Thonis Cagliari's page

While she hadn't done much in the fight with the wall ghouls, Thonis had helped. So when the men pokes his head out of the room, she doesn't feel shy at all about claiming whatever credit is due.

She gives her little sword a couple of swishes in front of herself as if cooling off from the workout, and walks over to the man.

"Yes indeed my good Sir, you needn't worry anymore. We have have arrived and the forces of evil are vanquished and fleeing.

Thonis extends her hand for kissing.

My name is Thonis, who do I have the pleasure of addressing Sir?

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

I'm still floating around too. I'm very busy at work right now because the last couple of weeks have been the final run up to the software platform switch. I expect the next couple of weeks will be really busy too as the dust settles and the kinks are worked out.

I have no problem at all waiting.

Thonis can no longer see what's happening very well from her position in the doorway. Not knowing is worse so she scurries down the hallway to get behind Zahur. "Eeep!" She touches him, imparting divine Guidance for a moment. "Get 'em Zahur!"

Bless bonuses are still in effect. Move to new position indicated on map. Standard to cast Guidance on Zahur. Bonuses from Bless and Guidance stack.

We'll be just fine bluedove. Don't worry about us.

That's a real drag about your chromebook. Hopefully you'll get some progress on its repair now. I hope RL rights itself for soon as well.

I think everyone's Rl is something of a mess theses days, and a little more adds a lot of extra weight.

Thonis uses a quick charm to summon Calistria's (at least she supposes it's hers) down upon her friends. "Itheá evlogeí ólous!

Casting Bless +1 to attacks and saves vs. fear for everyone.

Yep, I only just got back on after being locked out for two days. Tech support sent me the cookies removal fix.

No worries Shiyara. It happens to almost everyone eventually.

I'm here! Looks like Shiyara is up to post.

Thonis shrinks back against the opposing wall when she sees the weird grasping torso emerge from the wall. Then it occurs to her the wall she is shrinking against is a wall, like the one across from her...

She quickly jerks herself away from the wall before anything comes out of it as well to grab her, and shifts to stand in the most wall-less place she can find which happens to be squarely in the doorway.

She mentions to Torin "you probably don't want to go over there" as he leaves to go right over there where the grasping torso is at.

Thonis looks down at the xiphos she still holds in her hand, then decides she'll try to think for a way to help with magic first.

Just setting up for when Thonis comes up in the initiative order.

Thonis peeks around the corners of the doorway and inhales in a gasp when she sees the possible body. While most everyone else focuses on or examines the body, She stays put in the doorway and watches the opposite direction. Partially this is because it seems to her a good idea in case something comes lurking from that direction. Partially it's because she doesn't want to look at the body.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

Thonis proves to be absolutely useless in helping to figure out how to get out of the safe room suite. She is delighted and relieved when Ismene discovers the way out using the coins, declaring her an "absolute genius!"

She literally "Oohs" and "Aahs" as Ismene passes through the wall and then partially reappears to report what's on the other side. As soon as Torin goes through the wall, Thonis rushes to be third. She drops her places her coin then pokes her arm through the wall to see if it works for her too. It does, and with a giggle dashes all the way through the barrier. She's excited enough to forget how hungry she is.

Thonis can't resist playing with it a little though. She pokes her head and arms back through to wave at the others still in the safe room, remarking "look! It's like I'm a ghost!" before disappearing back through to take a look around at what's waits on the other side.

Thonis doggedly continues her search of the rooms even after Arthur abandons her. But the flipping of the lights on and off makes things too difficult.

She goes to complain and finds everyone else grouped around the mural.

"How am I supposed to get any searching done if you keep turning the lights off?"

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

Well, Thonis is occupied with something at present so I'll just stick with her current course of action and continue the search.

I haven't the slightest idea what to do with the switches and such and I'm not going to have time to go back and mull over the posts until the weekend. If it's not solved by then I'll go back and reread to see if anything new comes to mind.

@Torin: I guess Thonis and Arthur are elsewhere searching rooms and not caught up to the rest of you. I'm holding off posting until it's time.

Thonis crowds in to see the new bauble as well.

"I hope this thing can get us out of here. We've been trapped for hours! I'm hungry..."

Using Detect Magic to help ID the the object from the book.

Perception(?) Aid: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

Thonis mentions the results of her search for magical auras to the others.

"The green plates do have auras, but they're all weak and faded. I think the magic is very very old."

Lacking any other ideas about what to do next, Thonis goes back to the room they first arrived in and begins searching it again very methodically. She does the same to each of the other rooms in turn, going all the way around the suit of connected rooms until she arrives back where she satrted.

Taking 20 for Perception of 28 on the searches of each room. Thonis will go clockwise through the rooms.

Hey Bluedove, did you get the PM I sent you?

With a gesture and a couple of words, Thonis begins looking through the rooms for magical auras, starting with the unusual green plates.

Casting Detect Magic.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Yeah Torin, I think we're sort of talking past each other. I think Burst of Radiance is a very good spell. In fact I have a Wizard in another campaign who is in combat and will be casting it in the next round.

But it's different for a wizard. The spell was memorized because it was a good match for what was expected that day. Specifically undead mooks that would need clearing.

An Oracle gets a total of 5 2nd level spells, and only reaches that many at 11th level. Thonis must take a divination spell as her mystery spell so her choices with the 6th spell are very limited. Thonis will need spells that are good for every day no matter what that day will be like. The spells need to be versatile. and they need to work reliably no matter the specific circumstances.

This is why you're wrong about comparing Summon Monster or Stone Shape to Burst of Radiance, not only can it be done, it must be done. Oracles don't have the luxury of not doing so. Summon Monster and Stone Shape are versatile and can do different things to serve different needs in different circumstances. Burst of Radiance is a fine spell for an Oracle to have as a scroll. It can be handy sometimes, but spells known need to be handy all the time.

Hmm, so for burning a 3rd level spell slot I can expect to do 20 points of damage on average (not being an Aasimar Thonis can't use Consecrate). Regular Maximize ups the spell slot to 6th. If I'm lucky I get 3 opponents in the 10' radius, but more likely 2 (trust me). On a failed save they're blinded for 2 rounds on average. All of them will almost certainly still be in the fight.

Blinded is nice, but short and not guaranteed. I have a Ranger character who was doing 20 points of damage on a hit by about 4th level. However I'm 6th level by the time I can metamagic a spell up to 3rd level.

Since Thonis is a spontaneous caster the spell is a full round action.

It's not terrible but I'm using up a feat just for Intensified, or buying an expensive rod.

So what else could I be doing with a 3rd level spell instead?

Stone Shape would let me narrow the enemies approach to bottle neck the battlefield so only one enemy can come at a time. Yeah, there has to be stone on hand, but that's more likely than not.

Mind Maze will take an opponent straight out of the fight on a failed save. It's a will save so this is for martial bruisers.

Sand Whirlwind will shut down a caster and on a failed save blind them. It's a will save but succeeding only stops the blindness. The caster is still well screwed.

If Thonis is feeling lazy, Summon Monster III will put a leopard or a few wolves on the battlefield to fight for her. They go to town chewing up (wolves can also trip) the enemies. Now the enemies have to split their attacks against the party and the summoned animals. Meanwhile Thonis can keep on casting, etc.

All of these spells except Summon Monster III are a standard action to cast. This is also only some of the Oracle options. Haste is a 3rd level Bard spell. Why not cast Haste on Torin or Zahur and let them do the damage with the extra attack?

Wizards and Sorcerers can do blasting. They get extra feats to invest and better spells to work with. Divine casters should have an option or two for doing direct damage, but the spell list and the lack of feats (and the full round casting for metamagic) means they're swimming upstream trying to copy arcane caster tricks.

Thonis will shake 'em so you bruisers can break 'em.

Thonis will be debuffing as well. Aside from the Satire performance and some Oracle Revelations, she'll just lie to them until they're weeping puddles on the ground.

Feign Curse:
You can fool others into believing you have ensorcelled them.
Prerequisites: Deceitful, Bluff 5 ranks, Spellcraft 1 rank.
Benefit: As a standard action, you can feign placing a curse on a target. The target must attempt a Sense Motive or Spellcraft check (whichever skill that target has a higher bonus with) against a DC equal to 15 + your number of ranks in Bluff + your Charisma modifier, with a bonus on his skill check equal to any conditional bonus he has on saving throws against hexes or curses (like from the spell hex wardUM). If he fails, he becomes plagued by self-doubt and second-guesses himself. For his next two attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, or ability checks, he rolls twice and takes the lower result; for every 5 ranks of Bluff you possess beyond 5, this ability affects an additional roll. This is a mind-affecting effect, and it doesn’t work if the target is immune to curses. Once you attempt to feign putting a curse on a creature, you cannot do so again against the same creature for 24 hours, and if the target succeeds at detecting your ruse, he gains a +10 bonus against future attempts.

@Torin: Well, lowered saves does help of course. But there are a couple of other issues that come into play at higher levels that work against 2/3 casters using spells offensively very much.

The first is the spell list tops out at 6th level spells. This limits how high save DCs can go on their spells. 2/3 spell casters tend not to be able to invest heavily in raising their casting stat or taking feats like Spell Focus that boost spell DCs otherwise, so they tend to fall more and more behind after 10th or 12th level.

Around the same time Spell Resistance starts becoming a thing. Beating SR with the lower level spells and lower casting stat is very tough. Again, there are feats, like Spell Penetration, but they're difficult to afford and only worth taking if you have a serious chance to beat SR already.

There are certain spells that have no save, and/or are not subject to SR but they're not common on the bard list. this is not to say a 2/3 caster should never use offensive spells, having a couple at lower levels especially can be good, but it's not necessary.

It's best to leave big time offensive casting to the full casters, who have the abilities and tools to make it work reliably. That's another reason Thonis will be casting more offensively is she's a divine full caster on the Oracle side. We're a long way from these problems showing up, but the spell choice strategy I laid out for Author plans for the future.

Addendum:

Also this will be a case of doing as I say rather than as I do. Thonis will be using the spell list very differently from Arthur. She will be pushing her CHA as high as possible and using spells offensively.

Thonis will never amount to much as a combatant and she has a double spell list. Way more spells per day than Arthur. In combination Arthur and Thonis will really be able to get the maximum use out of the Bard spell list.

One more spell that you might consider at some point is Coin Shot. It's neat and handy. If you have some coins you have weapons. You can also use different kinds of coins to bypass different types of damage reduction. It's a nice spell for some situations. Since this Adventure seems to discourage walking around bristling with every possible weapon, but a coin purse is welcome everywhere, it could be handier than usual.

I have a few suggestions Arthur. First of all as a general rule you'll want to avoid offensive spells that allow saving throws. With a 14 CHA, your save DCs are not going to be high. Enemies will have an easier time resisting, and so you'll find yourself wasting rounds when nothing happens.

Instead go for spells that are sure to give you results. You're also a barbarian so you're great at beating on things. You have no need to go on the offense with spells. Choose spells that have good utility or that bluff yourself and/or allies.

Light and Disguise Weapon are utility spells. They allow you to do things you can't otherwise do, or make things easier. Resistance and Heroism are buffing spells; they give bonuses to your team to make more successful at doing what they doing.

My guess is Arthur will play more or less like a bloodrager as we come into our own in a few levels. He'll usually cast a buff spell right before or in the 1st round of combat, then he'll be fighting. Choosing what to do during a round in a fight, Arthur will usually be best off fighting rather than casting. There just aren't many Bard spells that will do more to win a fight than a round of Barbarian havoc.

That's actually just fine because you'll also be doing something better than spells as you fight. Arthur has the Inspire Courage performance, which buffs the whole team. There are a few spells like Saving Finale that Arthur will absolutely want to have. If you have a performance going you can cast Saving Finale instantaneously to allow someone to reroll a failed saving throw. This is incredible for you because it potentially keeps an ally in the fight and you don't have to choose between fighting or casting in the round. Seek out those kinds of spells!

Another reason to take them is Thonis can't make use of them. Her main performance, Satire, affects opponents rather than allies and does the opposite of Inspire Courage by debuffing them. Since Thonis won't have a performance actively affecting allies, Saving Finale won't work.

Here are some specific suggestions: Cantrips: Read Magic, Detect Magic, Message. You already have some of the best ones.

1st Level: Expeditious Retreat, Liberating Command, Comprehend Languages, Unbreakable Heart, Feather Step, Moment of Greatness, Heightened Awareness, Saving Finale.

Sorry if this post is explaining obvious stuff. I figured it better to explain the underlying rationale for good spell choices rather than just throwing out a few possible choices. The Bard spell list is long and weird, better for to to have criteria for choosing as you look through it than just some choices of what to take.

With the bird found easily enough, Thonis turns to looking about their new suite of rooms. She focuses her attention on the supply shelves.

She sneezes from the dust. "This is all just old garbage" she huffs.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Oh Sweetie, you weren't safe before either. At least now you know where to watch your tongue: everywhere. :)

Level 2:

HP: 1d8 ⇒ 5 +2 (Con) +1 (FCB) = 8

BAB +1
REF & WILL +1

Bard Class Ability: Well Versed

Bard Spells:
0 Mage Hand
1 Biting Words

Oracle Spells:
0 Enhanced Diplomacy
1 (Mystery) Ears of the City

Skills Points +7
+1 Acrobatics, Bluff, Diplomacy, Linguistics, Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth.

Background Skill Points +2
+1 K History, K Nobility.

New Language: Lip Reading

@Shiyara: Haha, you noticed! Thanks! I like to insert things like that when I can find a place where they'll fit.

Thonis gathers her thoughts and answers Shiyara.

"There was a great white light, so bright I couldn't see anything else. Then everything went completely black. I thought maybe someone had cut off my head from behind or something and I was dead. But I guess not..."

She stands up, but still seems distracted, like she's slightly dazed.

"We should find your bird. You don't know where it is?"

Thonis is almost certain she's lying on the floor. She opens her eyes, but it doesn't make any difference. She blinks a couple of times, but to no better result. She stays as quiet as she can be.

Help! I'm alive! My heart keeps beating like a hammer...

Finally, since she no longer hears the sounds of fighting, Thonis whispers "tulkoon valo" and a Light appears in her hand. She raises it high, then slowly sits up to look around.

We're not where we were, that's for certain...

She sees the rest of her team here and there as she takes in the room. It's bewildering, and unlike any place she could imagine they could have stumbled into from the Senate chamber. It makes her harbor a slight doubt. Maybe she was wrong.

"Is this hell?" she asks.

There is an unfortunate reality that Thonis cannot ignore. Everyone seems determined to move in Torin's direction. Still convinced the greater safety is in numbers, she sort of gets a grip on herself and goes with them.

There is a door in that direction, which is good. On the other hand Torin is hanging around punching at an assassin, while the assassin is trying to cut him to ribbons. They are doing this directly between Thonis and the door. It is very discouraging.

Hopefully Zahur is an excellent battering ram...

But, just in case, Thonis touches him on the back, delivering a bit of Calistria's Guidance (or so Thonis assumes) to him.

It also occurs to her she does in fact have a weapon, so Thonis draws her xiphos and she advances with the others.

Speaking of positioning, anyone else seen The Queen's Gambit on Netflix? It was really good!

I tend to think about charging in terms of positioning. So, I haven't used it much at all. A couple of charge situations for me would be an enemy who is isolated and I might be able to take down before their allies can get there to help, or an ally of mine is in a tight spot and needs help tout suite.

In deciding to do it I'd be asking myself:

1. What do I gain by closing more rapidly than usual?

2. How many attacks will focus on me in return the next round? Charging when there are multiple enemies often means they are able to converge on the charger more easily than otherwise.

3. How soon will my allies be able to arrive and provide support?

4. Do I have an escape route if things go differently than I expected?

5. Are there special circumstances, like disrupting a spellcaster, that make the extra risk worth it?

As you can see, mostly I think about what happens the round after I've charged. The attack bonus tends to be incidental to my thinking on the subject. I should also note I tend to be cautious in combat and pay a lot of attention to team positioning and terrain.

I've played in groups that loosely coordinate in combat, and groups where everyone just goes for it and does their own thing. I'd say the value of coordination (not preplanning, but being sure actions leave a character supported by allies and in return leaves allies able to support them) is worth about as much as an extra character on a team.

@Torin: When I play strength-based martial characters I typically take Power Attack as a 3rd level feat. I probably run against the norm by doing it, but I've found the extra chance to make the hit is worth doing a little less damage for the first couple of levels. A lot of opponents at 1st and 2nd level have fairly low HP and can be killed in a hit or two without the extra damage, so in my experience it's often wasted as overkill.

When I've taken Power Attack at 1st level I've found I don't actually use it that much until around 3rd level when opponents are a bit easier to hit and also have more HP.

I'm certainly not saying you should do the same, my way may not even actually be any better. But it's worth remembering Power Attack is optional to use in a a round, not automatically applied. It can become easy to forget that I think since it's so habitually used by most players.

Thonis gasps in horror when that poor kid Kalbio is murdered by the Grand Prince. The deed is so beyond comprehension she can muster no further reaction.

However, when she realizes the entire room has been designed to become an immense and lethal ambush, Thonis screams. As the black clad men move from the doors into the crowd and begin to slaughter everyone, Thonis continues to scream. She turns to rush behind Torin and hide, and for a moment she believes his thinking is the same as hers as he moves forward to her and takes her by the shoulder. She stops screaming and shifts to move behind him.

But then he keeps on going into the crowd.

There's no way Thonis could, or ever f@~&ing would, follow Torin pushing through the crowd toward a bunch of assassins, so she stops moving and starts screaming again. Looking about for anyone else, she sees Zahur. He seems big enough to accommodate two people behind him, and besides Thonis is small and doesn't take up much space.

Thonis runs to Zahur and buries herself into his back like a tick. She stops screaming long enough to ask Shiyara "what are we going to do?", and assert "we're all going to die!"

After summing up the situation for the elven woman, Thonis opts to cease screaming in favor of crying.

Move action to run behind Zahur, Standard action to swear that bastard Torin is dead to her forever for abandoning her, Screaming and crying are free actions.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Hehehe!

As she watches the stage, Thonis starts to feel that nagging uneasy feeling start to bubble up again. She's had entirely enough of it for the evening though, and tamps it back down so she can watch the coming show in peace.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Thonis barely avoids being late for the dinner. Rather than settling down to eat with any members of her team, she barely eats. Instead she continues to circulate making new introductions and chatting. She spent so much time with her attention locked on Pythareus and Countess Pace, she feels like she missing out.

She is also thoroughly convinced Pythareus, or an ally of his, will be springing something else nasty. So she stays on patrol looking for any sign it might be coming.

Thonis does the same in the Senate chambers. When nothing happens to wreck the proceedings in either place, she can't complain of course. But she does feel a little put out at being wrong. Her instincts about such things aren't often wrong.

Basically it looks like all the specific missions and completed and everyone except Pythareus is influenced so I'll skip over making any rolls for the sake of getting caught to everyone else.

Lots of work and the election sucked all the air out of the room this past week.

No Zahur, this is just like a real formal party where it goes on way too long, too many people give speeches, the clothes are uncomfortable, and you must stop squirming and listen and be patient or you'll get no cake. :p

After leaving Countess Pace, Thonis seeks out Lady Lotheed to report her findings.

"If the High Strategos is not plotting something himself, then he is aware of someone who is. He is is here fully armored, and explained his choice as a precaution considering the heightened tensions around the vote on Primogenitor this evening. That by itself might make him seem a little paranoid, but he is also definitely waiting for someone or something in particular. He's not prepared just in case something happens, he's prepared because he knows something is supposed to happen."

"I'm still confident he is the one behind the attempt to stir up the bees. I think he has other plans to spoil things in the works as well."

"For her part, Countess Pace is not personally invested in the outcome of tonight's vote one way or the other. I wasn't able to get her to reveal how she is currently leaning, but I would not be surprised if her final decision comes down to her finger in the wind. Her real vote will be the one she thinks will most safely advance her position in the Senate."

Thonis gently corrects Countess Pace regarding her motivation.

"Oh, it's not about the gain or the loss my dear Countess. It's about the risk. The thrill is in making an uncertain choice and then backing one's choice with real stakes. The wager makes the opinion or intuition matter."

"Of course things are different for you. You are a voting Senator so your choices always matter. I suppose you could think of my wager as a way of mimicking what you must feel so often, even if my experience is only a pale shade of your own. But someday I hope to be like you!"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Ouch! That's not a very solid result. I don't suppose Countess Pace could be sexually attracted to Thonis? That would add +1 from her Charming trait bonus.

Thonis steers her conversation with Arabella Pace toward the events of the evening, asking her if she heard Princess Eutropia's speech. She then brings up the coming Senate vote on primogeniture, asking for the Countess's insight into how it will turn out.

"On the one hand, I've put 100 shiny gold coins into the betting pool that the vote will go against the Princess. On the other hand, I'm fairly new to the city and have no idea what's going on in politics here. How safe do you think my money is? I'm absolutely on pins and needles wondering whether I'll win or not!"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Thanks for the reminder about Pythareus bluedove! I'd noticed it before, but forgotten about it in the interim. Thonis will be moving on to relate the information to Lady Lotheed as soon as she catches up on her social rounds. I don't suppose the senate brooches allow two-way communication with her do they?

Well, my son and I skipped out of town for a long weekend up on the Olympic Peninsula for some day hiking in the rainforests and beach walking.

I have now mostly shed the stress built up from work and mostly regained my sanity.

I believe I have 2 more social rounds to make up after one round used on Countess Pace just posted.

Thonis goes on to seek out Countess Pace. She makes her introductions to the Countess and quickly figures her easy to read. She compliments her on her fashion sense.

K Nobility: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Thonis didn't expect a mini history lesson about his armor from Pythareus. He otherwise seems to be responding positively enough so she has to wonder if the man really didn't catch on to her innuendo. It's a real buzz kill that he either won't, or can't figure out he should, play the game. Or even more atrociously worse, that he thinks he is playing it.

Whatever the case may be, Thonis has done what she aimed to do, look Pythareus in the eye and make herself known to him. So, she sets up her departure.

She rolls her eyes at his question about family holdings since it's a particularly dreary subject, and blows through it with obvious boredom.

"Oh, out east where it's very dry. I've always lived in Oppara."

Gesturing with her chin at the room in general, she tells Pythareus "this is a room for polite conversation which, let's be frank, is tedious."

Leaning in slightly and lowering her voice she continues. "If you want me somewhere else for something else, you'll be able to find me."

Thonis leaves him with that to think about. Surely he won't misunderstand something so blatant. But, just in case, she does glance back once with a smile as she walks away through the crowd.

Yeah I reread campaigns as well. I used to try keeping notes but usually I was too lazy or pressed for time to do it well enough to matter.

I found rereading not only help remind me of details, but to help with the weird disjunction between real time and game time in PbP play. It can take weeks or months to cover only hours or days of game time. Things that are the immediate game time past are often so far back in the real time posts they're archival. But those things should be what characters are thinking about and acting on in the game.

It's easy to to end up with characters floating through a game reacting to the immediate, but without any real past experiences shaping how they're reacting. For me rereading compresses real time back to something closer to game time.

I'm sorry for your loss Zahur. See you when you're back.

@Shiyara: Knives out Babe! :)

Ugh, sorry to be away for so long. Last week was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad work week. I needed most of the weekend for laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling trying to recover. I'm trying to get caught up on everything now.

I have a post for Thonis's 1st round up now. Yes, it's wasted on a confrontation with the High Strategos, but she just couldn't let the opportunity to meet him face to face go by.

I'll get the the 3 remaining rounds posted as soon as I can.