Julius Miller's page

Have fun.

Julius , as a inquisitor, is reasonably skilled and a decent healer.

Here is Julius Miller.
I am still editing the equipment, but the other stuff should be OK.

Note the Dual talent alternate race trait.

I am here too. I hope the GM si simply busy or has a temporary connection problem. So far it was a lot of fun.

"Evidently what I am trying to say and what she hear is very different. What I am missing? Or miss saying?"

Yes

Puzzled look.
"What is offensive in saying that I will not abandon a lover for another at the drop of a hat?"

:( never write a post before going to work without previewing and re-reading it.
Sorry for the foul up

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Julius too is distracted: "I more of the monogamous kind. One woman at a time. On the other hand I enjoy sweet wine with a pie or a black beer when I am thirsty."

The LARP has gone well? My experience is that the quality and fun can vary wildly, until you know the people with which you are paying.

"To me it sound reasonable. Keep within southing distance and stay together."

" One of Protector Colson preferred maxims was: Never split the party. He sometime added Unless you really know what you are doing."

A pause.

"I don't think we know what we are doing well enough, so I would be against splitting our group."

Regular Sleep affects up to 4 HD of people

Yes, but you have a will save of +2 and Shyr of +6, sleep is a 1 st level spell, so a DC of 11+the casting stat. Getting both of you isn't easy.

Sorry to hear about that. Family come before gaming, take all the time you need.

The only for the GM part as I was unsure if my check was good enough for the comment. It was.

"Sleep is a powerful spell but generally strong minds are capable to resist it. Ashar can cast spells and Shyr is a cleric. Both should have some capacity to resit it.
To get both of them with a single casting of the spell is difficult unless the caster has a strong gift for magic.
I would suspect some kind of creature with supernatural abilities instead of a spellcaster."
A pause for thinking.
"That could even explain why the bandits don't have attacked: they don't control the creature, they only follow it and benefit from tis actions. Maybe it is some kind o fey.
Any unusual track around the camp?"

Julius go to check for tracks around the camp.

"I can't figure out why they put some of us to sleep and then didn't do anything.
Putting Shyr and Ashar to sleep speak of a spellcaster, and not a weak one."

Julius try to remember anything he know about the sleep spell.
spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Knowledge arcana: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

"I am all for trying to follow the tracks.
It could mean abandoning the carts. "

"I will come as soon as I have done my morning prayers. Please wait."

After a moment of thought.

"Sorry for my 'me, me' attitude. Thorgrund, you are way better than me at reading tracks. You want to go?"

Julius is a bit of a chaotic everywhere. It is hard to reign in that tendency.

Take care of yourself, both of you, the game can wait.

Not really, the game is the more important thing, but it is the courteous thing to say. ;-)

I hope my attempt at humor wasn't too heavy handed. Really, take care.
Pneumonia, in particular, is a serious affliction. Be careful.

Julius:
In a normal conversation tone.
"Dammit!, I should have gone at the latrine as soon as I waked. I will be back in a few minutes."

Whisper to Shyr and Ashar:
"I will go and wake Keith and Thorogrund"

He go and try to wake Keith and Thorogrund without alerting people watching the camp. He try to conceal his actions interposing the mules and carts between himself and the hill.

Urgent whisper to Keith and Thorogrund:
"Wake up. Someone is watching us."

Julius try to play bait, feigning to be a lazy guard that occasionally tend to the fire.
bluff: 1d20 ⇒ 9 Not an actor
He know that looking at the fire will ruin his night vision, so he keep it low and avoid looking at it as much as possible.
He stay alert for unusual noises (beside Ûzorgráng).

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Julius start donning his armor. His watch should be approaching.

Julius heart race when Ûzorgráng wake him.
Donning the armor quietly and hastily is not feasible, let's arm myself at least.

J. get out of his bedroll and take up buckler and scimitar while trying to be stealthy. While doing that he scan the surrounding terrain.

stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
(no armor and buckler modifier)
perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

If there is the time and he can find a location to make it hard to notice him doing that, he will activate his Detect evil ability (spell like ability) and scan the area around the camp.

Play by post?
No problem at all. The flow of time is way more flexible.
In a pen and paper game I would prefer a more by the book approach as it is part of the balance of the game.
The arcane casters having to sleep for 8 hours to get their spells while the divine caster having no need to sleep but having to pray at a specific time of the day is an important difference.

I take for granted that Julius is praying every day as soon as possible after sunrising. If for some reason he will not do that I will specify it and I will assume he don't regain his spells.

Keith seems unperturbed by Julius's organizing the watches, somebody had to. Still there was more to it than just that, as Keith told them, "We should place the fire between each wagon, leave their brakes on and have the horses hobbled and unhitched. Makes it harder for anyone to just ride the wagons away, or scare the horses off. Also protects the fire in case of winds."

Keith pauses and then adds, "The hard thing will be keeping discipline up. They may not come tonight, they may not come tomorrow, it may be next week or even next month. This is a waiting game, we need to be patient. Game of cards anyone?"

"Hmm, that good night of sleep thing can be a problem if we want to start reasonably early tomorrow.

Let's see if this work:

Every couple of days we should exchange Ûzorgráng turn with Thorgrund turn and Julius turn with Shyr turn, so that it isn't always the same people that wake in the middle of the night."

Julius smile to remove the sting for his next comment.

"The arcane casters always get the better shifts.

It is agreeable for you, guys?"

Survival take 10+7= 17

"You suggestions are sensible, Keith. Someone has a spade to make a latrine? Or we go behind the nearest bush?"

Julius add whatever suggestion he think is useful to make a ebtter camp, based on the survival check he made.

DM Mode, seeing how Julius is bossing people around on how to set yup guard duty, I would like to change one of his skill, from stealth to Profession (soldier).
It is acceptable for you?

"Good idea Keith. And we can set up 3 two men watches, with one of us that will feign to be asleep. ... I hope he will feign that."

Looking the group.

"Ûzorgráng and Thorgrund are good fighters and see in the dark, so they should be in different watches. I think that one of them should get the middle of the night turn and the other the last watch.
Keith, your magic is potent but you are probably the one the is easier to bring down in melee. And you need a good night of sleep to prepare your spells. With Ashar, I think.
Ashar, you too need a good night of rest to recover your spells, right?
That would leave Shyr and me as the second person for the middle and late night turns. What you prefer?"

... Real life ....
I have hear of it, never experimented it ;P

Replying in the same quiet tone.
"It seem a good idea. With the excuse of gathering wood Thorgrund and I could go around and check for footprints. I am not an expert in their interpretation but usually I can spot them."

Good perception but no tracking skill.

With a louder but still normal voice:
"Thorgrund, you want to gather some wood with me? We need some smaller piece of wood and it is good education to leave the wood for the next group."

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

Naturally, when you say "I have a good perception", you fail ;P. It is a corollary of the Murphy law.

"Walking with the chain mail under these workman clothes is sweating work. I could win a stink contest against a smelly goat."

Sotto voce to the others:
"Someone has asked the Baron if the attacks were done along the roads or by night against the traders camps?"

"Next time, remember to ask the details before starting the trek, not after half a day of traveling, Jules."

With a stronger voice:
"Ahh, the shadow of the trees will be so pleasant after all this sun. Maybe we should stop at the first creek we find to eat our lunch?"

"Who has chosen these cursed beasts? I haven't ever seen a more lazy bunch of mules. Only this little donkey is doing its work."

"Muleteers are a loud lot and curse constantly. Too little swearword in that phrase. Remember at least one swear word for each two intelligible words."

"Move blasted beast. @##!"

Julius stay on guard to notice a possible ambush but he is distracted by the mules.
No handle animal skill

Perception: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 8 - 2 = 25

Even with the distraction his training show and he is very aware of his surroundings.

To help with the disguise his buckler and morning star are in the backpack while he keep the scimitar at his flank.
AC 17 flat footed 16

Julius is decidedly preoccupied with his disguise, as he is aware that a badly disguised armor will scream ambush.

sense motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

As he noticed Ashar frustration with his attempts at crafting a disguise appropriate to these northern lands he ask Keith for help.

"Keith, I am trying to hide my armor, but I need someone to look if it is done well, could you help me?"

Julius will take 10 in his disguise attempt. I think that with the help of someone watching he disguise himself and enough time he can take 20, but that is a GM call. So Julius get at least a 10, possibly a 20. If Keith can help him he will get something more.

"Thanks Keith, this is the better we can get, I think. I hope I will not clank too much. Removing the gauntlets was a good idea."

Thorgrund scowls at Julius, sneering "Oh, I see...let the dwarf be the muleskinner, eh? That's what dwarves do, right? Well, let me tell you something lad, my axe don't really discriminate where she gets her blood from..."

He tightens the grip on his axe, the sound of cracking knuckles the only thing breaking the awkward silence.

Julius look Thorgrund with a perplex face after his outburst and then say, with a cold tone:

I have brought a mule as part of my equipment, but as I have seen real mules I refuse to call that "a mule", it is a small donkey.

To Ûzorgráng: If it is relevant, note that Julius speak dwarven

"Dear friends, I think we are as ready as we can be, let's us spend the afternoon to prepare out bait, changing ourselves into rich merchants with a light escort and tomorrow we will try to fish some bandit."

Julius smile:
"I think that Ûzorgráng can be the single warrior protecting our caravan, while we can play the part of merchants and muleteers."

Looking around:
"Ashar, Keith, you think you can help us turning into merchants? I haven't the skill to do that. It would require some real magiv of mind or hands to it."

I'll keep that in mind. I just assumed it was safer to use the PFS method of half a die plus one. I guess it all evens out to about the same in the long run anyway.

I had a druid with an average of 7/level for his hit points before adding the constitution bonus, but I had a player whose fighter had an average of 4. I have switched to average rounded up with Pathfinder. It is safer.

I suggest we move on before the Baron get annoyed with us ;-)

"We will do that with my morning star. I wouldn't like to damage the scimitar edge.
I will try my best to avoid being disarmed.it is a useful training for me too."

All this enthusiasm is contagious, so Julius too, after sparring with his newfound friends do some target practice, first with sling (sing stones) then with the morning star and scimitar and last with disrupt undead to train his his touch attacks withouts expending limited use abilities.

sling attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
sling attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
sling attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

morningstar: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
morningstar: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
morningstar: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

scimitar: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
scimitar: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
scimitar: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

disrupt undead: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
disrupt undead: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
disrupt undead: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

Julius is proud of his results.
I am in good shape, my only weakness is with disrupt undead. Maybe the other guys will accept to work as moving target for it?

"Boys ... and Shyr, next time some of you can work with me when I train my ray? It won't damage living people, it work only against undead and having a active opponent trying to dodge it is better that aiming at a strawman. It will help you in learning how to avoid this kind of attacks too."

I suppose we train after leaving the Baron halls.
Julius don't ask for an advance.
"Here we go Shyr."
Julius draw his scimitar and start fighting with Shyr. His stile is solid and based mostly on his above average strength. He tries to overwhelm the adversary capacity to block using his powerful build; when facing adversaries with an equal or superior strength like Shyr, Thorgrund and Ûzorgráng he change how he fight, starting with Shield of faith to become harder to hit. If the enemy is heavily armored he use liberally his fire bold ability while trying to keep out of melee range.
After a couple of bouts of training (and only if we train in the late afternoon/early night night] you see him bated in a halo of light (judgment of healing).
He seem to have trained to fight together with others, generally waiting to see what is companions are doing instead of immediately moving ahead to engage.
Something that those fighting with him can notice is that he seem to concentrate particularly on moving in melee range with Keith when they are in opposite teams, bypassing his eventual companions, even at the risk of getting hit by them.

"A spell with a cone spread, Keith? What kind?
Some of our clerics can learn burning hands, but I don't have the knack."
There is a hint of longing in Julius voice.
"I can create some bolt of fire and get some basic protection, but nothing special."

"I am ready to train with you, friends. I am curious to see if there are differences in how we use our scimitars, Shyr.
Ans I should do some work with the morningstar too. There are foes that require different weapons.
Protector Colson has always recommended at least 2 hours of training every day."

After a few days together you have hear several times the name of this protector Colson. He seem to be a celebrity between the inquisitor of Sarenrae in the north, at leas if you listen to Julius.

Looking as pure as driven snow, Ûzorgráng says to Keith: "Bloodthirsty? ME?? I'm practical, that's what I am!"

Then smiles wryly at is own joke, whether anyone gets it or not.

Julius smile at Ûzorgráng.

He frowns as he says, "The the thing is the bandits are not going to cooperate. Why should they? If they come with us they're likely to be branded, or have their necks stretched. No they're going to fight, tooth and nail. Look if we find one or two we may well be able to subdue them. Franly I'd support that, any intelligence we can gleam from a live prisoner will be of great use. The thing is they're not going to conveniently line up two by two. No they'll try to break us and I fear you will have no option but to kill or be killed. Trust me when that happens you'll be very glad to have our bloodthirsty friend over there around!"

"Thrust me, Keith, I have done some real fighting with my instructor, and know when it is time to fight without pulling your punches. A dead protector is of no use for anyone.

Keith, I have added several row to my post. Maybe you will change your reply.

"I'll explain the difference between killing and not-killing to Uzorganag, Julius. Shyr said. She was stil a little uncomfortable about the negotiations, but she'd leave those concerns alone for now.

"Thanks, I am not against a friendly competition but I am against unnecessary deaths. Ûzorgráng has agreed to the idea that accepting surrender is a way to win his competition, so if seem that all is ok. "

- * -

Julius try to speak with Keith separately: "You want to find a land where you can settle down? I want to wander a bit more, but having a home is important."

"I had some small thoughts about setting up a school and a library, both magical and mundane. Open for all." He laughs depreciatingly, "Of course such plans are mere daydreams for now. We have much work to attend to first."

"A worthy goal, I would like to contribute to that, if you would like my help."

Julius take Keith word at face value and seem to really appreciate the idea of a public school and library.

"My job and duty to the goddess will require me to travel, would I would happily teach what I know and help with the funding of the school."

He become more serious: "A thing, friend Keith. I know that the way of my goddess isn't the way of everyone, but please, try to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. I would greatly prefer to apprehend the bandits instead of killing them, if possible. The Baron justice should decide if they deserve the death sentence or some other punishment."

Julius make a sorrowful face: "Naturally the lives of the honest people come before those of the bandits, ours included. So if we have to choose between risking the life of one of us or killing them, there is no doubt on our choice."

"You have a wager going on who can thump the most bandits? I hope you will try to disable and not kill them, if possible. The Baron judiciary should decide if they deserve the death sentence."

Julius head is spinning while he listen to the two negotiators.
"I don't get what this people is thinking. Why Ashar is fixed on money?"
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22I think that that is enough to get an hunch, unless he is using bluff to hide his distrust of the Baron. If the check is successful.
"He seem to distrust the Baron. Why"

"Keith is asking for land and title ... that would mean being tied to a place to care for it. Owning some land and a house is a thing, but being responsible for all the people in your demense is another. I don't think I like that idea."

Later.

"The Baron think that Keith is our chief? It is that the reason why he is offering him a title if we succeed?"
Sense motive on the Baron: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
English, the language where you can be singular or plural (I am not native English speaker). So, a question, the Baron meant "you, Keith" or "all of you"? By the context I read it as "only Keith".

Ûzorgráng is getting somewhat bored with all this talking and gesturing, which seems to be going well. He thinks so, anyway. He casually leans over slightly to Thorgrund and whispers:

"Do you want to make a friendly bet about who can thump the most bandits?"

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Julius try to hear what Ûzorgráng is saying, but fail miserably. He give him a puzzled look.

To be clear Keith has no intention of randomly killing peasants (the idea would never cross his mind). He wants to make sure any "bandits" really are bandits, but then. Yeah. Harsh.

As Julius personality say: "Julius is a trusting person, always willing to think the best of any sentient beings and even most animals, always giving them a second and often a third chance. The only kind of creature that he distrust on first sight are the undead."

I tend to be on the good side when playing, but at the same time I feel that a reasonable LE is a acceptable character with which my characters can interact easily.
As long as the evil character (any alignment) isn't crazy evil or stupid evil it is possible to work with him.

I should check this thread regularly, I had missed several posts.

Oh I was including the silvers in the incidentals. Like you said you have fourteen gold splashing a little coin around is no biggie for ya.

Now a month or so of being a man of means with no new income may find you in sudden dire straits as you reach for coin you may not have, but these things happen. besides can you imagine a month going by without any new coin crossing your palm?

For now I am counting the expenses, later, if we reach that point, I will pay monthly living expenses as show in the Cost of Living table.

Destitute (0 gp/month): The PC is homeless and lives in the wilderness or on the streets. A destitute character must track every purchase, and may need to resort to Survival checks or theft to feed himself.

Poor (3 gp/month): The PC lives in common rooms of taverns, with his parents, or in some other communal situation—this is the lifestyle of most untrained laborers and commoners. He need not track purchases of meals or taxes that cost 1 sp or less.

Average (10 gp/month): The PC lives in his own apartment, small house, or similar location—this is the lifestyle of most trained or skilled experts or warriors. He can secure any nonmagical item worth 1 gp or less from his home in 1d10 minutes, and need not track purchases of common meals or taxes that cost 1 gp or less.

Wealthy (100 gp/month): The PC has a sizable home or a nice suite of rooms in a fine inn. He can secure any nonmagical item worth 5 gp or less from his belongings in his home in 1d10 minutes, and need only track purchases of meals or taxes in excess of 10 gp.

I have found playing Shadowrun that it is a simple but reasonable way to handle things.

Sense motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
Julius calm a bit, but still feel unhappy.