Kassiani Timarete's page

Nah, I'm not going to retcon a move or use hero points. This encounter is absurd. I can't see how whoever created it for 7th level characters had anything in mind aside from killing a few, or all of them. 7th level characters would have to be customized for this encounter to manage it, and of course the setup spreads the party across the entire room making all but impossible to flee and avoid it. It's been clear from round 1 how this was going to go, and a dreary few weeks getting there. I knew exactly what I was doing by moving my character back into the room.

I'm not liking what I've seen of this AP and I don't have the energy to put together another character so I'm going to bow out. If you're going to recruit a replacement I'd suggest a wizard. If this is how the AP plays you're going to need one.

Thanks for having me in the game, and sorry it didn't work out. Enjoy!

"Tatienne, go now! Keep running and make sure the others do the same!"

Kassiani approaches the elemental nearly blocking the path out and attacks to keep it occupied a little longer.

Attack (Power, Two-handed): 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 14 - 2 = 18

Damage: 2d4 + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (2, 1) + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 16

Unless these elementals have a whole bunch of AoO's available to them, wouldn't Kassiani be drawing most of them as she moves? That's specifically what she's trying to do.

Kassiani casts Hedging Weapons, producing two floating hammers of brassy golden energy. She then runs to join the Zay's little elementals as a distraction while Aurelean and Tatienne run past for the stairs.

Standard action for casting. Move action 20' to new location on map. Hedging Weapons adds +2 to Kassiani's AC for a total AC of 24 vs. red border elemental, and 27 for the blue bordered elemental since its missed attack adds another +1 to the bonus from Anticipate Thoughts.

Sure, Kassiani will take that step back. The 1st attack does miss, but not the 2nd.

Kassiani has no intention at all of being a lone surviver again. She continues to try keeping the closest elemental busy.

"Just move it!"

Attack (Power, Two-handed): 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 14 - 2 = 15

Damage: 2d4 + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (3, 3) + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 19

Alright, that will add another -4 to the attacks from the elemental Kassiani is fighting.

Kassiani advances on the elemental in front of her to renew her attack against it. She thinks all she can really hope for is to keep it busy elsewhere while everyone else gets out of the room.

"You're going to have to hurry! There's not much difference between staying to fight and taking your sweet time to flee!"

Attack (Power, Two-handed): 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 14 - 2 = 31

Damage: 2d4 + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (4, 2) + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 19

Crit? (Power, Two-handed): 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 14 - 2 = 25

Damage: 2d4 + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (3, 4) + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 20

Bonuses for Heroism, Studied Target, and Anticipate Thoughts included.

Any results from Kassiani's last set of actions?

Yes, the first attack will miss by 1. The second confirms as a crit. After Zay's CLW Kas is down another 5 HP

Kassiani is clearly worried.

"If we stay and fight we'll be killed! I see no way around it, we have to get out and away!"

She steps back out of reach and tries a spell that might give them a little more of an edge, maybe enough to at least help get rid of one of the elementals before it gets rid of them.

Casting Inflict Pain on nearest elemental. DC Will 17 (I think I forgot Studied Target bonuses apply to spell DCs on that 1st spell, but it doesn't matter since the elemental failed anyway). A successful save reduces spell duration to 1 round.

I'll just keep it until the right time comes. Sorry for jumping the gun.

Kassiani is jolted back by the elemental, but still returns its attack with one of her own. She grips her estoc in both hands and drives the spike of a blade into its center.

Attack (Power, Two-handed): 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 14 - 2 = 27

Damage: 2d4 + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (4, 1) + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 18

Bonuses for Heroism, Studied Target, and Anticipate Thoughts included.

This is not the outcome Kassiani had expected and admits so loudly.

"I don't know if that worked like it was supposed to or not. It seemed fairly simple, but I didn't think the cylinders would open, or that there would be anything inside!"

She came think of precious little she can do against something like an elemental. I suppose we must beat on them until they stop moving faster than they beat on us until we stop moving. Not great.

Kassiani casts a preparatory spell targeting the closest elemental.

Anticipate Thoughts. DC 15 Will save.

Sorry to keep you all waiting. Work has been busy and I lost the weekend due to my unpleasant reaction to my first covid-19 shot. It wasn't horrible, but between a prolonged headache and the fatigue it caused it was enough to keep me in bed watching TV.

Kassiani is enraptured by the wonders of the gear room, workshop, and power plant. She could easily spend days or weeks among the partial constructs, inventions, and tools they contain. She treats the area as if she were on holy ground.

In fact, she begins she begins to dream of a future, hopefully not far away, when the place could be among the greatest of Brigh's sites of worship outside Numeria. Given the vast amount of time she would require tere to be satisfied, she doesn't fight against the more practical members of her group who want to keep moving on. Her plans and aspirations will have to take second place to finding the colonists in the present.

Kassiani studies the electrical apparatus until she's as satisfied as confident as she can be. Her understanding of how exactly to drain off the excess energy should work. She hopes.

She directs the effort, giving guidance to the others at the levers as she begins the process.

Casting Guidance for +1 on the DD check.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 18 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 18 + 1 = 30

I got the rolls made for a post and then got called away for something pressing. Never managed to get back to write the post. I'll get one up either tonight or tomorrow.

I'm flexible on where we go and how quickly. I figure Kass is still getting oriented and is happy to follow those who know a bit more about what's going on at this point.

Spellcraft (Pole): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Spellcraft (Slippers): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Craft (Music Boxes?): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

"I'll see what I can do."

Kassiani gets down on her knees and tries picking the box's lock.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 18 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 18 + 1 = 25

Ugh.Exactly the same result.

EDIT: If she can make a 2nd attempt Kassiani will, taking 20 for 38.

Kassiani takes the lead and continues on forward giving herself some lead out in front of the main group after casting Guidance on herself.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

Not using Guidance bonus at this time.

Kassiani approaches Aurelian before they go further.

"This is as far as you came last time? I can take the lead. My eyes are better for it. It was my job back in the days when I used to do this sort of thing."

"If they are adaptive to damage, so there are no easy weaknesses to exploit, we can let ignore them for now. Too much trouble and we have other things to do. If they're seriously following us around we can deal with it when it becomes annoying."

Kassiani stops and takes some time to watch the oozes very closely.

"Well, they can be troublesome, which isn't so apparent here outside. If it isn't too much trouble it might be best to deal with them now since we're all here together with them."

K Dungeoneering (oozes): 1d20 + 6 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 3 = 28

"Let's press on as we are. Of course an eye up above would be a welcome added precaution..."

Kassiani doesn't want to push, but she seems to welcome to idea of an extra set of sharp eyes that can see farther than the trees right around them all.

Kassiani is agreeable to whatever Aurelian and Zay think best. She's oly just arrived and has no basis for deciding one versus another so far.

She looks at the Wheels of Heaven with great interest, almost awe.

"I would also very much like to look through that place when it is possible to spare the time."

K Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

"I wonder the same thing. Are all the creatures, wooden ones and shape changers, the product of magical experimentation, or have they been altered by, well I guess it could be described as 'magical pollution'. The Mana Wastes are an analogy for what I mean. Lingering magic that infuses a place in enough quantity to change it?"

I'm saddled with figuring out Pulp Call of Cthulhu already right now. Thanks though!

"Yes, I'm in agreement on returning to camp."

Mention of the 'wood people' sparks a light of interest that is new to Kassiani's quiet, rather placid demeanor.

"These wooden people, what can you tell me of them?"

Kassiani returns Zay's smile, but not in humor.

"Fantastic. Nothing we see or touch may be what it seems. Nothing like complete lack of faith in one's surroundings to keep the senses sharp."

She looks over the backpack last.

"It's a useful piece of gear, enchanted to hold more than the outside size would make it seem it could. It will also deliver the desired object to one's hand without rummaging for it."

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Kassiani relaxes after after the table mimic goes down, putting away her buckler.

"So is this island just filled with an army of all kinds of shape changers?"

Kassiani accepts the healing, yes.

She studies the map and reads both the Azlanti and Aquan inscriptions, comparing them. Spoilers open to all.

"The map is a before and after rendering now. The Azlanti shows this place before Earthfall. The Aquan shows it in its current, or recent state."

"How much have you seen here yourselves so far?" she asks Aurelian and Zay.

K Geography: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

Sounds fine to me.

Kassiani continues to press her attack, praying the beast will fall quickly.

Finesse attack with Studied Target, Bless, and Bane. +1 to AC from Buckler.

Attack: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25

Damage: 2d4 + 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (3, 2) + (3, 4) + 5 = 17

Aurelian, are you remembering your +1 to attacks from Bless?

Kassiani takes up her buckler and approaches the mimic between Aurelian and Tatienne. She strikes at it from behind her buckler, pronouncing a bane on the thing.

Finesse attack with Studied Target, Bless, and Bane. +1 to AC from Buckler.

Attack: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20

Damage: 2d4 + 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (4, 3) + (2, 5) + 5 = 19

Although caught fast at first, Tatienne's wand allows Kassiani to pull herself away from the mimic. As she recovers herself, she warns the others.

"It's sticky, enough to catch and hold weapons fast!"

She takes a moment to more carefully study her target, and follows up by invoking Brigh's blessing for the party's current struggle.

5' step to new location shown on map. Move action to use Studied Target, Standard action to cast Bless on the party.

No mitigation. Hit and grappled.

Kassiani is thinking the same as Tatienne: know it, kill it.

K Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 6 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 3 = 22

Includes +3 bonus for Monster Lore.

Oh good lord I'm such an idiot. I have in listed in Kassiani's gear!

Thanks Netherpongo, I've been pulled in so many directions the last couple of weeks I don't know if I'm coming or going.

Kassiani will get Aurelian patched up just as soon as the chance comes along.

Restoration is on Kassiani's spell list. It's a 4th level spell though and it will be a few levels before she is getting those. If we could get ahold of it by a wand or scroll she can use it without a UMD check.

Kassiani can carry the CLW wand, sure.

Kassiani is also thrown for a second by the talking table. But, she quickly realizes the strange greeting from the table falls into place if there are shape shifters about.

She doesn't expect they will be able to talk themselves completely past the table, but maybe they can maintain a bluff long enough to get some information from it.

"No time for it, we're late and have to meet up with the others. Where are they right now?"

Bluff: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Kassiani shrugs diffidently when the question of past combat experience comes up. "We avoided fights when we could, they couldn't all be avoided though."

She looks at the ladder and then up the tower. She volunteers to go take a look around.

"I'll go up and look around. That was always my old job."

She ascends the ladder quickly, with graceful expertise. Once she's reached a height sufficient to take a peek over the wall the ladder stands against she has a look around before completing the climb.

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

Kassiani mostly spends her time sitting on the ground leaned against a couple of driftwood logs serving as a backrest. She watches the fire and listens in on the conversations around her.

Tatienne's question prompts her to give the watch tower another look.

"Azlanti no doubt. Late? That would be my guess. But I'm better with Jistkan styles than Azlanti."

As she had gotten to know Tatienne better on the ship, Kassiani had come to realize she shared an astonishing amount of things in common with the other half-elven woman. They were almost exactly the same age. They had both experienced unhappy childhoods. Tatienne hadn't said so, but Kassiani could tell. It was apparent by omissions and things that were glossed over. Her tone of voice and facial expressions anytime the subject was brushed against shifted slightly. She could read people well, and Tatienne was no exception.

Both of them had escaped into books as children, and taken up professions suggested to them by their favorite characters. Both and them well-educated but also self-made. They 'lived by their wits', a way of putting it that Kassiani found more palatable than the more commonly used and cruder 'adventurer' moniker. Both of them had retained their love of knowledge on into adulthood.

They used to be even more alike. Tatienne is self-possessed and confident, restless for the next thing to test herself against. She is still on an upward trajectory. But nothing had ever gone horribly wrong for Tatienne. It had for Kassiani. She could see her old self in the other woman, but she was no longer like any of those things. Mostly Kassiani felt tired, prematurely aged.

She thinks the journey to Talmandor’s Bounty has helped some. Maybe it was meeting Tatienne and making a new friend. It could be the constant motion of the ship forcing her to be more present all the time, or being away from Almas. But whatever the exact reason, Kassiani did feel more awake and alert then she had in a long while. Her nightmares seemed to have receded some as well.

K Engineering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

No, Kassiani hasn't disclosed being a Pathfinder Agent to Tatienne.

Aargh! I give up. Kassiani is there. Just moving forward.

Sorry it's taken me so long to get into the gameplay. I'll get up to speed quickly.

So much for a quiet semi-retirement.

Kassiani jumps into the small boat headed out from Talmandor’s Bounty to the probable cause of all the trouble. She hadn’t arrived to find a place like she expected at all.

Instead of a small, sleepy outpost where colonists were busy building a place where they could begin anew to scratch out a living, she found chaos. The colonists were fighting off and attack, and apparently the colony had been under siege from practically the very beginning. The town was on fire, even the ship she arrived on was almost lost to fire.

When she finally made it to shore, the situation was so confused it was hard for her to get a handle on what was happening. Before she’d left Almas, Kassiani had been given the name Carver Hastings, another Pathfinder agent who was supposed to be among the earliest colonists to arrive. At the time she’d been disappointed since she’d hoped to have some newly opened territory all to herself. But now she was glad there might be someone she could get a situation report from.

Finding Carver didn’t take too long. He was able to give her a very brief summary of events. Aside from the hazardous bumps and snags one could expect when founding a settlement in the wild unknown, Talmandor’s Bounty had been the target of a secretive campaign waged by shape shifters since almost its founding. The most recent violence and destruction was the culmination of a period during which the shape shifters, apparently a whole tribe or clan of them, had eliminated colonists and quietly replaced them so they could rise up and strike from within.

The news wasn’t all bad though. Carver also told Kassiani of several Azlanti buildings on the island showing extremely advanced knowledge of engineering and magic. There had also been a small number of still functioning constructs from that time discovered as well. All in all, the little island was far more tumultuous and richer in finds than she had ever imagined.

When word reaches her about a boat leaving for a nearby island thought to be the source of the shape shifter troubles, as well as where some of the missing colonists may have been taken, Kassiani volunteers to go with it. She quickly stashes her belongings in a building and gears up like she hasn’t done in more than a year.

Kassiani is pleased to find Tatienne aboard as well. She’s grown fond of her during the time they spent aboard the resupply ship. It started as an experiment on Kassiani’s part, socializing, making friends again. That was another thing Kassiani hadn’t done in over a year, have a social life. Kassiani had chosen Tatienne because she was also half-elven. She figured it was at least a conversation starter. As it turned out, they had lots more things in common.

On the boat over to the other island Kassiani braids her hair then pins both braids up to keep them out of the way. Lacking a hat, she takes a piece of fabric and wraps it around her head like a turban. It’s not as good as a brimmed hat, but it helps some in keeping water from dripping into her eyes. When they land Kassiani helps beach the boat.

She lets Tatienne take the lead on greetings and introductions with the colonists making up the rescue party there. Kassiani offers only her name and a brief smile that betrays some nervousness when greeting people.

Okay, a couple more things.

I completely forgot about wands when buying gear. Do we want a wand of CLW? I was assuming there would be some other source of healing when I chose Kassiani's spells so she can't really handle it through that means alone.

If we do, I'll need to ditch some gear to raise the money. Looking at the stuff she has right now, there are some things that might be worth selling off for the wand. The Oil of Darkness and Dust of Tracelessness can come in handy, but both are pretty situational. Selling those would net 550 gp full price. Are we selling for 50% of that price? I'm terrible at loot.

There's also those +1 Strix Bane Bolts. Do you think we'll be running across any Strix? If I'm right in my calculation each of those is worth 166 gp for a total of 498. If we're selling for 50% value all these items get us 524 gp (full value 1048), which puts us really close to the 750 we need. Thoughts?

Also I'm working on my first post. Hopefully I've largely got the prior events mentioned right, but it's been difficult to get a firm grip on recent things, not many GM updates amid character conversation to use for piecing things together. I have limited time to comb through the pages right now. Anyway, hopefully it will be close enough to make sense.

Thanks Netherpongo,

It had been a long time since I'd looked at the resonant stuff and I was misremembering it. Resonant effects come from placing an ioun stone in a device with a slot to hold it. It actually doesn't require 2 stones.

If we're using those rules then Kassiani, who has a deep red cracked sphere ioun stone that gives her +1 on disable device. She has it slotted in her wayfinder so she also gets improved unarmed strike as a feat according to the table. Amusing but not particularly useful.

The page with the information is below. There's also an option for rolling for an effect if you don't want to use the table with reset effects. Doesn't matter to me which is used, but it's a neat little extra for ioun stones that I'd like to use if there's no objection.

Wayfarers and Ioun Stones Resonances

Hey Aurelian, I think I can loan you 1,500 gp if you can scrounge up the rest elsewhere.

I'd intended to get a Keen enchantment on the estoc, but I'm a bit short to do that. I guess I'll settle for a +1 only right now. That leaves me with some extra cash on hand.

Cool cool. Thanks for all the work Netherpongo and Aurelius!

I'll be getting Kassiani geared and and ready, hopefully with a gameplay post before the day is over.

A couple of quick questions:

1. Is Carver Hastings generally known to be a Pathfinder Agent at this point, or is that still a secret in the colony? Are Pathfinders still not wanted there, or does it matter anymore?

2. If we have equipment capable for housing more than one Ioun Stone, are we allowing resonant powers?

I think the loot list Aurelian drew up for Kassiani looks very good. I'd choose the Necklace of Adaptation over the extra +1 AC. Kassiani won't have any other options for underwater for another level, and I'll take being able to breathe over the protection. Later on it will also keep a spell known free for something else.

I don't think I'll be able to get into coming up with a list things to spend on until this weekend. One thing that's for sure is she will want a +1 enchantment on her estoc.

As for arrival at Talmandor's Bounty, I would really prefer it be as recently as possible. It seems to me the stuff related to arrival is getting overly complicated for no particular reason. While I do understand the immersion for the sake of verisimilitude perspective, we are both the creators and the audience. We're not going to fool ourselves into anything. I would like to have Kassiani arrive on a recent ship and subsequently make contact with Aurelian and Zay. Why can't Tatienne and Kassiani simply have heard the others are off on an island doing something important and take a boat of their own to go join them?

Sounds like a good plan.

The thing that jumped out at me is the +1 mithril breastplate. I'll look through the item by item as soon as I can. I think I'm going to have to look a lot of things up before I know what they are.

Kassiani also has the Outflank feat so now everyone in the party can have it. It might be interesting to build in this direction with other stuff like Seize the Moment and Paired Opportunist. Maybe Kassiani should trade Ambuscading Spell for Combat Reflexes...

That a big pile of loot!

There is a spontaneous caster Druid archetype, ummm..... Well, maybe I'm wrong about that. The Feyspeaker switches to Charisma based casting and gives some spontaneous spells, but those replace the nature's ally spells. Looks like it's not really the same thing.