Sister Maeve's page

The Elders:

An originally elven group, writing history down, gathering lore, living in a huge tree citadel, being guarded by treants and fey. Now they recently began to allow membership for other races after a half-elf (Enlightened Philosopher Oracle) became their leader.

Many of them are nature-close, some are wizards, all seek ancient knowledge or atleast try to protect/hide it.

As a group closely related/connected to fey and nature, and many of them being druids, the bonus language on level 4 would most likely be Druidic

I will leave so that the game continues for the others, but I wanted everyone to know that I was kicked out so I drop the related PM I had in my box when I woke up here.

I had no problems with you airing grievances in our game thread.

Anyway, if I continue, it will be without Maeve.

I wish you best of luck in other games. I was somewhat apprehensive when you criticized the posting style of Suny in the discussion thread before joining, but I was hoping things would work out. Obviously they haven't.

I will find urgent business for Maeve back in the Black Citadel.

As we are still airing grievances, feel free to speak about this in our discussion thread if you like. If not, I planned to just make a quiet exit for Maeve in the game thread.

No problems, no grievances, no discussion on my side. However, Chainmail please don't try to say there are none on your end when you just kick me from the game.

That's all, bye.

Sister Maeve wrote:

In that case, do look into the Swashbuckler (not the archetype), as it has full BAB and fits your concept (In my Opinion)

You know. In all the time I've spent playing Pathfinder, I really haven't gone back to the old 3.0 and 3.5 stuff. I guess I always thought of it as working backwards or moreso that I might miss out on something by playing a class that wasn't designed to be comparable to Pathfiner's base classes and all the little things that Paizo added to the Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, etc.

Perhaps I will have to give the swashbuckler another look-see. Thanks Sister Maeve!

I meant the Pathfinder version of Swashbuckler

First, the ruling of only one fighting from the carriage was questioned and obviously not accepted although I allowed three to fight from the caravan at a time as it did not affecte gameplay and the overall outcome.

Well, the carriage has seats for 4, but even more fit into one usually of they have to, I didn't think this would be an issue. :)

I do not how to take this comment in a positive light:

We aren't done yet so don't jinx it, and I should channel at end of turn most likely (unless it is ruled that Maeve had to leave the damn carriage and I get shot instead)

Seltyn Sevenleaf wrote:

That should do it. Now stand by to watch Seltyn die in a hail of bolts. It was nice knowing ya! Good luck w/ the dwarves!

We aren't done yet so don't jinx it, and I should channel at end of turn most likely (unless it is ruled that Maeve had to leave the damn carriage and I get shot instead)

My comment was a reply to Seltyn, who already felt (or joked about) he being next to die. As I understand it "jinxing" means in English that something bad becoming true due to mentioning either the event, or the exact opposite. (like "It will surely be a great weather tomorrow for picnic." => pouring rain and storm next day)

The second part about me getting shot was an attempt to make a joke in a similar fashion to how Seltyn wrote. Sorry if these weren't clear. (or if I used jinx in some bad way)

Ryu Kaijitsu wrote:

I believe he plans to use the main class Swashbuckler

Actually I haven't decided on a main class yet. That is something that I have been weighing. Fighter and Rogue are currently at the top of my list (even if the Rogue isn't getting much love on the boards lately). I had contemplated using the Ranger class, however, there really isn't a combat style that mirrors the Duelist at least not like the way the Free Hand Fighter Archetype does.

Still, it's all pretty up in the air right now. He could end up being a Bard...although probably not...but maybe! ;)

In that case, do look into the Swashbuckler (not the archetype), as it has full BAB and fits your concept (In my Opinion)

I forgot the Luck bonus, with that yes, its even a better option :)

I run 2 PbPs here. I roll real dice for things like initiative, monster hit and damage rolls, and secret rolls. Typing all that takes too long. Then, I just give the initiative order and tell them what happens and people go on their turns. I frequently repost it, along with a map link, to make it easy to see what's going on without too much searching.

And yes, it's easy to sound snarky when you didn't mean to.

I guess I do sound snarky or similar, but I am/was just worried and concerned about the clarity of things, and that problems are hidden under the rag/bed instead of addressing them.

Seltyn I didn't even consider the chance some GM-s roll with real dice, I actually think the help of auto-dices is useful, especially for a heavily-buffing party with cavaliers/paladins/bards where many minor modifiers can easily disappear.

I would really love to have this game continue, but also properly address every concern so the result is more than just temporary calmness. I love the idea of somehow co-playing with the dwarven group, and that I am able through Maeve to add to the world, to make the Black Citadel, the Witch Queen, and her family a part of the world. I am sure everyone else also loves to add to the world, to be able to form it.

If I may:

PbP is very different from table-top. Everything takes MUCH longer to accomplish. To use your quote,

Sister Maeve wrote:

I played almost 2 decades pnp and this was the very first time for me that in a game player/npc actions were collectively rolled for

If he'd stopped to ask everyone to individually roll perception checks, and then initiative order, it would've taken a very boring WEEK of waiting for everyone to post.

No need to wait for player perception rolls, but as GM he can roll easily 8d20-s or so and apply the proper modifiers, all in one post. With the auto-dices on the forum this should actually be easier than in pnp. No one can cheat, although IMO only the actual player or GM should roll for a character and not others even in this virtual environment. The real problem wasn't even the rolls but that we got "dragged away" from the resting and into an ambush without time to address tactics/positioning, or reaction. IMHO it would have made more sense getting ambushed on the spot where we began to rest instead of the teleportation.

Also, as Suny mentioned people barely reacted to the resting, and due to timezone differences (we are basically scattered all around the world) it meant in many cases that the timejumps have even a worse result than if everyone would be awake/asleep at the same time. Exactly because this is very different from table-top, reaction time has to be considered. I am just "lucky" that I have more access daily to net and thus am able to react more/quicker to events in the game than others on most cases.
Suny seems to be the ultra-polite player who avoids direct confrontation as much as possible even if not agreeing with something, despite this, she still called the the timejump "...disconcerting". (I don't believe I ever read any stronger wording from her ooc before)

Some people had no time to even post upon the resting scene at all as example (in Suny's case she posted before going to bed as I read it, then woke up to being in the ambush, on the horse she wasn't planning to sit upon again, and getting targeted by 3 crossbows) or comment on what they wanted to do. Maeve was lucky, she didn't plan to ride upon a horse to begin with, and didn't go through the worst of the problem, but not everyone had this luck.

Anyway, I stop commenting on this because it makes me look as the bad guy who complains because no one else clearly and directly write their concerns down in the discussion thread. Plus if they are fine with continuing without a word despite the PM replies I got then I will adapt to the situation too, and not say a word more even if those Player Characters die in a similar situation in the future. It's upon their own head now, but I do hope it won't result in the death of Maeve and the whole party in the end.

Perfect. We can contact the Lady, and she probably has a way to instruct us on what to do, if we can't revive her.

Not sure if the tokens work only for contacting the Black Citadel or for other locations/people too.

"I agree with the emerald-eyed one. We need to look after the wounded, if we can shoot one of the bandits in the knee to capture it, it would be only of advantage though."

She was assigned to help us, so we should do what we can out of respect.

I have 4 bird feather tokens, seems I may get the chance to use one of them for this. I consider named/described NPC-s as much worth as PC-s so yes, I do wish to rescue her too as an equal member of the group.

Is Flambeaux permadead?

No idea, I hope only dying and can be rescued. If she dies I considered contacting the Black Citadel, asking if they could revive her.

Maeve as planned will channel to heal the wounded at her location, in a radius around her, from inside the carriage as its walls and corners don't block the effect. (as far I know, if it would, then position myself in front of door to have a line of sight on the wounded)

If the issue is about how Maeve wanted to cast a spell, I dug through the memorized spells and choose Hold Person especially because it doesn't need any normal targeting or attack roll so that even someone staying before the window it should be no problem. For same reason I didn't use the crossbow.

There were two lucky critical attacks against the troll but without them the only hope we had was using the carriage as fortress, as Suny and Maeve planned to do.

The game is still going on, and I would like to have it continued, especially as the background is about competing with the dwarven side and thus the concept would fall apart if one of the two ends. Some concerns about how timejumps and rolls are handled should however be clarified, I publicly wrote about my concerns of not being able to keep up with multiple timejumps, that the characters may be (and seems, were) changing their location since the rest, and that timejumping from the middle of a rest into travel/ambush wasn't right. I did this to get a clear image on how and why things happened, and because concerns IMO have to be addressed right away.
However, I did get some PM-s from others about the very same issues, my reaction was to ask the author to PM you the concerns as it is never good to silently endure problems then later have it all burst out at once. No idea Chainmail if you got any PM-s so I don't write names.

I like the story, but if you use Afghanistan as example please consider how you would feel if you as a soldier would drink coffee and read newspaper on the toilet in middle of your base in one moment, then suddenly you get hours later in a taliban ambush some miles away in enemy territory, and you don't even recall how the heck you got from the toilet to that location, as if you had a long memory lapse.

So, all in all I like how in the end the encounter got handled after all characters got their own rolls, nothing else would be fair, especially a dozen enemy at once would roll a critical hit or a 20 on hiding, naturally the same wouldn't be fair if all PC-s roll as a "hivemind", all characters have different modifiers as well.

I don't know about Pathfinder adaptation or anything, but I played almost 2 decades pnp and this was the very first time for me that in a game player/npc actions were collectively rolled for (except a single case where a huge swarm of scarabs as enemy moved and attacked as one entity)

In short: I like the game, I wish it to continue, but there has to be a decision made on how timejumps and certain rolls are done to avoid problems like misunderstandings and chaos in future. You mentioned some people complained to you that the game is slow, I don't recall this being mentioned in the discussion thread and I liked the pace (and who knows how many others did so too), plus we don't have to be compared in speed to other games/groups, every party has its own pace.

IMHO The core problem was in this case that you placed a rest event/scene when you most likely planned to quickly reach the ambush location, without the resting location/scene no player interaction/position changing would have happened, no such scene would have been broken/interfere with by a sudden timejump, and the events would have flown easily into the ambush from start of the journey to the attack location.

You gave an opportunity with the resting location for the players to RP, to interact, to change setup so to speak, of course after it characters wouldn't be the same way as before the "pit stop". This caused the chaos, an interference.

These all are my thoughts about the events, I think you may have wanted to rush the game due to being tired or maybe the dwarves are that much ahead of us or something, maybe take a week of rest if you need it, but please let's continue :)

Your OBW reminds me of the Witch Queen religion I made for a game, using the related alias to post now, stuff of faith inside alias desc. Might be useful (game is core rulebook only, so as example other domains could have fit better if more stuff would have been an option)

You're thinking of this

hmm... that is about the horse getting hit o.O

anyway, I will do a channeling, I hope to still manage to rescue with it all grounded characters, including the bannergirl :)

That should do it. Now stand by to watch Seltyn die in a hail of bolts. It was nice knowing ya! Good luck w/ the dwarves!

We aren't done yet so don't jinx it, and I should channel at end of turn most likely (unless it is ruled that Maeve had to leave the damn carriage and I get shot instead)

What you are talking about sounds more like the druid spell "Flame Blade"

hm, yes it is similar

Circumstantial modifiers and options matter a lot, in a world there may be no elven curved blades, in an other there may be no touch enchanted weapons. etc

the concept by pure standard rules and base setting works well ("Well", as in it can still get hits in due to full BAB and not just be a "cool-factor" char but also stay useful), but can work better if there are things that make it more useful, I guess a lot of people would due to having a lot of more optimal concepts ignore such a char anyway, especially point-buy campaigns would be problematic due to high required DEX and STR.

If we don't use elven blades it is still epic to imagine a dwarf fighting with two great axes, or similar, although it has even greater negatives on attack. I imagine this flavor concept shines the best with enchanted armament and on higher levels where the loss on attack is not felt as much

I think basically the 13th level where the most "optimal" modifiers gather together (including feats like weapon focus taken during leveling) is where it becomes a proper TWF build option

congrats Azlain! I guess you just got your first Troll trophy XD

Never had a rider fighter before, Wil: can't you use ride checks or something to avoid being hit?

Maeve should be able to cast through the window without leaving the carriage, it doesn't even need a ranged attack just a glimpse at the target over Talon's shoulder even if Talon is in the attack position.

Well, I would still like to see a DC roll for that human before we skip to the new round, Suny don't you rush us now too, we didn't even start turn 2 yet and you want turn 3. :)

Round 1
Big bad guy missed
Thalas <---
Azlain <---
Elorin <---
Little bad
Seltyn
Talon
Wil
Suny
Maeve

are we still using the same sequence for this 2nd round?
if yes then I am last again, so I can modify my order if i want/have to, but didn't see any result of my first turn yet either

Maeve will channel/heal next turn, I assume everyone is in close area and is affected, if not I will have to move so that Wil gets into the zone (and the troll doesn't) 2d6 ⇒ (6, 5) = 11
/off to bed

wait! you didn't die yet... or did you? o.O

Already posted my rolls yesterday in discussion thread. Perception was 23.

I cast Hold Person through the window in the closest seen enemy, DC 17. Then Maeve moves out of the way to allow others a shot through it. I hope that by targeting the closest enemy others can easier finish it off, if it is on a tree maybe it falls down.

I just need their attention, there is a lot of ways that should get me that. I only ask what of these would work, because even if I leave the carriage they might still just focus on Seltyn. Singing should make them notice/attend to me even if in the carriage, but we got two bards so I assume it would have a weak effect in these circumstances. So I guess that wouldn't work in the end. Stripping may work and it would still give some cover due to the door, but it may not be acceptable. Plus it doesn't make sounds so even if Maeve does it the enemy may not even look in that direction.

I want to use Enthrall which would give a lot of time for the team to heal up, see what is with the bannergirl, and get into positions after healing up for a new attack turning advantage for us while the enemy just stares at me. it is also one of the strongest save DC spells I got. I do have a pretty bad AC though and I worry i get massacred the second I leave the carriage. So yes, it is a serious question with the idea to use a multi-target spell from the safety of cover which could save all PC-s and maybe even the NPC.

In the carriage you will not have their attention while taking cover. The humans are targeting active threats and you are not one at the moment. Seltyn has everyone's attention right now.

So, if I begin to sing loudly inside no one will care? If I leave the carriage they will care? if I begin to stiptease at the carriage using the door as a "cover" would they look? Or maybe doing a diplomacy check could get their attention if done well?

Please reply regarding the Enthrall spell requirement of "If you have the attention of a group of creatures" in discussion thread. I don't want to waste a spell to have it later realized that no one even noticed me/it and thus it didn't work.

Those in the carriage:

Cast or attack through window, then use move action/5 feet move to give way to someone else at the window

Suny is on the horse with me: it's called a flashback if it helps to conceptualize the fact we got ahead of ourselves.

As the thud, smash, screams, snarls, crash and cacophony of battle erupt in the air around the carriage. Suny drops to the floor boards of the carriage, pulls her x-bow from her traveling chest and begins strapping on her box of bolts.

I don't read it as if that would be a flashback, she also wrote in the discussion thread Suny wouldn't get on a horse after the rest either.

The windows are quite small. One person can target from the right side window with cover.

Bonuses of the same kind do not stack.

thanks, that will be helpful for crossbows and spells

usually willing targets get no saves, that is why "willing target" gets mentioned at all

question: does singing (Perform (Sing)) work as gathering attention/distraction? I need to know for the Enthrall spell

Way to go Seltyn!
Chainmail: based on recent posts of Suny I would say she is with Maeve inside the carriage and not outside, the bardic song effect works from in there too and she didn't write she would leave it
this reminds me: how many enemies can be targeted from the windows on the sides and back/front?

Dungeoneering: 1d20+8

No clue.

I don't even have ranks in it thus couldn't get any better than a result of 10, btw, can the same bard songs stack in effects?

Removed the offending roll, feel free to make it yourself

It wasn't as much offending as confusing, Only PC or GM should roll, not players of other chars.

1d20 ⇒ 6 Initiative

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 Perception

Sorry I didn't post earlier, when I got home electricity was out due to construction in neighborhood so I just went to sleep

Suny just went off the horse and was most likely not to ride the horse again for the second part of the travel, as example of one of many problems with this
and Talon please do not roll my rolls for me if possible, thanks

it is one thing to get an ambush when we are on our way, it is another when we are just barely starting to prepare for resting, then WHOOSH suddenly we are again on the road and in middle of the ambush

Heck I am not even at home and at my job! I couldn't have posted at all even the few reactions I got in if it weren't for my access to net here and a boss who plays WoW himself to care what I do!

EDIT: this reminds, worktime is over, will be able to post in 4-5 hours again

Wil's ride was quiet and he stoically rode onward, one hand on the reins and the other on the handle of his sword. He nodded to Thalas when he was used as an example of how to ride and when they finally came to a stop he dismounted and helped Flambeuex down from the saddle he didn't how well of a rider she was but she had done fine, as he helped her down the warm pulse of healing surged through him and into her hand as he ensured she was unharmed by the long ride. Once she was on the ground he started to remove the saddle off his horse, he paused though at Suny's exclamation.

As Suny walked around, Wil turned back and continued to remove the saddle plus the other gear off the back of his horse and saw that it was brushed down thoroughly before he tied it off to their makeshift picket line. Once he was done he washed his hands with what little water was available and settled down to checking his pack and helping around the campsite.

Considering my own mentality that we are still at the campsite, and that Wil just also posted about the same timeframe, I assume I am not the only one with an issue on how this all got handled.

I don't know what Chainmail is a GM like from the short time I am here, until this time my short game was enjoyable, but this event about the journey with the carriage is messy.

Sure, it was an NPC that died in this rush, but what if it were Suny or some other PC instead? I am perfectly fine with a proper ambush but this doesn't feel proper to me (maybe it is just me who feels like this, no idea)

Lets move this discussion to the OOC area

already did

Seriously: it was barely a day that the post of carriage/leaving was done, players didn't even have a chance to say where they would like to escort the carriage, in what way, or to be inside rather

I am sorry if I sound argumentative, but as stated: I am kinda freaked out by the rush and events. I understand some speeding but only if it is not through dangerous lands.

I would say everyone gets rolls, all the players and NPC-s, same with people hiding/ambushing, no matter how good one or two of them hide if one of the ambushers is obvious.

I am still stuck mentally at the scene of getting out of the carriage, talking to Suny/Thalas, and preparing to rest. And even then I was barely able to catch up due to the first timejumps and had to "retro-act" in a timeframe that already passed.

I am still unsure if Suny would have been inside the carriage or on horse, maybe even replacing the NPC banner girl outside, I have no idea what the dwarven party does but to me the scene feels as if Chainmail either did something important with them and wants us to get to a story intersection, or considers us fallen crazily behind them and that became the reason for the rush

Right now, I am in the emotional state of "what the hell just happened!?".

How come multiple days were played out in the city but barely starting the journey we already get three timejumps? (once when going to get the horses/carriage, once right after about the first part of the journey and the rest, and barely being able to react about taking a rest and getting out of the carriage the third one)

I also assumed the positions would have changed, I think someone wrote earlier to replace Flambeaux sitting there.
This rush isn't good, even if the woman wouldn't get killed on the spot like this. There wasn't even 24 hours since the post about getting the carriage was posted, and people like Elorin had no time to react to events yet. I am sorry but the situation kinda freaks me out. Even ignoring that we don't have personal rolls this feels not right.

I also rolled a Perception for the first part of the journey and would have for the second, plus we just stepped out of the carriage and got down from horses to rest, then suddenly: timejump! o.O

I am disturbed by how this got handled, I didn't read the game thread of before I joined, was it always handled like this? to roll a single time for perception and such when the team is ambushed?

The rolls for perception were done if you would like to check the spoiler. Party was second d20.

You rolled once? for all the PC-s together? Is this the norm for Pathfinder?

um, no rolls for perception? or anything? and she just dies like that? I thought we just stopped to rest, some players didn't even post for the first part of the journey, not to mention there are changes in where some PC-s are for different parts of the travel, and Flambeaux was supposed to rest inside at a time too, swapping with a PC now and then as I recall

"You may also wish to decline any opportunities for inter-cultural discussions in the meantime as well."

I may misunderstand this, but is this comment about Maeve?

As Maeve steps out of the carriage and sees the scene she giggles a bit. "Oh you poor thing, you will need to relax and get a good rest. I thought you would be better at riding, considering you flexibility... and such."

Maeve comes to the two, and begins to massage Suny's back and shoulders. "Now you know why I wanted the carriage, maybe you should join me in it for the next part of the journey, so your muscles can rest enough."

She looks then at Thalas. "She must have moved too much while riding, probably got the rhythm wrong." Then smiles at him. "Maybe you could help her with that salve you spoke of. If we aren't careful Suny may get muscle cramps, as we don't know when there may be a battle that could result in a disaster. Go on, help her. You have better reach than I do." Maeve didn't wish to interfere but wanted to give Suny an opportunity if she fancies Thalas.

I actually had a horse once, but probably can't write better about it than you guys, considering the translation barrier and that it was two decades ago as a kid.

ah yes, I mixed up the two npc-s

Although it may be wiser to not have the banner out at all atleast until we leave the area of the city