Lia Wynn's page

I'm in. I'll get to work on Zaria's full profile later today. I want to thank everyone for making this a very fun recruiting process.

That said, if if the votes were tight, I'm still willing to slide into a reserve role since I do plan on still apping for SoT.

I've done this a lot. My IRL group is three people.

I have, sometimes, especially at low levels, adjusted encounters slightly. At high levels, it's been less needed, but it is a feel thing.

I have never had them a level over. In fact, they did AoA about a level under, as we were still using XP - I had not changed to milestone yet - and they felt they were leveling too fast to learn things so we slowed it down.

FA can be good, but it can also lead to a lot more complexity, so YMMV on that, especially with new players. I actually think FA is overused.

I've never had anyone use this ability in my game, so this is my first thought for it.

1. I would not have it trigger with Reactive Strike since it specifically says 'on its next turn', but I would have it trigger with things like Spellstrike since that happens on its own turn.

2. I do not think that it would trigger more than once, as it states that once the creature rolls the save against Forbidden Thoughts, it is immune for one turn.

However, if the spell was amped, and the creature did a multi-action attack - like Dual Slice, Frenzy, Whirlwind Strike, etc, I would rule that the Stunned 1 would disrupt that ability due to the action loss from the Stunned on a failed save.

Hi Dr. Evil.

I've also been RPGing since the start. On the boards, the Sky Kings Tomb game I'm running just hit a year. I can keep to the posting guidelines you outlined.

And, as much as I feel I play too many humans, and in an AP where other ancestries work so well, my application is for a human because it fits the idea best.

Iovia, who no longer uses her last name. She is Chelaxian. Her family was one of the many Chelaxian families that held slaves and controlled part of the Expanse.

However, Iovia joined the Vidrian Revolution on the side of the rebels. Not only had she come to realize that the colonization was wrong, but because of her interactions with the locals in her household, she had come to worship Tlehar, the Rising Sun.

When the Chelaxians left Vidrian, she stayed. She helped with the initial process of starting the rebuild, giving her former home - which as the last member of her family in the country was legally hers - to the new government to use as they saw fit.

She has come to the Magambya mostly to learn about her new home, and she considers that to be the entire Expanse. She expects discrimination until she proves herself to people. She is Chelaxian after all, and she does not hide that.

Class-wise, she'll either be a Cleric (which is where I am leaning), or a Champion of Tlehar.

I'm not sure about what background I'll use yet. I'm leaning towards Acolyte or Noble. Both are recommended in the Players Guide, and none of the AP specific ones seem to fit. I am open to other ideas.

I would go with the Druid archetype, and the Branches would be Tempest Sun and Emerald Boughs. I think in that order, but I might reverse it.

Zaria loads her crossbow.

"Go. I can cover from here, along with anyone else who is good from range. We can just smash the window and provide support."

"There are quite a few of us. We could scout both ways. If one group finds the missing people, it drops back, gets the other group, and we approach together."

Zaria has left musings on cults and the like for people who are better qualified for such things. She's been keeping an eye on both doors.

I don't actually think Dr. Evil would want us to split up during a RP test, but we have a large enough group of PCs at the moment where it would be viable.

"Red tends to mean danger, and we're following a trail of bug art. I say we go left." Zaria gives her opinion on which way the group should go.

I have been giving this some thought, yes.

I think, for me, the question has revolved around why Tuom had Jirelga tossed in jail. She has very few allies, why take one off the board?

What I've decided is that the destruction of Guldrege totally imbalanced Jirelga. If Thenur had lived, I think she would have put the reasons for the attack together and been able to adjust to it.

What if Jirelga could not figure it out? From her perspective, one day, out of the blue, the Avernal Worm, a legendary creature, just wipes out her village for, as far as she is concerned, no reason at all!

She is one of the few survivors and finds herself in Highhelm, and she becomes a conspiracy theorist.

She sees the worm everywhere. In the way that tea leaves fill her cup. In the way that grubs move, or mushrooms grow. In graffiti on walls. That's why she learns about the fey and wants to track the cult to the city.

It also explains why Tuom takes her off the board. When she is lucid, Jirelga is an excellent smuggler who knows plenty of secret passages in the Darklands. When she is not, she might just grab someone and spout nonsense at them - Tuom could worry that some of that nonsense might not be nonsense and decide to make sure that Jirelga can't give her away, but doesn't want to murder her. So, fake evidence, a bribe, and Jirelga is in the Broch, and no longer a liability.

It also lets me ignore the lack of stats for Jirelga. In combat, she screams and hides, and out of combat, she guides, and may offer advice, but isn't really coherent enough to use skills.

"It won't be hard to find them. We can just follow the tracks. Hopefully, we can talk the wizard down peacefully."

Zaria will stay towards the middle or back of the group, to better use her crossbow if needed.

"I think it would be best for us to stay together. Outside is one thing. Inside, well, it's best to stay together, so that no one gets lost. Zaria says.

Zaria had tended to scout ahead and then come back to the group to keep an eye out for threats, and she was used to tracking criminals through the wilderness.

Water beaded on her long jacket and off her hat. She didn't seem to mind the rain, she seemed pretty comfortable in it.

"If they are here, we will find them and bring them home. Remember that noise carries a long way inside caves and tunnels, so we should try and be as quiet as we can."

After speaking, she will check for tracks, as Phasetwo suggested they do.

DM DoctorEvil wrote:

Seth86 wrote:

White skinned orc. Druid with eventually going barbarian dedication.

as for the orc, i think any animal he transform into will be the Albino equivalent of the species

This seems like a fine idea to me. What makes him white-skinned? Is he true albino or just a strange mutation? Does that make him an outcast in his own society?

Do you mean full Orc? That may cause some acceptance issues in Torch just so you know. And why is he in Torch again?

I had a related question. Core ancestries preferred was mentioned. Core now includes goblin, leshy & orc whereas half-elf and half-orc were Core at the time the AP was written. Can you clarify core ancestries in regards to this adventure?

They still are. Aiuvarin (half-elf) and dromaar (half-orc) are in Mixed Ancestries, in PC 1. They were even adjusted to be more broad so that any species could be the other half of the elf/orc side, though it is suggested that you check with the GM before doing that.

Lia Wynn wrote:

The idea that I have is a local resident of Torch, preferably an Amruun (catfolk),

The idea is kind of Western-themed, since Numeria is a badlands with no real law in much of it, which reminds me of the old west. She'd have a job in town, something normal, but when there was trouble, she'd be one of the people who would be asked to look into it.

Class wise, she'd be a precision ranger, preferably with a firearm, since that fits the concept best, but a crossbow would be workable. Probably with Crafting skills, and more Cha than you'd expect, as she would try to talk people down before trying violence.

I think you may have to start out without a firearm, but who knows what you will find along the way? I'd lean against a catfolk character, but will allow you to present it if you wish.

Ok.

Looking over the Wiki entry on Torch, to see what the population is like, and I know your version might be different, but it is helpful nonetheless, I think I'll go with dromaar (half-orc) for ancestry, as they are the third most populous, as as much as I like dwarves in Golarion (and even with the iconic ranger being a dwarf), they just don't seem to add much for a ranger.

In addition, if I made the game, and the albino ord druid did, I could sort of be a bridge for him.

Would it be?

If someone doesn't know anything about magic, would a Hex look different from any other spell?

Bards cast spells. Karina posing as a Bard casts a spell. Why would it be automatically known that it was a witch spell?

I think the class posing as another class is a really fun-sounding concept.

I've been going around and around with concepts since I have so many I want to try. A few of the ones submitted are close to some that I came up with, which slowed me down some, but in a good way.

The idea that I have is a local resident of Torch, preferably an Amruun (catfolk), but I can go with other Ancestries, but not human since I play too many of them and want to explore more elements of Golarion.

The idea is kind of Western-themed, since Numeria is a badlands with no real law in much of it, which reminds me of the old west. She'd have a job in town, something normal, but when there was trouble, she'd be one of the people who would be asked to look into it.

Class wise, she'd be a precision ranger, preferably with a firearm, since that fits the concept best, but a crossbow would be workable. Probably with Crafting skills, and more Cha than you'd expect, as she would try to talk people down before trying violence.

@Codanous: I think an Andriod cleric of Brigh would be amazing.

I've liked all of the submissions so far. A couple of them have even crossed-streams with some ideas of mine. I should have a submission of my own up soon.

I don't think anything suggested has been overly crazy, and I like the fact that people are suggesting ideas for how characters may be linked if chosen. It shows a willingness, IMO, to work with other people.

On page 6, it says Jirelga rolls along with the PCs to get victory points, but I dont' see a stat block for them anywhere. I was just going to assume a +10 to all relevant skills.

Yes, this is an issue. At the end of Mantle of Gold, it's 'You'll actually get Jirelga out of prison and maybe bring down the corrupt warden.' in the next book. Book two starts with Jiregla leading the group into the Darklands, with no information at all about her, or why she is the guide, or anything like that. There is information on what she tells them, but nothing about why she has to - or even wants to - be a guide.

I don't know if the Book 1 and 2 authors didn't coordinate, or editing missing that, or it was cut for some reason, but it is connective tissue that needs to be adjusted by the GM.

I would give it the Fire trait, I think. I could not find any details on how/when to add a trait to an attack, but in general, when a damage type is added, it seems to also add the trait, so I would for consistency.

My prefs are a little more complex.

If Talindra applies to Sot, I'd prefer SoT as I would like to play in a game with her again. Otherwise, I'd prefer IG.

I'd be happy with either of the APs, though, in the end.

Dawnsilver is the new name for Mithral. It acts as if it were silver for the purposes you mentioned, which buffs it. However, it is not silver, so it works normally on devils.

Lia Wynn wrote:

You could just use any old cloth. Cleave gags are nice and simple.

What's a "cleave gag?"

It's a gag that's pulled between someone's teeth and not just placed over the mouth.

Ok, here are my answers.

1) I've been playing RPGs since the original D&D blue box. My first box set had chits instead of dice and had B1, the version of it that you had to stock yourself with the aid of random tables.

What draws me to RPGs? The combination of the social aspect, the storytelling, and the mechanics. The way they intersect is what I like the most.

2) I want to play. I took a long break, because of where I live, from TTRPGs. Two or three years ago there was a PF2/SF1 Humble Bundle. My second kid was curious about TTRPGs, so we grabbed it. I quickly fell in love with PF2s rules, and about the same time a small hobby shop opened nearly, so I ended up running PF2 there a couple of times a week. But, I also like to play, and living in the boonies, I don't really have a lot of other hobby options.

3) Currently, I would have to say Ember from Owlcat's WotR. Ember had horrible things happen to her, and has every right to be angry and bitter, and instead is cheery and hopeful, and optimistic, and just overall a joy. But, ask me in six months and I might have another answer!

4) I'm running Sky King's Tomb here on Paizo, and we're a couple of weeks away from our first-year anniversary. As far as playing, maybe one, but I think it died. I'd limit myself to playing in no more than 2 so that I can give any games I was in proper attention.

5) I'll give two answers here. From an overall perspective, PF2. I've played a lot of systems, and there is no overall system I like more. From the perspective of 'does the game mechanics play into the theme close to flawlessly', I'd say Earthdawn. Earthdawn wanted a cinematic feel, and the mechanics of the game allowed any class, even from level 1, to feel like an action movie hero.

6) Engagement. Both with the story and with the other players/characters. What I mean by this are things like: do you post on the schedule the DM sets? Do your non-combat posts give other players something to interact with? Do you participate in, and/or start, Discussion threads? I think that the more you engage with the other characters and the other players, the better and more fun the game is.

7) This is the hardest question for me, as in general, I don't like to even risk coming across as telling another GM how to choose players. But, that said, here is my answer. I want to start off by saying that I think however a GM looks for players can be effective. In SKT, I used a mix of who the character was, and because of the nature of book 1 of that AP, what skills the characters had. There are a lot of skill challenges in the AP, and I wanted to make sure that the bases were covered for my players.

I do think that the way you are handling the recruitment gives a significant insight into your thought process for the two games you plan to run. You are not recruiting characters, it seems to me, as much as you are recruiting players. I think that the approach is very interesting. I'm already curious to see how it works out in the end, and I may take notes on it for my own future games.

8) For the @GM part, I don't have a question. I've been in one of your games. I like how you GM, I feel your GM style meshes with what I like as a player.

For the @player part: I'd echo Seth. I think his question expresses what I would ask very well. I like it when the characters - as well as the players - work together to tell a good story.

That said, player meshing can take time, so I would also ask if someone was patient enough to let that happen.

I apologize, but I am going to have to drop before the start. Not because I don't want to play, or anything like that.

Yesterday was the birthday of one of my players in the group I DM for face-to-face, and he bought Prey for Death because he wants to see the story of the adventure and how it ties into WoI. I was not expecting that to happen or I would not have apped in the first place.

I'm going to be running it shortly, and I don't think it's fair to run and to play it at the same time. While I think I can keep player and character knowledge separate, it's all too easy to accidentally let something slip, and inadvertently ruin fun for other people, and I do not want to risk that.

So, thank you for selecting me, and I hope that the game goes great for all of you!

I would guess color since silver is not in the traits you listed. Special properties tend to be listed in traits when they apply.

All of the Pre-master bestiaries work just fine after the Remaster. Hill Giants were not 'axed'. Page space is a consideration, and if you need a hill giant, just use it from Bestiary 1 or AoN.

Not every monster from the three bestiaries will be reprinted. Nor do they need to be. Nor should we want them to be. New monsters are better than old ones that will not be changed at all.

Thanks for accepting me as well.

I'll get to work on my character. As I'm a wizard with a spellbook, how would spells that I may have added, outside of normal leveling, be handled?
Would there be some sort of allowance, or would that come from the 1500 gold, ie scrolls that I had scribed in the past?

I'm leaning towards alchemist for my FA for some added versatility.

I tell my parties that barring something unforeseen they'll get a single 10-minute rest guaranteed. I take that as being the same time in previous D20 games that we used to search the bodies and for secret doors.

They could certainly have more than one, but it's never assured, and they would typically not get 3 or 4.

I think if you give too many all the time players start to expect it, then you get that time when you can't rest at all - and those do happen when a story calls for it - players aren't prepared to deal with that.

I like checking the score each day, and pondering characters for application once the voting is over. It's been a pretty fun thread.

I think between Guns and Gears, its January Remaster, and SF2's playtest, there are plenty of resources for converting technology to PF2.

Talindra Ravenheart wrote:

It is such an incredible relief to see you're around, DM DoctorEvil! My votes mirror Lia's just because I had a ton of fun with her in your old CoCT game and I want those picks to win :D

I owe a few of you, Talindra and Lia included, an apology for bailing on their last game last year. No plans for that to happen this time.

IRL happens. I think the fact that we are both willing to re-app for one of your games shows there are no hard feelings. I echo others that it's great to see you back.

Hi DrEvil!

My votes are:

For Group 1: Reign of Winter. Not only because I really love Irrisen and the concept of the AP, but because I have a PC I've apped twice for RoW Games and haven't made into one yet. I'd be happy with any of the rest except for Rise as I've run that one, and my memory hasn't faded enough from it yet.

For Group 2, I think I'd lean, slightly, Kingmaker. I wouldn't want AoA for the same reasons as Rise, or SKT as I am currently running it on these boards.

As Dr. Frank said, use the creature creation rules. That's how monsters, even ones shaped like character classes, are designed in this edition.

You could just use any old cloth. Cleave gags are nice and simple.

If you play around with Pathbuilder for this, remember to also uncheck many of the options as the books for this will be quite limited.

Every product page on Pathfinder Infinite also has two tabs at the bottom of it. One for reviews and one for general commentary which is often used to ask questions of creators. You could try that.

On top of what others have said, Arcana is never a highly specific Lore skill.

Arcana, the other magical tradition skills, and Society are the baseline skills.

Something like Lore: Undead is specific.

Something like Lore: Vampire is highly specific.

I'm currently playing a kineticist in a game on the boards, and in a so far heavy combat game, the range on Elemental Blast has not hindered me at all.

At higher level, maybe it could, but I'll have a lot more options then for what to do. For a baseline, do it all day, blasty attack, though, I think that the ranges as is are fine.

I'm going to toss my hat into the ring as well.

1. How familiar are you with the 2E ruleset?

I am GMing in a game, and playing in a game here on the Paizo boards, and have been running TT PF2E for about 2 years. I have a good feel for the rules.

1. Where is your character from?

I would play a Nephilim from Qadira.

2. What class and archetype(s) are you intending to take?

Wizard. I'm not sure what archetype(s) yet as I don't have my PC2 yet. I'm thinking Archeologist, Scroll Trickster, or something else along those lines/

3. Tell me a bit about your character's background in no more than a paragraph.

She is a scholar and a researcher in ancient cultures and magic. She explores Qadira and other lands in search of lost lore or items and consults with various groups.

4. Why did your character join the Red Mantis assassins?

After helping the Red Mantis out with a very delicate task, they gave her the option of joining or being silenced. Seeing the offer as a sign of respect, after all, they gave the choice and did not just kill her, she accepted.

5. Describe a previous mission you have completed for the Mantis God. This doesn't have to be an assassination, the Red Mantis often do various favors for other individuals or organizations as well as sending their agents off to hunt down secrets, information, treasure etc.

Using Lore she had learned, she led the Manits to an ancient tomb to recover a formula for a long-forgotten poison. They then used the poison to eliminate a target whose healers could not figure out how to negate the poison. In addition, if Ira Kroll and I both made the game, and Ira liked the idea, I could have been the person who got him into the party in his mission.

6. What skills and qualities does your character bring to the team and its assassination mission?

From a mechanical perspective, I'd have at least 3 of the RK skills (Arcana, Occultism, and Society) covered. I'm thinking about exploring the Counterspell route, as I've yet to see it used in play and would like to. The flexibility of the Wizard to swap to an entirely new spell lineup could be very handy, as well, if we get lead time to learn about targets, and I imagine assassins would have that.

I'm pretty surprised that a level 15 party has no access at all to Cold Iron, via a backup weapon or a spell or effect that gives it to them temporarily. It tends to be the first special material a party learns about since there are so many low-level Fey.

As The Ronyon said, Weak to Fire should allow them to keep it down long enough for them to escape.

What's the party comp? That might help us come up with ways to help your group out. We know that there is a rogue and a fighter as well as a caster. What sort of Caster? What are the other characters?

I would let someone Step off a cliff to avoid a Reactive Strike. However, they would still take falling damage, and would now be - in this example - in the water and potentially out of the fight for a while as they would have to get back to it.

That might be worse than just taking the Reactive Strike.

One might also, in this case, use Reposition to swap places with the attacker and then Shove to push them off the cliff.

It seems to me that the first line is flavor text describing what the spell does, and has nothing to do with mechanics.

Is there a reason why they would not? They are Bloodline spells that get added to your repertoire. I don't see a reason to not treat them as bloodline spells in every way.

In several campaigns me and the GM looked at each other and agreed that tracking ammo was uninteresting. We weren't going to try to sell looted arrows from defeated enemies, and we weren't going to track how many arrows we used ourselves.

I tend to do this as well for non-magical ammunition. I just have players drop a little money every so often to restock and then not stress it.

Are you saying you'd allow Ancestral Paragon, Dual Class, and Free Archetype? That would be a lot of extra character power.

Also, are you going to be using the little Q&A thing (which is very cool), or will the selected five players have to figure out what the prior adventure that would be turned into an Opera is?

At failure on the save, it just says that they will not take hostile actions unless attacked themselves. There's nothing in the spell that indicates that they do nothing.

Healing, sure.

Dropping back to a safer place, sure.

Calling for help? Sure.

Stand there and no nothing? No, I don't see that at all.

Calm seems to me to be a spell where if a fight started, and in the fight one - or both - sides realize 'Wait, this is an accidental fight.', then you have a reset button to go back to talking and not have a fight.

Also, the spell does not say that the affected individuals need to be targeted by a hostile action. It says subject to hostility. I would read that as seeing the Casters' side do anything hostile to me and my friends. So, if you Calm me, and then your barb hits my friend with an axe, I think I am subject to hostility, and the spell would end on me.

However, YMMV on that, and however your table would rule that would be right for your table.

Gortle wrote:

Witch of Miracles wrote:

Quote:

I can't see a justification for giving a Perception check here.

The scrying sensor is invisible. "Invisible" just means you're "undetected" unless a creature uses the Seek action and beats your Stealth DC with a perception check. It's up to you if it's reasonable for guards to constantly take the Seek action on patrol, but there's nothing mechanically untoward going on here.

Invisibility is just weaker than it sounds.

This is exploration mode so Search is the activity. Not everyone is going to be doing that all the time. Maybe efficient guards will be. Avoid those. Stay at range.

With Invisibility there is no roll unless they are seeking. That is the point.

When the GM decides a roll is appropriate and at what range, and with what penalties is very much up to them. The rules don't cover precisely what happens with invisibility outside an encounter. They state what happens inside an encounter.

Regardless there is a circumstance bonus for full cover for sneaking. It is given as +4. I'd be surprised if a GM didn't give at least that for invisible.

What else would guards be doing while walking around other than seeking during exploration?

They walk. They talk. They maybe take a smoke break, even though they shouldn't.

Guard duty is boring. Especially at night, and that assumes good weather. It is rainy, or snowy, all you're thinking about is how to stay warm.

The first pass or two around the perimeter, yeah, you're Seeking in game terms. By the 4th or so time around, you just want your shift to be over. You perk up your awareness when you're near the command post so you don't get yelled at.

That's for a mobile patrol. Standing at the same tree for an hour or two in the middle of the night, you're more focused on trying to stay awake than Seeking.

Now, it's different - mostly - if you are in an active combat zone. Then you have incentive and adrenalin to keep you more focused.

But, if it's night 97 of your guard duty job, and nothing has happened nights 1 to 96, and it's 2 AM, and your body clock is screaming 'Why are you even awake', you are not constantly Seeking.

You'll Seek if something happens - in game terms if that scout blows the Stealth rolls. But not constantly.

I'd let it put out something like a candle. It is only a splash of water, though, not a very large amount. For something like a campfire, I agree that Quench is what should be used.

That said, if letting it put out something bigger works for your table, run with it. It's all about having fun in the end.

I would not allow it for slings that were on a belt for the reasons Blave mentioned.

If any reload weapon was being carried, I would allow it. You are giving up a free hand, or two, to do that, and it also seems prudent to me to have your weapon ready to go if you are expecting danger. So, room to room in a dungeon would be fine in my game to pre-load, if the weapon was in your hands.

If a crossbow was slung, I would not. Gravity, IMO, would pull the bolt out, though if a player could show me that it would not, somehow, I'd reverse the ruling.

For a firearm, I would allow it when slung with a caveat - if you rolled a crit fail on an Athletics check or Acrobatics check it would go off. It might not hit you, but it would fire.

There are reasons, after all, that armies did not have crossbows/early firearms loaded on the march.

I agree with Errenor. Search, as an exploration activity, says that you Seek. Seek is very clear in that both creatures and non-creatures can be found.

However, I can see why there could be confusion as Search itself does not mention creatures, and if a player or GM did not notice the 'You seek..' to start off the description of Search, or did not know Seek was an action, they could think creatures were not included.