<So, here's some POV from Amber. As noted previously, she's known as the cat lady, but she doesn't actually particularly specialise in cats, though her closest friend certainly is one. Her philosophy in life is still evolving in my own mind a bit, she's very tied to the city, homeless - though she basically considers the city itself to be her home, the buildings and alleys simply rooms and hallways to her - and her care extending to all the fallen, "unwanted" and other otherwise uncared-for in the city.>
Well, hasn't this been an "interesting" few days. I can't say I can recall a time when I've ever been so active, and ached so much - at least, not since my days as one of his Lambs. I try not to dwell on those days, but ever since Goblin brought me that card, I've not been able to really avoid it...
The circumstances that have brought the five of us together are odd. All of us gathered by the now-known-to-be-dead Zelara: Crispin, whose fortunes seem to have been distinctly better than mine were after escaping Lamm's clutches, having been taken in by the church of Cayden Cailean. Aula, who seems still to dwell under the cloud of her departure from the Academae. Lem, who lost her lover to Lamm's plots. Modus, whose daughter was sold into slavery or worse by Lamm and who he still seeks. Then there's myself...
I was twelve when I finally escaped Gaedren Lam's control. That final beating, the one which left me battered
and broken was too much for my young mind. Until that time, I had accepted the beatings as "deserved," that I had done something wrong and that the beating was my own fault. But none of them had ever been like that one. It took me weeks to recover, and all for the mistake of actually trying to help one of the other Lamms. I never saw him again after that day...
As I recovered under Lam's assistant's "care" I made a point to downplay how well I was actually recovering - I didn't have to act very much - but finally allowed them to think I was *just* well enough to be put back to work. Thinking I was still too hobbled, the guards were understandably careless. I used to wonder sometimes how long it took to notice I had sneaked away...
I can't remember a time prior to that when Lamm wasn't nearby. I don't even remember who my parents were, or if they even still live, though for the past 26 years, the city itself has been my mother and my father. Korvosa certainly believes in "tough love," but provide and nurture it has. For someone willing to take the time to look, sustenance is to be found nearly everywhere. Likewise, clothing and other materials are tossed without a though daily from numerous places. People talk about shortages, poverty, and so forth. I call it an unwillingness to open ones eyes. The city provides, it is up to us to take what we're given and make use of it.
I learned this lesson quickly after I ran from Lam. I learned the places to hide from his people, the reliable places to look for food. I learned to observe the other denizens of the streets, humanoid and otherwise, and identify safe shelter. In time, I became more and more attuned to the pulse of the city, how it breathes, how it moves, how it lives. Like a dog's hair, it shed unnecessary parts over time. Like a cat's whiskers, it's people feel what's going on around it more than one's own eyes and ears. And like a jigsaw shark's teeth it ravenously consumes the unwary.
I still remember what it was like in those first weeks after I ran from Lam, though. I watch for the young, the new, the unwary, and help set them straight. But others before me took me under their wing as well. I learned to read from an acolyte of the temple to Irori, though I was a poor, and irregular student. Old Man Whitebeard taught me how to defend myself, how to get away from the "teeth." Goblin's grandmother taught me how to climb, how to find hard-to-reach places, and how to stalk. But the city - it taught me how to survive: taught me how to call on the creatures of the city to aid me, and taught me how to aid them. It taught me how to move through the crowds, and how to use its structures to my advantage. It taught me to mold its very elements; the air, the moisture, the wood, the stone. It teaches me every day, and unlike before, I am a very willing student...
I must admit, I took great pleasure in seeing Lam's body lying dead beneath his factory. Death in the city is something that I am unfamiliar with - like skin the city sloughs off parts of itself over time, but it is always replaced by fresh. I take no real pleasure or sadness in it - death in the city just is. One tries not to get too attached to anyone or anything, though Goblin and his predecessors have taught me that everyone still needs "family." The city may be my parent, but Goblin is my younger sibling. Lam, however, that was a death I felt *pleasure* in. Like an infection, if you can't cure it, cut it off. In this case, we lanced the boil.
Since then, though, circumstances seem to have kept me associated with those who helped with the surgery. We kept together when the city began to riot with the death of the King (if they really knew how little power they have over the city...) right after we left Lam's place, for safety. We were recruited as a group to help the guard who was badly overwhelmed right afterwards. We helped bring one of their own back to them, I wasn't sure why at first, but when we later learned that his men had been using their meat-donation operation to potentially distribute the remains of their political opponents, well, that had to stop. Then we were asked to find information to incriminate a man from Cheliax who intended some sort of harm on the city, something I couldn't allow - I must admit, much of the "higher" things my companions and others have talked about recently has been "over my head." I think my companions must think me somewhat simple or "touched." I admit, I don't know all the fancy words they do, but let's see them them survive in this city for long without all their coin and equipment - but I do sense something sinister going on: Korvosa's breath has quickened, it's heart races, and I get the feeling that the city gathers us to fight a new infection.
One possible sign of this: I had recently been "accosted" by one of the city's "nobles," and sought the aid of a local crow to help me "deliver" my opinion of him. This bird refused to go near his estate however, it claimed that the air over the estate "eats." Further inquiry with the locals near the estate clarified things, in that there is some sort of ward covering the estate, taknig anything that come in by ground or by air, and essentially chews it up and spits it back out. Maybe Aula can help determine what is going on there.
This won't help for the 13th, but we're preparing to start running Pathfinder society events at Oroboro Games & Books in Bellevue as well, so more options are about to appear. We'll post in a separate thread with details here shortly.
For my part, and with all the negativity I've seen in many of these 3.5 vs. 4e posts, I'll take whatever Paizo throws at us, 'cause it's that good, but I do hope they ultimately make the switch to 4e. There's almost nothing I've seen so far from 4e that isn't a major improvement, in my opinion, over any of the previous editions.
As for the iconics, nobody has to be thrown away. Sure, some revisions might need to be made, but Lem, for example, would almost certainly return with PHB II, etc. Plus, hell, it's Paizo's world, there's no reason they can't make Gnomes a core race in Golarion...
Not a bad idea that. It would again tie the weapon directly to Karzoug's power itself.
As for the back-story, what I've come up with, as well as Paizo's own stuff, would implicitly assume that the Thassilonian language ultimately evolved into the Varisian and Shoanti languages.
I want to more formally write up the history of this ancient hero, though. So it's come to the point now where I actually need to make up a name for the guy, and develop his history a bit so that there's a bit more for my player to learn.
On another note, if James or anyone is happening to be watching this thread at all, do we have any information regarding the church of Iomedae? One of my players is a crusader/favored soul of Iomedae, and while a follower previously, he's looking to more directly integrate himself into the faith. I've improved some bits myself, but was wondering if there was anything more solid I can throw his way as of yet?
Just levelling it. I liked the idea of weapons of legacy, ut the whole process is too convoluted for my liking, honestly. It also won't be nearly as high powered as them either.
(I actually wrote this all up last week, and it never made it to the boards...)
So, in the interest of adding more back-story to more closely integrate my players' characters into the game, I came up with the following. I don't know how closely it will end up matching with what Paizo ends up developing, or if I've missed some history somewhere.
Spoiler:
As is noted in PF#1, the people of Thassilon ultimately descended from two castes into the Shoanti and Varisian peoples. The Shoanti descended from the militia caste. While the providers were less content with the Runelords, I decided that there was at least one individual from the militia caste who fought actively against the Runelords, and against Karzoug in particular. He wielded a weapon specifically crafted to be a counter to the magic of greed. With the fall of Thassilon, and the seclusion of the Runelords, it was decided by this hero and his allies that the weapon needed to be hidden, to prevent the remaining allies of Karzoug from hunting it down and destroying it, keeping it safe for another to wield against the power of greed when Karzoug returned.
This weapon, a greataxe, was magically cased within a shell, making it look for all intents and purposes as a normal, mundane axe, and then it was further enchanted to avoid all detection of magic. The axe was tied to Karzoug's magic itself, and went dormant with Karzoug's slumber......
On to modern day Varisia and the Rise of the Runelords campaign. One of my players is a Shoanti from the axe clan. (Can you see where this is going?) He does indeed wield a greataxe (yes, *the* axe). The player himself has been hoping to find a magical greataxe, even if it meant buying one in Magnimar (they've only just made it there). Prior to their reaching Magnimar, he began having dreams, specifically ones where he finds himself in a forge, looking at the furnace. The smith points to the furnace, and he throws his axe into the fires. He's been having this same recurring dream for some time. He didn't know what the dreams meant, but it seemed pretty silly to throw a perfectly good axe into the fire.
I should note, my player has on his own gone a ways to help "define" the Shoanti themselves, imagining them as a bit of a hybrid between vikings and native Americans.
Upon reaching Magnimar, he sought to track down a Shoanti shaman who could help him interpret this dream and tell him what it meant. I decided that any Shoanti in a human population center, even a small one like Sandpoint, would need a pretty significant reason for being there long-term. As such, I came up with the following NPC:
Spoiler:
Lvl 7 Diviner (Evocation)
Hp: 33 (12)
AC: 12
S 11
D 14 (10)
C 12 (8)
I 18
W 15 (11)
Ch 13 (9)
Equipment: Dagger, Shoanti clothing, various bottles of alcohol.
Brontus Crowmourne is a wizard living in the city of Magnimar. Small and sickly while young, he overcame A number of illnesses and injuries amongst the rough and hardy Shoanti, but showed natural intelligence and insight, so was apprenticed to one of the Shamans of his tribe, the Tamiir-Quah of the Stony Mountains. The remainder of his youth and young adult life were spent learning the shamanic ways of the tribe elders, and was particularly proficient with divination. In time, he was initiated as a full shaman of the tribe, and many were the individuals who came to him for advisement and wisdom.
Sadly, his role within the tribe, with some influence from fate, was to be his undoing within the tribe. Crowmourne gave advisement to the son of a member of the tribe who was of very high standing, Tallis Rocmane. He told the son that he would do well to not try to follow in his father's footsteps, that his strengths lie elsewhere. The son took this to mean that he was ill suited to ever lead the tribe, as his own father aspired to, and took it as a great insult. This "insult" festered over time, unknown to Crownmourne.
Not long ago, Crowmourne began to see signs within the dreams and visions of his people. These were indications of something old awakening, something major about to occur in Varisia, but what he couldn't tell. He became worried that the the stone giants to the Southeast were soon to be a threat. During a tribal meeting, he brought his concerns to voice, informing the now tribe-leader Rocmane of his suspicions. Rocmane's son, still holding his grudge against Crownmourne took this opportunity to get even, twisting his words to make them seem an insult to the tribe leader, questioning his ability to lead and his ability to determine what was a threat to the tribe and what wasn't. He questioned why he had never mentioned these things to the chief in the past, or to the previous chief. Caught completely off guard by this accusation, Crowmourne had no defense against the verbal assault, and the chief did indeed take offense at the shaman's words, exiling him from the tribe.
Crowmoune took his leave of the tribe, hurt, bitter, disillusioned, and wandered for a time, not knowing where to go. He knew he couldn't do anything about the giants, and his attempts to discern the nature of the threat were unsuccessful. Eventually his wanderings took him to the city of Magnimar. Here he had only his abilities and his knowledge to make his way, neither of which were in high demand in a city like Magnimar. He knew he couldn't leave and join another tribe, the tribes being naturally wary of outsiders to their tribe, and what could he tell them about his separation from his tribe, really?
He was only able to find lodging in one of the poorest areas of town, Rag's End. Here, he began performing minor divinations and fortune-tellings for the locals, making enough to keep his lodging, as well as his new vise - the bottle. Crowmourne's separation from his tribe, his inability to determine what is going on, and his out-of-place feeling in the city all combined to lead him to drink. Over time he has fully succombed to his addiction, passing his few sober times making his meager living, the rest of the time inebriated, or unconscious. While suffering from this addiction, Crowmourne's ability scores have been duly adjusted. Should he be somehow helped to recover from his addiction, in time, his scores will recover to their original state.
The spells listed:
Spoiler:
Dream Sense
Divination [Mind Affecting]
Level: Brd 2, Knowledge 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S, F/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 30 ft.
Area: Cone-shaped emanation
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: No
You detect dreams taking place. You cannot tell what is taking place within any given dream, only that a dream is taking place. You can tell the individuals within the area of affect who are dreaming and who are not.
Arcane Focus: A dream catcher with a lens made of partially-molten sand fixed to the center through which the caster peers.
Dream Seeking
Divination [Mind Affecting]
Level: Brd 3, Knowledge 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M, F/DF
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: 10 ft.
Area: Cone-shaped emanation
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: No
You can project yourself into the dream being experienced by another mind. Upon completion of casting, you enter a dreamlike state, projecting your mind into the mind of a single dreaming entity (Dream Sense can detect a that a dream is being experienced). If no dream is being experienced by a creature in range, the spell can be maintained by concentrating. Once a dream begins, you will immediately join the dream.
A willing subject needs not make a save. An unknowing or unwilling entity will unconsciously attempt to resist. If the save is failed, or the subject is willing, you will appear in the dream as well, either replacing a character who would otherwise have appeared in the dream, or joining the character within the dream at their side. The caster will be able to recognize the character they replace on sight outside the dream. The dreamer will be able to "see" the caster within their dream, and will recognize them on sight outside the dream (or within the dream if the caster is know to them).
Once within the dream, the caster may not take any conscious part in the dream itself, other than fulfilling the role that would have otherwise been fulfilled in their absence. The caster will experience the entirety of the dream that takes place during the duration of the spell. The caster cannot experience any negative effects from the dream, even if they are fulfilling a role where they are "killed." They will remain in the role of the slain entity, but still view the dream from that state.
Arcane Material Component: 5gp worth of Shoanti dream herbs, consisting of various incense, mushrooms, and alchemical substances.
Arcane Focus: A dream catcher with a lens made of partially-molten sand fixed to the center through which the caster peers.
My player tracked this guy down, and of course found him almost unconscious drunk. He managed to sober him up, at least temporarily. After much coaxing and such, he convinced him to help him. He proceeded to track down the materials he needed for the seeking, and submitted to the casting. This time, in the dream, the smith appeared as the shaman, and when he cast the axe into the fires this time, he also heard a loud battle cry in a language he didn't understand, but whose tone seemed very much like a Shoanti battle cry. He then continued to sleep.
The even piqued the shaman's curiosity a bit, and he spent the rest of my player's character's slumber studying the axe itself, but he couldn't tell much more. Upon his awakening, he told him that the dream itself was a sending, almost certainly from the axe itself. Since he couldn't sense or determine any other meaning, he suggested taking the dream literally.
The player hired time in a forge in order to try, skeptical. Once prepared, he cast the axe into flames. As soon as it landed, he once again heard the battle cry in his head, but also sensed a strong sense of contentment, and urging. He stoked the fires hotter, with the smith's help, and took the furnace to the point where the stones themselves began to glow. The axe itself was shining with the heat, the enchantments, and the outer shell sloughed off, revealing an new weapon entirely, slightly smaller, but of far greater quality, mithril, and etched with positive Thassilonian runes.
Spoiler:
The axe itself will function something like a runeforged weapon, but it is not borne of sin, and was crafted in direct opposition to Karzoug's transmutation magic. It will have a +1 enhancement bonus for every full 5 character levels, will absorb one harmful transmutation per day per full 5 character levels, and I'm still contemplating some other effects which may come into being as it awakens with Karzoug. It will be empathic. I suspect it will be actively hostile to any runeforged weapons which it comes into contact with which are based upon the transmutation magic of greed. If Karzoug dies, it will lose much of its magic, being tied to Karzoug himself.
Much of this information and back-story, as well as the history of Thassilon, I intend for the NPC above to be the conduit for. I want this character and his rehabilitation to be a side story to go along with the adventure path itself. I figured I'd throw this out here for constructive criticism and suggestions, possibly for feedback from Paizo if they feel like it, and for folks to make use of themselves if they so choose.
We're both extrapolating reasonably from the material in the scenario, just going in different directions. In my games, the party and Amieko have become fast friends, so I wanted her to be an "underdog" in conflict with the Scarnetti family.
I assumed that the Scarnettis had heavy connections in Magnimar and habitually throw their weight around (even if a more subtle approach might be better). I described their servants as muscular goons, and let the players draw the obvious conclusions about the mill fires, so the player characters distrust them (Humming the theme from The Godfather and giving them New York accents probably didn't help improve the party's impression). The PCs are suspicious even when the Scarnettis' intentions are good.
I pictured Amieko as an adventurous young woman similar to Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark: Capable, but not overcivilized. In my vision of the town, she avoided involvement in her family's business, preferring to avoid working with her overbearing father. Amieko's not unpopular among the townsfolk, but the "old money" types don't have confidence in her ability to run the glassworks.
I can absolutely see her having avoided involvement in the business from the start. I mean, seriously, who, if given a choice, would *want* to work with the guy? He's an ass.
Two of my three groups have been pretty "hands off" with the town so far, not getting too attached, other than in a professional sort of way with the sheriff and mayor. I do have two characters who are either from Sandpoint, or who helped build the cathedral, so that approach wouldn't work so well, since in that scenario they'd already be familiar with the Scarnettis and their "ways."
In your scenario, how do the other noble families feel about the Scarnettis and their pushiness? I would assume they'd not simply sit back and just let them have their way.
I think I'm going to have the Scarnettis in at least one of my games, (one of them may simply never end up interacting with them much) start to lean on Ameiko a bit, and just run with it and see where it goes. maybe nowhere, maybe it develops into a bit of an intrigue where their move to take over the glassworks is foiled, but in which they gain a grudge against the party, or something. I've only just started reading book 4, so I'm only getting to that information on the Scarnettis...
While the mayor might not have the authority to force Amieko to give up her family's business, I picture the Scarnettis as very used to telling people what to do, and "leaning on" anyone who refuses to go along. I expect that the mayor would be reluctant to confront them.
The Scarnettis may not have great power, but they have plenty of influence: Other people know that they can make doing business in Sandpoint a lot more complicated. If they want to "help rebuild Sandpoint's great glassworks", incidentally buying a controlling share in the business at a bargain price, many townsfolk might support their ambition.
I don't picture Amieko as highly regarded in her town. Ax ex-adventurer who runs an inn isn't necessarily going to enjoy the finest reputation.
I disagree on both accounts (though these interpretations are entirely up to the readers, of course)
In the case of the mayor, I see her as a pretty straightforward an no-nonsense kinda lady. She certainly would respect the Scarnettis and their influence and history, but at the same time, she has plenty of friends herself (the sherriff, the priest, and many of the townspeople). They don't make any mention of the shakiness of her position, so it is certainly possible to interpret it in either direction, but again, she is still only mayor, which means revoking the property of *another* founding family to another is going to be...difficult for her at best. If you really want to go that direction, for believability's sake, you're going to have to involve much more politically powerful individuals in Magnimar, ot just the mayor.
As for Ameiko herself, yeah, people look at her a bit weird given her background, but she also runs one of the most popular taverns in town, she has a lot of popularity from her cooking ability (her recent showing at the swallowtail festival shows people *like* her food), plus given the number of out-of-towners who favor her inn over the other local establishments, she's likely got powerful friends of her own.
I think this is a great side-story to run with, and I intend to run with it myself, but the devil's in the details.
The big reason, I suspect, that a cleric of Calistria might become an adventurer is because of an urge to go out into the world and cause trouble and be mischievous and spread the word of the goddess through sexual encounters and trickery. Revenge is another great reason to become an adventurer, especially if a cleric has some sort of tragedy in her past that she needs to get vengeance on.
The Knowledge bit from her domains is mostly secrets and gossip, really. Forbidden and dangerous knowledge is certainly a part of that.
The background my character's working from is that he knows there's Thassilonian stuff out there, including all sorts of secrets and dangerous information out there, begging to be discovered. The church wants this information...
Perhaps the Scarnetti family could promise to bring in new glass artisans in return for a low price for the business and tax breaks. As far as the daughter taking over the business goes just look at what crimes her family has been involved in. Can you trust such morally questionable people to run one of the most important parts of Sandpoint. Better to let her run her tavern and trust a more respected family that has stepped up to provide for the town even though their good name is often scandalized with rumors. The Scaretti's are willing to take on the responsibilities for the good of Sandpoint.
Ah, and now I see the workings of something which makes a bit more sense:
Spoiler:
Instead of them working the mayor angle, have them start working on Ameiko herself. Instead of bringing up her family's history, they could offer to relieve her of the burden of having to establish the business anew. Besides, with her father having been killed there, the agony of having to see the place where he was so brutally murdered would be painful to her every day, letting it go, while running such a respected and successful establishment as the 'Dragon free of the cares and worries...
The tactics above are on a better track overall, but are still targetting the wrong person, and are a bit too clumsy to believably work to come from a family like the Scarnettis.
I don't think it's a bad idea, you just have to agree with your players that you're playing in a town where the Mayor has a lot more political power than she probably has. Relieving someone of their property, especially someone as well known and respected as she is, is *not* as simple as the Scarnetti having a chat with the mayor. A mayor simply doesn't have that kind of authority. They'd have to convince people in Magnimar, make a hell of a lot of bribes for, in the end, a very minimal gain for them in the long run.
Plus, then they also have to take on the responsibility of actually running the place, staffing it, and producing product.
Besides:
Spoiler:
With Ameiko's dad dead, they gain almost nothing for taking over the place, because the guy who was the principle artist is now a work of art himself
1) halfway through book 2
Chelaxian Crusader/Favored Soul of Iomedae
Varisian Skarni Rogue/Fighter
Shoanti (Axe Clan) Barbarian/Ranger/Warblade
Varisian Battle Sorcerer
2) just hit book 2 last night
Varisian Cleric of Sarenrae/Human Paragon
Varisian Rogue/Beguiler/Human Paragon
Chelaxian Priest of Torag
Halfling Ranger
3) (group starts tomorrow)
Varisian Wizard
Varisian Bard
Human (nationality still being determined) Priest of Calistria
Human (nationality still being determined) Warblade
Except she's no "girl:" she's an experienced adventurer *and* business owner, and very likely grew up exposed to at least a minor amount of information about glassmaking. The Scarnettis would have an extremely difficult time making a case to the mayor that Ameiko can't take care of the business herself, and for that matter, the local laws would likely not be at all helpful to them in trying to do so. It's Ameiko they'd have to convince, not the mayor.
So I'm starting *another* isntance of RotR tomorrow night (this will make 3 I'm running...), and one of my players wants to play a priest of Calistria. I've read the posts elsewhere on the forums, where you guys went into her background a *bit*, but I'm trying to help my player come up with a reaonably good backstory for his character, as well as develop a believable justification for why a priest of hers would be "adventuring". Some basic concepts I've been tossing around which would seem to fit in would be:
Calistria's domains include knowledge - would this be more in the form of forbidden or dangerous knowledge?
My player wants to have started out as a scribe. Do you yet know much more about her church's organization, if it even has one?
Cayden Cailean has the hots for Desna (naughty boy likes older women), but despite the bravery he has on the battlefield, when it comes to love, Bast got his tongue. So he gets Shelyn as a ghost writer (her being the goddess of arts, and also a female deity, and the love goddess part, so she knows how to write).
But the thing is: when Desna reads that stuff, she fells in love with the writer, and of course she finds out soon enough that it was Shelyn all along.
My wife has always said that Cyrano deBergerac was a God....
I'm not sure how the OP's party handled it, but honestly, if a Lamia's going to lure me to the top of a tower, and then fly out at a distance to pelt me with spells, the first thing *I* would do is to duck back inside the tower for cover and make her come in after me if she really wants to get me. If she's flying, it's not like she's really going to be able to obstruct my movement back into the tower without risking the party actually getting melee swings on her.
But getting her into a confined space where her ability to fly isn't so much of an advantage is one thing, but killing her line of effect to the party is the main thing.
Of course, you also have to assume she's not completely stupid either, so it's not like she'll blindly fly in after them. That said, having been discovered, even if the party doesn't outright defeat her, the fact that her presence is no longer a secret, that the party can justifiably expect to scape and notify more powers to assist, she's left with the choice of following them to try and kill them off to silence them, or flee the area, if not the city, knowing the party's still out there - either one is basically a net-win for the party: fight on the party's terms, or face the anger and wrath of her boss for not finishing them off.
As a GM, I love encounters like this, (also such as Ellyrium, the goblin druid, etc.) not because I'm sadistic and I *want* to kill off the party, but I find too many players go into a fight *assuming* that they are preordained to win. Having a badass that actually makes them consider running away or having to try again another way is useful for a couple reasons:
1) Failure helps the players grow. Sure, you learn from success, but you learn *more* from failure.
2) It gives the players a proper sense of anxiety and risk, a proper wariness that makes an encounter exciting.
Of course, I am also the type of GM that tells my players up front before a campaign that just because a monster is there doesn't mean you *suppposed* to fight it. In fact, sometimes leaving something the hell alone is the *right* decision. Sometimes I don't want my players to kill something, or to even engage it.
For Xanesha, having read the encounter through a couple times, I honestly don't care if the players win the fight or not, because her death at that point is honestly irrelevant to the story, and in fact, her getting away might even allow for some great dramaticizing later on, with some of the later baddies having been properly warned of their presence. Maybe she gets sent after them again as punishment for failing to finish them off last time, but this time she doesn't get to pick her battle ground of a tall, unstable, treacherous-footing tower.
So, in summary, sometimes the story benefits more by the players actually *losing* a fight.
I had a rogue in one my my two Pathfinder games die on me in Thistletop (Rogue, Barbarian, battle Sorcerer, and a Crusader). The Crusader managed to *finally* have one of his strikes which heals finally get a hit in immediately following the rogue hitting -10. He was going to send the heal to another party memeber, but I ruled that less of it made it and didn't tell the party why until after the fight. The rogue was dead, they hauled him back to Sand Point, where father Zantus was able to determine that the rogue was really only "mostly dead." That somehow his soul was bound to this plane through the powers of the crusader. One improvised ritual later involving all the healers in town, plus the Crusader, and the rogue was alive again, both characters lost lots of xp's in the process, the rogue lost a point of con, the crusader, however, had a "Come to Jesus" meeting with Desna, Iomedea and <insert third god here>, where he could choose: trade his owwn life for the rogue's, or dedicate himself to one of the three of them - his choice.
He chose to dedicate himself to Iomedea, took a level of favored soul, and gained +2 wisdom (he lost all xp's back down to the start of lvl 3).
This all led to the rogue himself having a bit of a religious experience on his own, and is now pursuing a possible following of Desna.
Leads to all sorts of fun story stuff you can do on your own later in the campaign.
BTW, I'll be going...that's like 10 minutes away from me. I didn't know they had a store in Bellevue, though. The one in Redmond closed down.
Yep, we relocated back in August, opened up in the new spot in September.
For all those who came, it was great to see everyone show up and support this great group of folks. As a retailer and as a GM/player, these guys put out the quality of stuff I love to play *and* sell.
