaign, they actually lifted that dungeon and used a modified version of it as a standalone. I have no idea if we would have remembered it because that's going back about 17 years or more, but I understand the concern.
In this weekend's game, our characters were in a new city and were going to be there a while, so we asked the GM about renting a house. It's a little thing I like to call AirDnD.
We could make out a faint, green glow in the distance. That was new. What wasn’t new was the sound of a canine growling. I had heard that sound during my initiation nine years ago, and it’s one you don’t forget: wolves. Back then, I was on my way out and admittedly I got lucky. This time, we’d have to face them if we wanted to keep going. I didn’t enjoy fighting wolves. But we did it, and I’m here to talk about it, so I’ll leave it at that. There was a third junction just a little farther in. The wolves had made their den to the right, among a pile of debris. It looked like there might have been a chamber beyond, but the structure had collapsed, filling the passage with rubble. This gave me the chills, too, as it was an uncomfortable reminder that caves collapse, especially man-made ones. Mom doesn’t say it, but I think she worries every day when dad goes to work. Cave-ins in the mines are rare, but two have happened in my lifetime and I am not exactly old. I try not to think about it. We dug through the rubble and found a pack, an armband, and an old lantern with indigo glass. It reminded me of Sergiu’s lamp, only a lot fancier. Oh, and also a stone finger, like it had maybe been broken off a statue. The other side was intact, and had an enormous mural wrapping around the wall at the end, in faded colors. If you stood there, the effect was one of standing in a room with seven passageways leading away from you. In the image, each hallway ended in a colored lamp hanging from a chain, with the colors arranged in the order of the rainbow. The lamps in the painting looked similar to the indigo one we were carrying, which felt too much like a coincidence to be a coincidence. I mean, I am new to this line of work, but it felt like one of those obvious clues you hear about in stories. The main hallway continued deeper into the tomb, but it was filled with webs from who knows how many spiders. The green light shone through them from beyond, giving it a haunting appearance. Snagsby and I looked at the webs, then at each other. He nodded and then used a spell to create sparks that set them alight. The webs directly in front of us burned away quickly, but so did the fire before the rest could catch. It was apparently something he could repeat, though, so he ignited the next layer, then the one after that. We moved ahead cautiously, burning the webs as we went and sending hundreds of spiders scurrying into the holes and cracks in the stone. It was slow going, clearing what must have been a hundred feet of web-choked hall, but it was better than cutting our way through it and being swarmed by arachnids. I kept waiting for a larger spider to drop on us, but mercifully that wasn’t on the day’s agenda. The passage opened up into a large, central chamber with hallways radiating out like eight points of a compass rose. The hall we came from was “south”. At the end of the others hung a lamp on a chain at roughly eye level, the scene nearly identical to the painting we had seen just a few minutes ago. The light came from the green lantern that was hanging straight ahead in the northern point, the only one that was lit. Two of the seven lanterns were missing: indigo, which we seemed to have in our possession, and red. The ceiling above rose to a dome. In the center of the room sat a sarcophagus. Or what I assumed was a sarcophagus, since I had never actually seen one before. Again, it’s my first day. The lid was carved into a statue of a man lying flat on his back, eternally asleep. One of his hands was outstretched, and Sagsby noted that a finger was broken off. He pulled out the one we found, cast a spell, and it reattached as if it were whole. Neat trick. Zhog and I each grabbed the lid to lift it off. This was a bad idea. Flames burst out from it as it opened, and in our surprise we both let go. The lid slammed back into place and we checked ourselves for serious burns. I was singed a bit and it hurt, but not as badly as my pride did. We tried again, only this time from the sides. Again, flames shot out, but this time we weren’t where they were and no harm was done. We set the lid on the ground and we were feeling rather clever until we discovered that it was as empty as it appeared. Raiding an ancient tomb was turning out to be a lot more complicated than I had thought. We turned our attention to the other halls. Each went a short distance and dead-ended at the lantern hung from it’s chain below a low, domed ceiling. Taking a cue from the mural, we lit the remaining lanterns, and hung the indigo in its rightful place. Below the blue lantern in the northeast hall, though, we saw someone’s skeletal remains. Several of its bones were broken. Looking up, we saw the ceiling was quite higher than the others, and there appeared to be a passageway there. “Looks like they fell to their death,” Viktor said. It seemed reasonable. Several of us set our heavy packs down, and we all climbed the chain, one person at a time, to have a look. Viktor and Varin needed a little help, but we weren’t too worried: Varin said he had spells that could arrest a fall, just in case someone slipped. We emerged in a small chamber with a short hall leading away towards a giant carving of a head at the end, with a mouth several feet wide, open in a raging scream. Everyone agreed this was some sort of wind trap because what else could it be? Sera and Snagsby pulled out sets of climbing pitons, and started driving them into the cracks in the walls on either side. Viktor, Varin, and Viore—the “V” club—stayed behind as the rest of us worked. Sera and Snagsby tied the ropes to the pitons, and we advanced along the hall, pounding the metal spikes in every few feet, forming a safety line that we all could hold on to. As Sera neared the face, the eyes began to glow red, forming swirling, mesmerizing patterns. Sera and Zhog couldn’t tear gaze away. And then the wind began. It was a stiff wind at first, like you might find in a summer storm. Sera and Zhog regained their senses in time to grab the ropes and hold on, and resumed their advance. The wind steadily picked up, growing fiercer and fiercer until it was so strong it was like a solid force, pushing us away. “Let’s do a controlled retreat,” I called out, realizing I couldn’t hold on for much longer. That was easier said than done. The wind was a force so strong we couldn’t easily control our movements, which meant we couldn’t hold on to the ropes. One by one, we peeled away from the wall and tumbled down the hall towards the pit. I bounced hard, barely managing to stay conscious as I was blown backwards. If it wasn’t for the spells, we all might have plummeted to our deaths. We stood safely on the ground, the wind still buffeting around us from the hall above. “That would have hurt,” Varin said, unnecessarily. We were all thinking it. Again, my pride took a heavier beating than the rest of me. The wind continued to rage for several minutes, and it was clear that we were not going to be able to brute-force our way through this. Much more complicated, indeed. “We’re missing the red lantern,” Snagsby said. Yeah. You think? This sort of thing—finding clues and solving puzzles—was just not my thing. Once it’s clear what needs doing, I am there to do it and I won’t look back, but working out what to do? I’m not dumb, but this is a little beyond me. Logically, I know that’s why we are doing this as a group, so that our collective strengths can cover our individual weaknesses, but it still stings. “Let’s get back to the house and call it a day,” I said. I was tired. I could see the others were, too. “We can think on it tonight.” And start fresh in the morning.
Raiding a house is not an easy task, even one that is in severe disrepair. They were outmatched, but had an advantage in that we had to break our way in. Fortunately, the house was not able to put up much of a fight so all it did was slow us down. Viore and Zhog knocked the front door down going in, and Sera squeezed her way in behind them. They ended up face-to-face with three lizardfolk, and a fourth in reserve. I stayed outside, and moved up to the windows. Two of them were tossing javelins through those, and I answered by stabbing one with the horsechopper. They went down and did not get back up. Spells went off inside, sent by Viktor and Varin. Two of the lizardfolk in the front room collapsed. And then Sera got stabbed. I watched it happen through a window on my right. She was hurt bad. Really, really bad. “Sera!” I cried, half in a panic. “Get out of there!” Though I think she had already figured that out on her own. The remaining javelin-throwing lizardfolk appeared at the window in front of me, and I punched them with a spiked gauntlet. After seeing Sera get hurt, you might say I was in a bit of a mood. Snagsby did something and I saw some of Sera’s wounds close up, but it wasn’t enough. Zhog and Viore distracted the lizardfolk in front of them by killing them, though, and that allowed Sera to back out of the fray. Zhog got in behind the one I punched, and then it was all over. Almost over. During the fight, they called out to someone for aid and that aid never came, so we assumed it was still somewhere inside. Viore opened a door next to the stairs, and got it in one. This last lizardfolk was a bit tougher than the others, but had made the mistake of waiting until he was the only one left. I admit that I didn’t understand the point of that. We taught him a lesson in tactics that would last a lifetime: all 10 seconds of it. This was my first time killing someone. The stirges didn’t really count, because it’s not like there’s a lot of love in the world for giant mosquitos. The lizardfolk, though, were sentient beings. They had lives, friends, maybe families. I don’t really know much about lizardfolk culture, but they operative word there is culture. When the fight started, adrenaline kind of took over and I didn’t think about it much, especially since I was trying not to die or get any of my friends killed. But afterwards? I don’t know. I don’t feel bad exactly, but I don’t feel good about it, either. It feels like the sort of thing that will stick with you. I’d also never really seen much magic before. Sure, Varin uses little spells to cool drinks at the Rusty Bucket, and that’s fun and flashy, but to see spells cast in anger was a much different experience. Even Allustan, who is Diamond Lake’s resident bigwig, doesn’t go throwing it around. Based on what I saw today, presumably that’s because he doesn’t have to. If people know what you can do, you don’t need to go out of your way to give demonstrations. It also probably explains why his brother, Diamond Lake’s governor-mayor and chief pervert, is able to hold onto power. A little nepotism obviously goes a long way. There was a surprising amount of stuff inside the house, much of it courtesy of the now-departed lizardfolk, which suggested they had been here for a couple of weeks, at least. The most grim discovery was a set of armor and weapons that came from one of the Korvosa Militia. I didn’t look forward to delivering that news. I don’t know everyone there by name, as the soldiers rotate, but I do know that every now and then one or two don’t come back. Like, for good. Some magic scrolls, potions, and some coins suggested that more than one person had been using the house in the intervening years, and that not all of them had made it back, either. As Night Walkers, we never bothered to go down into the cellar—kids and cellars don’t really get along—but we’re responsible adults now, so nothing was off limits. There was a bunch of old mining equipment and a few odds and ends down there that were probably older than I am. The rest of the house was much as Sera and I remembered it, just with a bit more water damage (gross), more snakes (also gross), and more giant rats (really gross). The upstairs was all but a total loss, but we could probably tarp the roof again to keep things from getting worse. It doesn’t rain much this time of year, so we have some time to get that done. For now, it would be fine. The cairn beckoned. I just hoped we could find it again. It occurred to me that I’ve never actually been there in the daylight.
Mom made it through surgery for a broken hip. They put a titanium rod in her femur. She's still got a few days in the hospital, and then moves to rehab. She starts PT and OT today. The scariest part of this is over, as just going through the surgery was a huge risk, though she can still have post-op complications. Rehab is a big unknown. I do have more time at the moment than I was expecting. Still don't know how long I'll be out here. A week at least? Maybe a little longer? I can still manage the game a bit but my laptop isn't geared for it as well as my desktop at home.
Toilday, Mid-Day some things always stay the same, until one day, they don’t. Case in point. I was visiting Sera and we were talking about basically nothing, and out of the blue I said to her, “I need to get out of this place.” It is a familiar refrain. She got real quiet and we stared at the wall for a while before she said, “You and me both”. And then we lamented the fact that it took quite a bit of money to strike off on your own, and that was something neither of us had. It’s a conversation we’ve had dozens of times, and it’s like we’re reading off a script. Diamond Lake isn’t a strike-it-rich kind of town: it’s more of the your-dreams-have-died variety. If you’re lucky, you can work and make enough to stay afloat until you get sick and die. If you’re really lucky, you can do that without resorting to living at Jake’s. For most folks, that means earning enough to stay trapped here. Getting out is so far out of reach that most don’t even talk about it. Sera and I like to buck the trend. At least she’s got an excuse for being an optimist: her family is better off than most. They’re not going to give her money just so she can leave—family businesses are their own sort of Diamond Lake—but they could all go if they wanted to. Mine’s not like that and there’s never been an option other than funding my own way, and that’s not exactly panning out. Apprenticing for Osgood has paid okay (no one gets rich on barmaid money, and I certainly didn’t), but there’s not really a lucrative future there. I mean, I’m no genius when it comes to figures, but even I can see that seven apprentices to one smithy is not great math. So it’s an old conversation, one that dates back a couple of years, with the same beginning, middle, and end. At this point, I think Sera and I have it just because it’s familiar and there’s a twisted sort of comfort in the familiar. And then it changed. I don’t like visiting The Feral Dog. For one, I used to work as a server there and going inside brings back memories that are better off repressed, and for two, it’s run by Kullen, who somehow manages to be sleazier than the tavern. But his nephew Zhog works there, and I was dropping off a kukri for Zhog, so I was visiting The Feral Dog. And we got to talking, like we do, and it was like deja vu: I was having that same conversation again, only substitute him for Sera. Like his uncle, Zhog is a half orc, but that’s both the start and end of the family resemblance. There is not much love lost between the two, either. Kullen has taken care of Zhog since the latter’s parents died, and while I am sure he feels a familial obligation there, I don’t doubt that his loyalty is influenced by having access to cheap labor. Kullen has what you might call a “transactional” parenting style: as long as his nephew works in his tavern, Kullen provides a roof over his head and enough food to eat. Zhog wants to get out from under his uncle, but that takes money which he doesn’t have, and isn’t going to make by working for just food and lodging. So it’s the same story, just with different actors. Unlike Sera and I, Zhog actually had a shot at it, but he ended up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. He received some sort of inheritance from his parents when he turned 17, and spent it getting equipped to get out of Diamond Lake and see the world. Zhog has been an acolyte of Desna for as long as I’ve known him, and “see the world” is one of those Desnan things where you take a pilgrimage without a destination. Unfortunately, math wasn’t his strong suit, either, and he spent his inheritance on the “getting equipped” bit, and there was nothing left for the part where you “see the world”. And thus, he’s still here. So, that’s only mostly the same story, I guess. I’m calling it close enough. One of the few things I miss about being a barmaid, or working in a tavern in general, is that you overhear a lot. People are pretty interesting, and by extension, taverns are interesting places—even the seedy ones. While Zhog and I were bemoaning the state of our finances, our ears picked up the conversation at a three-top that was a group from Korvosa. I don’t know why, but adventurer types from out of town always seem to end up in the Feral Dog, despite it being, literally, the worst of their options. It’s like a magnet for people who like to complicate their lives. We could tell they were adventurer types because they were talking loudly and indiscreetly about exploring the Stirgenest Cairn. Typical. Diamond Lake is surround by ancient burial cairns from some long-dead culture, the kind that built enormous and elaborate tombs to prove their greatness. All of them have been raided by explorers since their discovery decades ago, and consequently emptied of valuables because who doesn’t love a little grave robbing? And yet, for some reason, every year people from out of town—most seem to hail from Korvosa like this bunch, but we get treasure hunters from all over Varisia and beyond—get the idea to come and explore the Stirgenest Cairn, with dreams of looting it’s hidden riches. There are no riches, hidden or otherwise. Like the others, it was bled dry years ago and there’s nothing left of value inside. Listening to tourists dream about scoring it big in the Stirgenest Cairn is what passes for community entertainment in Diamond Lake. Like, there are several factions in town that do not see eye to eye on hardly anything, but one thing they will all agree on is that tourists who don’t do their research are endless sources of both amusement and money. Which is probably why we don’t, as a community, correct this public misconception. Admittedly, that’s not particularly virtuous of us, but the way most people figure it: treasure hunters are here to exploit the town, anyway, and their money is good, so why not exploit them first? Also, Diamond Lake is one of the last places you go when seeking virtue. “Too bad all of those cairns are empty,” Zhog said. I almost agreed as an automatic response, but I cut myself off and just stared at him. Were they all empty? Zhog was looking at me funny. “You okay?” he asked. I’m not normally known for sitting quietly with my mouth gaping. The opposite, really. I feel like mom is being polite when she says I have a way of “filling the gaps in conversation”. “Yeah. I just…I think I have an idea.” I told him I’d be back in a couple of hours, and left him standing with a puzzled expression while I went to find Sera. When I was twelve, I started hanging out with a group of teens that called themselves The Night Walkers. Sera was one of them, and also the one who encouraged me to join. We did all sorts of crazy, irresponsible things that only teens would do, and that only parents from Diamond Lake would ignore. It was more than just irresponsible, really. It was, like, irresponsibility taken to staggering heights. We ran around in the night, literally, like a cult of survivalists. The group was actually quite fun, even exhilarating at times, and a good diversion for a town that’s all dead-ends. I learned a lot of useful stuff that is not so easy to learn on your own, but we should still call it what it was: a bunch of kids being reckless in the dark. We navigated the hills, learned how to hunt for food, even played field games, all by moonlight. Sometimes by just the light of the stars. We had initiations, rituals, you name it. And we also visited a little-known and well-hidden cairn that became an open secret among the Night Walkers and other kids in town. At the time, it probably wasn’t known to anyone over eighteen. We all called it The Whispering Cairn, named after the strange sounds that echoed inside when the wind blew in just right. We even spread rumors that it was haunted (an easy sell just on the sounds alone) which both elevated it to legendary status among Diamond Lake youth, and kept the casually curious ones away. I am not sure who discovered it—probably Sergiu or Alina, our de-facto leaders at the time— but regardless of its origins, the Night Walkers kind of claimed it as our own, and we used it for our initiation ritual. A brave or foolhardy few, like Sera and myself, even spent the night in it as a test of our mettle. But what we didn’t do was explore the thing, because we all knew at some deeper level that it was dangerous. You could see animal tracks leading in and out, and sometimes footprints from something larger and bipedal. You went in not knowing if you would be alone, or if you would stay that way. About five years after I joined the group, our collective luck ran out. A friend of mine, Masildi, went in to spend the night and she never came back, and that was the end of the Night Walkers. A couple of years later, another idiot kid tried to do the same thing, because one disappearance wasn’t enough, and Alina found out about it and we went to pull him out. He was attacked while he was inside—by what, we don’t know, and we didn’t wait around to find out—but we got him out before he could bleed to death. As far as I know, no one has been back since. No one has ever talked about the Whispering Cairn outside of that group of friends. The Stirgenest Cairn was emptied years ago and people still can’t shut up about the thing. If the Whispering Cairn had been explored and looted, you would think we’d have heard about it. We’d probably never stop hearing about it. What if it hadn’t ever been explored? What if it wasn’t empty, like the others? I needed to talk to Sera.
I am probably safe. My manager, and their manager, have both said that if they were going to be cuts in our group then they would have been asked to do the prep work by now. So that is encouraging, but it's obviously not a guarantee.
As you scramble down the towers and clear the battlefield, you see the Knights of Kenabras form up for their opening volley. Irabeth orders them into position, and the sounding of the Horn of Assured victory signals the release. Arrows arc into the courtyard and over the walls, targeting mostly the dretches. It's a difficult enagement: the walls are a significant obstable, and the paladins can't all see what they are aiming at. Most are just putting an arrow into the courtyard and hoping something is there when it lands. The dretches are also armed with bows, built especially for their clawed hands, and retaliate with a volley of their own. Some are in sign enough to produce clouds of a green mist in the paladins' ranks, which appears to have a nauseating effect on those unlucky enough to be caught in it.
Ranged Phase:
Ultimately, the Knights have the upper hand. The courtyard is crowded, and most of their arrows find targets. The dretche's spells are a nuisance, but little more than that. Their arrows are poorly aimed, and there are not significant injuries. A few ballista bolts are fired from the castle as well, but none find a target. Given the one-sided exchange, Irabeth prepares for a second volley, but the defenders aren't fools and recognize they are at a disadvantage, able to be picked off from a distance. The tiefling army surges out of the courtyard to engage. The knights form into a line to meet the charge. As they do, more arrows and ballista bolts sail towards them. Melee phase 1:
The contest isn't even close. The tieflings are undisciplined and can't form a cohesive offense. The paladins surge forward and devastate the army, killing nearly every tiefling on the field in just a few minutes. With the pathway to the courtyard open, the Knights move in cautiously and engage both the human cultists and the dretches. Fighting a battle on two fronts, the Knights see the dretches as the larger threat and focus on them. The cultists recognize the opening and engage recklessly. The catapults and ballistas from the castle walls continue their volleys. Melee phase 2:
Dretch army destroyed, 15 damage to Knights of Kenabres
It is a brutal fight. The dretches are destroyed as the paladins relentlessly use their smite ability to wipe them out, but the cultists fight dirty and take advantage of the Knights' single-minded focus. Most of the army is heavily injured and several paladins are killed in the fight. Irabeth sounds a retreat and the paladins pull back, using their abilities to heal. Fortunately, the cultists hold their position int he courtyard and don't pursue. They also lack the ability to attack at range. The knights cover their retreat with ranged weapons as best they can. Withdraw (ranged phase):
The Knights successfully retreat. They have destroyed two of the three armies defending the citadel, but at a heavy cost to themselves.
You can find lamellar made with darkleaf cloth. Earlier I had the player share of the loot estimated at 2140 ea. Since then, the party has identified the remaining items and it is now 3546gp ea. (Apologies for not posting that earlier.) This is more than enough to get +1 armor.
I am a player in Age of Worms, which our GM has converted to both PF1E and adapted to fit in Golarion. Our group has been playing since D&D 3.0 in the early 2000-somethings. That was mostly a homebrew campaign. Then we came to PF1E and played Rise of the Runelords, Jade Regent, and Return of the Runelords in that order. The latter started just before COVID and we ended up going from in-person games to virtual. Fortunately, our GM has used a VTT and some form of remote access since the late 2000's because players are occasionally out of town but still available to play. That made the transition easier. Age of Worms we are doing as alternating in-person and remote sessions. I'm also running 2 PbP games. The first is Wrath of the Righteous which is on the forums. I started as a player, and we went through 4 GMs in book 1. Two had to quit, and two ghosted on us. After GM #4 vanished, I volunteered to step up and run the game. We're in book 2. The second 1E campaign is just wrapping up Ire of the Storm, and we will probably follow that with Seers of the Drowned City.
No changes. Uriel and I discussed this briefly, and we both agree that Radiance stays with Darya.
I'd say the inclusion of the characters from the cartoon was definitely fan service. OK, I'll give you that. What it comes down to for me, though, is whether it detracts from the story, or renders it inaccessible to others. And in this case, it did not. Is there something between fan service and easter eggs? That's probably where I would put this. YMMV. The showing I went to was nearly full and the families there all clearly enjoyed it - when the lights went up the faces were smiling and/or laughing and talking about it on the way out. Same here, only add applause, too. And I am sure those were gamers, who left the movie feeling like it had honored the game and how we play it, while also being good in it's own right.
I saw it today and I was impressed. Based on the reviews I was expecting good, but I wasn't expecting it to be this good. They really pulled it off: it's a good movie in its own right, and doesn't need a "for a D&D movie" qualifier. There is humor in it--sometimes a lot of humor--but it's an adventure picture at heart, once that mines its material (and, in some cases, the experiences as players) for its comedy rather than playing the material for laughs. In particular, it avoids the camp of modern superhero movies by not winking to the audience, or lingering over its gags. You either get the joke or you don't, and it doesn't point them out. It just delivers them and moves on. The movie takes itself just seriously enough to ensure the story has stakes, that the characters care about what happens, and that the viewer is invested in events as they unfold. But not so seriously that the comedy it discovers along the way becomes awkward. I think the biggest laughs come from a side quest, and it's here that I believe the writers really understood the game, or rather the players that play the game. They find comedy gold in the exact sort of frustrations that we, as players, have in a side quest, and they just run with it. When the side quest is over, they dial it back. BigNorseWolf is right about the action sequences. They are well-choreographed, and look like they were heavy on practical effects because most everything--including the CGI work--moves like it has actual weight to it. The fights have actual tension because you don't get that feeling that anything can happen. Characters are bounded by the laws of physics, except where magic intervenes and even there, it is clear they are following some rules. I think the smartest thing they did, though, was ensure the D&D references were organic and didn't stick out awkwardly from the rest of the movie. There's really not any fan-service here. There are elements, names, creatures you'll recognize if you know the game and its history, but the movie is not pointing them out to you. It's just a fantasy setting, and the writers know it. The whole thing is a fun romp. Best of all, it's totally accessible to anyone, even those who have never touched the game.
I am visiting my mom and will be traveling back home tomorrow. I'll be able to post an update on Friday.
Yes, it takes the form of a bastard sword (and already had done so in Uriel's possession). This is all good. I'll move us along.
Because dressing up like Apostles of Pain, kidnapping Belimarius's corrupt tax collector, burning down their home as their guards flee, interrogating them, killing them, then burying their body on the cultist's campus in order to frame them for the murder, so it would provoke a confrontation with the Emerald Guard and draw out captain Xoxl so that we could ambush and kill him in order to obtain the cooperation of the rune giants all seemed like the obvious course of action to me. (Our GM suggested that we had, perhaps, taken the AP somewhat off the rails.)
Thank you. She is marginally better. She took a Covid test that came up negative so that is good news.
Thanks! Weirdly, I didn't change groups, just shifted into a newly-formed team under my same 2nd-level manager whom I like a great deal. So it was a great opportunity without much risk to go with it. That combination doesn't come along very often. :)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! It's been busy here at home. We made 6 batches of 5 varieties of cookies (the lemon poppyseed got doubled) and gave a bunch away to friends and neighbors. Then we traveled to see friends we haven't seen in two years (everyone has been boosted for Covid-19). We made a cheese souffle and a standing rib roast on Christmas, eggnog ice cream with the leftover nog. And now we have a winter storm warning which meant chaining up the van today and running to get a couple of grocery items that we thought we had but didn't. I am tired. It may be a couple of days before I recover.
FYI. I have added a thread index to the description in the Campaign Info tab. That is your easy access to the first gameplay thread started by Asmodina back before the dawn of time.
Paizo has updated the gameplay thread so all should be right with the world.
As written, she is not very believable. She admires the demons for their strength and power, yet somehow the PC's come along and that changes. It makes her sound fickle, and that what she respects is the power itself, not who wields it. That's not really a redemption story, and redemption is supposed to be a theme of the campaign. So I took advice from another GM and made it about vulnerability and safety. Who could protect her, and what would be the consequences of accepting that protection?
Rather than do exposition through a giant wall of text, I'm going to break this up so that your characters have a chance to ask questions as we go.
I am in this for the long haul. Thanks to everyone who has stayed with it.
Uriel's repeated blows slam into the demon, one after the other. In between the second and the third, its expression changes from one of confidence to outright alarm. But it never has a chance to respond as Radiance crashes into it for a fourth time, delivering the killing blow. It drops to the ground, a look of shock still on its face, where it lays, unmoving.
Alexa, knowledge (planes): Nabasus form from the souls of those who feast on the flesh of their own kind, drink the blood of others, or are just excessive gluttons in general. They are birthed on the material plane, and can only return to the abyss when they have consumed the souls of others.
In game mechanics, this happens through a gaze attack that bestows a negative level. Those who die in this manner become ghouls, and the nabasu matures. They are medium outsiders (chaotic, demon, evil, native)
Excellent work there. That first round was looking rough.
Let's retcon it and assume you did healing before moving on. I think that would make sense given his HP total.
Yeah, I got derailed from this. And then derailed from the thing that derailed it. And then derailed from that...One might say I am in a continual derailing loop. I've been making slow progress. But it's very slow.
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