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Lisi, I don't understand the "Cut the door open first" comment. What are you proposing and are you proposing it be done before healing? Also, how long does your fly last? Because Yasami is proposing healing for 10 minutes. Assuming fly ends before then (and it has already been going for a couple minutes or so), what is Lisi doing while the healing is going on and where will he be? Please place your token accordingly...

Cool.

Nothing comes out the front door immediately, so let’s take it in 10 minute increments. What is everybody else doing during the first 10 minutes? Please place your tokens accordingly.

I gather Yasami can heal herself and three others simultaneously? The walkway is just barely wide enough for you all to gather in a close circle. I believe Oren and Lisi will no longer be flying after 5 minutes.

Lisi flies over and torches boggard yellow, who collapses in a smoldering pile.

Oren, annoyed by the croaking directed at him from all sides, and by being shoved 15 feet by an acidic claw, and by the acid that continues to rot his flesh, explodes boggard red's bulbous head with one brutal smash with his maul (critical hit!).

All of the boggards lie dead, green blood oozing between the bars of the gate from the bodies piled there, and from the ramparts above. An eerie silence falls over the swamp in the aftermath of the chaos. A thin mist hovers over the stagnant water, trees heavy with moss loom from the sides, and the sky above is a sheet of grey. As Yasami climbs to the top of the wall, she spies her rope dart lying on the walkway across. She also notices at her feet a rope ladder piled up. Although designed for boggard feet, when unfurled, the ladder permits an easy descent into the area between the gate and the doors.

Your actions?

Resolving round 4 PC actions except for Oren and Lisi

Yasami leaps off the canoe, swims over to the wall near boggard yellow and climbs the clay edifice, ending up 5 feet below the creature.

Caiten sends a divine lance at boggard green but it skims a bar of the gate and misses its target. He also offers magical support to Yasami.

Catalina fires twice, striking dead boggard green and then quickly shifting and striking boggard yellow, who clutches its round stomach now oozing green blood.

Still need Oren and Lisi round 4 actions.

Thanks. That's all very helpful. Still would be very unusual that she'd be viewed as significant enough to directly target instead of a PC, but I'll keep that in mind for AoE.

Thanks for your posts, Caiten. Caiten and Lisi, I'm curious what your thoughts are about familiars and area effect spells. I generally don't target familiars directly (although in theory I could in an exceptional circumstance where a familiar draws a lot of attention), and I generally ignore the area effect damage to them, but that's not RAW. That has been my approach because in PF1 they had so few HP that it seemed unfair to target them. I notice that Sulee has a healthier 40 HP -- not sure about Guba. I guess I'm just curious how this is handled in other games. I'm not saying I'm planning on changing things, but interested in anyone's views.

It looks like it takes two swim actions, giving you 20 swim speed (15 feet + crit bonus of 5), but you need 25 movement to get to the wall. So you get to the wall and climb 10 feet up, ending 5 feet from the top.

boggard round 3 actions

The boggards loudly croak at each other in apparent confusion and desperation.

Boggard yellow issues forth a frightening croak that affects Yasami, Caiten, and Lisi (but not Catalina). DC 21 save; if you fail you are frightened 1. It then conjures a globe of acid that explodes next to the canoe, engulfing Yasami, Caiten, and Catalina. 7 points of damage to each with DC 23 basic reflex.

Boggard green staggers to stand over the corpse of boggard purple, oozing blood from multiple wounds, and issues forth a desperate and destructive croak through the gate. 15 points of sonic damage each to Yasami, Caiten, and Catalina (with no save). If you are frightened 1, you take 2 more points of damage from the destructive croak.

Boggard red's eyes flash with fury, and it angrily croaks twice at Oren, first to try to frighten the barbarian and then destructively. 21 points of sonic damage with no save, and a DC 21 save against the frightening croak. If you fail you are frightened 1 and take 2 more points of damage from the destructive croak.

All the PCs are up for ROUND FOUR

Please include your current hit points at the bottom of your post; I would appreciate it you all did that moving forward during every combat. Thanks

Resolving PC round 3 actions

Caiten climbs back in the boat and studies the gates. It appears there is a mechanism for lowering the gate that is only accessible from the other side. It is hard for Caiten to make out its nature because his view is blocked by Yasami and the boggard in front of him, but he doesn't see any complex looking mechanics.

Yasami manages to gut another boggard through the gate (critical hit) and she briefly holds its attention after the attack (success on fascination).

Boggard purple's focus on Yasami is short-lived, as Catalina explodes its head with a careful shot. She then shifts her focus to boggard green, and scores another hit.

Despite being surprised by the acidic claw, Oren manages to hold his position in the air and he flies up and pummels boggard blue. That boggard, already once hit by the barbarian, succumbs to the second blow. Oren still has 1d6 persistent acid and -10 to his speed

Lisi, I gather you get a crit save on fort when you get a success? Lisi scatters rocks over the remains of boggard purple and over boggard green, who seems surprised and unsuccessful at dodging the blows. In the future, please specify the required save and DC :-) That boggard is looking very battered.

Oren, since you got a crit success I'll say that you managed to hover at the level of the platform rather than at the level of the water, which means that you can reach the boggards in two moves and attack. From the level of the water you would not have had enough move to reach them in two actions, due to your reduced move of 20. I see you are still suffering from the persistent acid. What was your damage from it this round?

Catalina does not have persistent acid damage — that was only from the acid claw attack, which she did not get hit by in round 2.

Yes, it's a lot to follow! Catalina takes 2 points of damage from the acid explosion, because she managed to duck and avoid some of the goop. She's frightened 1 by the scary croak, which means she takes an extra point of damage from the sonically harmful croak, for 16 points of damage. So, a total of 18 points of damage in round 2. Catalina also too 22 points of damage in round one-- from a first destructive croak (8), the acid claw(11), and 3 points persistent acid. So I have Catalina at 56 hp.

For what its worth, I see that IN ROUND TWO, Yasami took 20 points of damage; Oren took 18 points of acid damage and 1d6 persistent acid damage (with a -10 speed penalty), and maybe 2 more if he lands in the water; Caiten took 15 points; and Lisi took either 6 or 3, depending on the result of his reflex save. Sometimes PF2e can be tricky!

Could folks please update the HP totals in the profile blocks? I might try to put HP summaries when I start the next round.

We have Caiten and Yasami's actions from Round 3. We need Oren's arrest a fall reaction and then his actions for round 3; Lisi's reflex save and actions; and Catalina's actions.

Got it. No problem.

Round 3 continued. All can post (except Caiten who already posted for round 3).

We still need a couple saving throws from Catalina for round two, but since it just affects the amount of damage we can move into round 3 actions. Caiten has already posted his. At the top of round 3, Oren is hovering just above the water where marked on the map, 15 feet down from the top of the wall/platform and 30 feet down from the watchtower where boggards red and blue are. Yasami, boggard yellow is 15 feet up on the platform at the top of the wall. You can swim over there, but you would need to climb to reach the boggard.

Sounds good. Enjoy!

Looks good, except you don't have persistent acid damage because you did not crit fail. And I’ll answer your question tomorrow. I shut down the computer with the map.

Oren, you don't need to waste a hero point on the croaking -- it's not a big deal, which is something your character remembers from the fight at the mines. You're just frightened 1.

Oren is distracted and a bit unnerved by the croaking from both sides (just flavor text), so he doesn't see the acid claw appear beside him and slam into his body hard. Oren takes 18 points of acid damage and 1d6 persistent acid damage. You have a -10 speed penalty while you're taking the persistent damage. And you get knocked 20 feet to the side, over the water.

Although Oren has the fly spell active, after being knocked from the wall he starts falling toward the water. Oren can attempt the arrest a fall action DC 15 (reflex or acrobatics) to stop from plunging into the water. If he succeeds, he will start Round 3 hovering just above the water. If he fails... well, I’ll say he’d only take 2 pts of damage from falling 15 feet into the water, but it would be a little humiliating too.

In terms of his round 3 action, he will have a fly speed of only 20 because of the persistent acid damage and to get to the boggards in the watchtower it is necessary to move across and then 30 feet up. But we should resolve all the saving throws before people post actions for the 3rd round. I'll let you all know when to post round 3 actions.

Bottom of round two

Boggard orange reels in shock as green blood gushes from a deep puncture in its fat neck. It staggers back away from the gate (and Yasami's blade), and it casts a spell to lob a glob of acid in the middle of the canoe, somehow getting out the incantation despite its mortal wound. 5 damage to Yasami, Caiten, and Catalina, with DC 23 basic reflex save. 1 persistent acid (in addition to 2X damage on crit fail) It then falls over, dead.

Boggards green and purple croak at each other. Boggard green issues forth a terrifying croak in Oren's direction (DC 21 will save please); makes a mighty leap down; and then issues forth another terrifying croak, towards the canoe (DC 21 will save for Caiten, Yasami, and Catalina). Despite what happened to boggard orange, boggard purple makes a mighty leap to the same bloodied spot and issues forth a croak with a destructive sonic force -- 15 points of sonic damage each to Yasami, Catalina, and Caiten -- and extra damage if you failed the DC 21 will save earlier

Boggard yellow points at Lisi and an orb of cold descends around him (6 cold damage with DC 23 basic fort save)

Boggard blue attacks Oren with his staff, but misses. He then takes a step back and then incants and makes a mighty leap over Oren's head up to the watchtower.

Boggard red sends forth yet another terrifying croak at Oren (DC 21 will save please) and then makes the claw shape and strikes Oren with a magical acidic claw (DC 23 reflex save please)).

Need lots of saves from folks!

Round two summary of PC actions

Yasami easily remains in the canoe. Failing to retrieve her rope dart, Yasami draws her main gauche and stabs the boggard (orange) in front of her through the bars. The bars make the strike more difficult (it gets cover and you can't target it with anything other than a piercing weapon), but Yasami still manages to slit a vein and she is sprayed with the creature's slimy green blood! Critical hit! Let me know if that changes anything, other than doubling the damage

Oren is unfazed by the croaking around him, roars back at the boggard (blue) in front of him, and then pummels it with his maul.

Caiten gets knocked out of the boat, but treads comfortably in the shallow water and manages to create a blessed zone around the group.

Catalina also lands in the water, with a big shove, but she quickly swims back and swings into the canoe. You take 3 points of persistent acid damage but the water, despite its murkiness, seems to have washed off the remainder and so you no longer have that persistent damage -- that is, unless you already rolled damage and to see if you were still suffering the damage

Lisi scores a direct hit on boggard yellow up on the wall (critical hit), surprising it and extracting a grunt of pain.

I'll post for the boggards later!

Catalina also gets pushed off the canoe, even further away than Caiten! Like Caiten, you lose an action this round to regain your composure (sort of the equivalent of standing from prone). It takes another action to swim back over to the canoe, and then an action to try to climb back in the canoe (DC 20 athletics or acrobatics check). Or Catalina could take her other two actions from the water instead of trying to get back into the canoe. She could also swim over to the wall and try to climb it. Also, she takes 11 points of acid damage and 1d6 persistent acid damage. Don't worry about your gun or gunpowder, etc. -- it's too much to try to figure out water effects. The assumption is that everything is in waterproof bags and that you keep your gun dry (or that it is watertight).

Caiten gets knocked in the water. He swims to regain stability -- discovering that the water here is barely deeper than he is tall -- and casts bless on the group. Sulee moves away through the water.

I'm realizing that I should have had you roll the save before I asked for your second round actions, or rolled for you, because...

Caiten takes 8 points of acid damage and gets pushed off the canoe into the water!

Caiten can make a DC 20 athletics or acrobatics check to try to climb back into the canoe. If you fail but not critically, you do climb into the canoe but it takes two actions. It does mean Caiten loses at least one action in round two. Sorry about the confusion and the need to retcon.

Catalina, if you succeed but not critically, you also get tossed in the water! So please take that into account in your round two actions.

Yasami, I already had you target boggard green, so we'll leave it at that. Caiten, I need a reflex save from you, and one from Catalina as well. And we also need actions from Catalina and Lisi.

Oren flies behind boggard blue and threatens the walking amphibian with his maul. Catalina fires at a boggard but instead blasts a chunk of hardened clay at the creature's webbed feet. Yasami, on the other hand, spins her dart in a mesmerizing pattern, holding the attention of the two closest boggards, and she releases the dart, which plunges into boggard green, causing a devastating, oozing wound.

That boggard (green) grabs the rope attached to the dart and holds it fast in one of its hands. It stares at Yasami with its bulbous eyes and makes a claw in its other hand, while murmuring an incantation. A boggard claw dripping with acid appears next to Yasami and grabs at her. DC 23 reflex save, and I will tell you the result

Boggard orange murmurs an incantation and makes a mighty leap, landing in front of Yasami, on the other side of the gate. It then issues forth a mighty and terrifying croak. 8 HP damage to Yasami, Caiten, and Catalina

Boggard purple moves closer and stares at Catalina while gesturing a claw. A boggard claw dripping with acid appears next to Catalina and grabs at her.
DC 23 reflex save, and I will tell you the result

Boggard red, on a watchtower, croaks at Oren in fury, DC 21 Will save or be frightened 1. It then sends an orb of cold that does 7 pts of damage with a DC 23 basic fort save.

Boggard blue strikes at Oren with its faintly glowing staff, striking for 14 points of damage. It then issues forth a terrible croak into Oren's face, for 9 points of damage, or 11 if he is frightened.

The last boggard (yellow), stares at Caiten while gesturing a claw. A boggard claw dripping with acid appears next to him and grabs at him. DC 23 reflex save, and I will tell you the result The boggard then does a mighty leap down from the watchtower.

ROUND TWO

All the PCs can act. Yasami, to regain control of your rope dart you will need to make a DC 20 athletics check to yank the rope free and then use a second action to retrieve it properly.

Done. Let me know if you have a preference for which of the near boggards you attacked.

I'll bot Oren later today if they haven't posted. I believe all they can do this turn is take three actions to be in position to attack next round.

Ok. Just wanted to make sure you had in mind the need to take that action to bring the dart back to you before you can use it again.

Yasami, as I understand the rope dart, if you're using it as a thrown weapon (which you're doing here), you need to use an action to retrieve it back into your hands. I'm assuming you want to end the round with the dart back in your hand ready for use again. Is there any significance to losing the second fascinate attempt, rather than just not fascinating another boggard?

As you probably guessed, that's a miss. But, yes, all the boggards seem to be the same type, so you can take that into account in your future actions.

That's actually a success!

Catalina searches her memories and manipulates her esoterica, but cannot recall any boggard weaknesses. You recall fighting boggards like these at the mine. Like all boggards, they aren't particularly fast and nimble, but they have a long grabbing tongue and brutal croak. Catalina recalls that these staff wielders are spell casters, that attacked with acid and cold.

Fair question! You can ignore the dotted line. If you hadn't taken down all the pillars, there would have been a protective shell around the fortress along the dotted line. I have moved the canoe to where it would end up being pushed by the wave. You're alongside the gate, which is also 15 feet high like the walls, but made of metal bars.

You and Yasami can take your three actions starting from this location -- ranged attacks are able to target the two closest boggards with no added difficulty. It is more difficult to target the other boggards from this location.

Oren, flying, can also take his 3 actions, but starting from further back. I've placed his token as well.

The doors are the V at the bottom of the map. I've added the gate to the map (and the boggards). Between the gate and the doors there is dry land. You can't tell from here how the gate is opened or lowered. There may be way down from the platforms to the space between the gate and the doors but you can't tell.

Before round one...

Caiten casts fly on Oren (5 minutes), who lifts into the air. At the top of round one, Caiten then takes the oars and maneuvers the canoe with Yasami and Catalina into position, round the bend and 30 feet from the fortress. The boggards croak loudly and gesticulate and move to attack (but the PCs go first).

It takes Caiten all three of his actions but he manages to pull it off.

Lisi flies along just behind the canoe and then focuses his attention on conjuring a controlled wave that pushes the canoe alongside the fortress.

Oren, Catalina, and Yasami are up. If anyone wants to take their actions before Lisi casts his spells (such as a ranged attack that might not be possible or would be harder from the base of the fortress wall), just specify that. After Lisi's spell, the canoe will be alongside the wall and the PCs will need to figure out how to get the 15 feet up to the level of the top of the wall.

I didn't mention this before, but there is some kind of gate in front of the large double doors, so it is not possible to directly access the doors from the water (without lowering the gate).

If we haven't heard from Lisi before I post tomorrow, I'm going to assume he wants to try the spell with the spell check (which I hope I don't fail on his behalf!) so I can move things forward.

Ok. That works. Easy enough for you to leave the other one tied to a tree.

If the idea is that Lisi wants to use his spell to move the canoes so that his friends don't have to use their actions rowing, I'll say that -- within 30 feet, the length of the spell's cone -- it is possible with a not particularly difficult spell check to reflect Lisi trying to pull his punch just right (DC 20, rolling with your +16 spell "attack"). Note that there's nowhere to land the canoes, but, if it works, Lisi can move the canoes so that they are alongside the fortress. Let me know if Lisi wants to do that.

To clarify further: This plan would require some rowing to get the canoes around the corner and pointed the right way within 30 feet, and then Lisi could cast his spell to cover the rest of the distance. It takes two actions and two athletics checks to move the canoes into position for Lisi to cast his spell, which would take the canoes the rest of the distance. I'm assuming Caiten would want to cast fly on Oren before the canoes are moved and Lisi casts his spell. Once the canoes are brought alongside the fortress, the PCs will need to find a way to get up the wall -- there's nowhere to "get off" the canoe. The fortress walls do look climbable.

For simplicity's sake, I'll just put all the PCs at the top of initiative and then the boggards after. You'll have to let me know who is doing the rowing, because they will each only have one action.

If folks find this plan acceptable, Lisi can make his roll and everyone can post their actions. I'll show the locations of the boggards on the map, since you will see them once you turn the corner.

Lisi flies back and reports to the group and makes a tactical suggestion on how to proceed. The group can hear the boggards croaking loudly from around the bend.

If you want to take some time to discuss how to proceed you can. Lisi's recon time used up the remainder of the spiritual weapon spell (it took him some time to circle the fortress to get a look at the whole thing).

ROUND ONE INITIATIVE:

Catalina 29
Lisi 22
Caiten 19
Boggards 18
Yasami 16
Oren 15

We'll start paying attention to initiative order once you engage.

I've posted a map to Roll20. The hidden areas are the central building -- all of that is flat roof or a domed roof (to the North). It may be possible to go on the roof but, except for the domed portion, it is 5 feet higher than the platform. The 10 wider spots on the platform are the 30 foot watchtowers. Lisi spotted 6 boggards but I haven't put them on the map because you aren't exactly sure where they are at this moment. When Lisi saw them they were distributed around the fortress.

Lisi takes into the air and heads in the direction of the fortress, attempting to stay in the cover of the trees. The rest of the group moves slowly forward in the canoes, while not passing the bend that would put the canoes within sight of the fortress (easy rowing, so no rolls necessary).

As Lisi crests the treeline he finally is able to take the full measure of the fortress. He first makes a full circle from a greater height and distance and then approaches closer from the Southern treeline (the direction from which the group approaches), in order to take in more details.

Rising out of the murky water, a massive but relatively squat oval red clay fortress is built atop a slab of granite thrust up from the swampy jungle floor. The fortress appears to be over 200 feet from North to South and over 125 feet from East to West at its widest.

From above, Lisi can see that there is an enclosed central building surrounded by a defensive platform roughly 10 feet wide. The platform appears to be about 15 feet above the level of the water and there a number of watchtowers that appear to be about 30-feet high.

The central building is about 20 feet tall and flat-roofed, save for a section to the North, which rises another 20 feet in height with a domed roof.

The fortress is surrounded by 8 towering dragon-shaped pillars that appear similar to the ones the group encountered before, but taller. Your understanding from the elephant people scout is that the pillars previously produced a colorful shell of light over the entirety of the fortress, but there is no such shell at present.

There does not appear to be land access to the fortress. At closest, there are trees 20-25 feet away. The trees are submerged in water, but one could stand on the ample roots. Lisi cannot tell the depth of the water around the fortress, although Sulee reports the depth has been decreasing and varies from about 5-10 feet in the area where the canoes are, around a bend from the fortress.

Lisi spots only one entrance to the central building -- a pair of huge timber gates at the southern end.

Finally, Lisi spies cultists atop the defensive platforms, and, as he tries to take in the full measure of the fortress, some of them spot him. He spots six staff-wielding boggards and they begin to croak loudly after spotting Lisi.

I will post a map and initiative later. Feel free to discuss what you all want to do (the party hears the croaking) but let's post actions in combat rounds (unless the group's decision is not to engage). Also, feel free to ask any questions you have. Lisi is 2 moves away from the group and will need to spend a full round back at the group to explain his observations in full, if the group decides to wait for his description before moving forward.

you don’t really know at the moment because you still haven’t got a good look at the fortress. The info from the elephant people scout was that it is surrounded by water. Lisi does think he could try to reconnoiter from above. If he doesn’t want to fly directly above in the open, he thinks he could fly to a treetop and look out from behind cover. Frankly, if he’s spotted… you figure they already know you’re here. All of this is clear from the party’s perspective — I’m not saying anything your characters don’t know.

With heroic effort, Yasami manages to slip out of the crocodile's maw and scurries to the relative safety of the boat.

The rest of the party maintains its concerted assault on the deinosuchus.

Lisi scatters rocks from above, which the predator is able to avoid in part (5 HP damage), while Catalina fires two shots which fail to connect -- firing from a rocking boat is apparently a new experience for her.

Recalibrating his aim after Sulee's teasing, Caiten connects with his spiritual morningstar with a strong blow (16 HP damage).

And, while Oren's attempt to physically intimidate the beast fail, given their relative sizes and the confusion of the battle, he smashes it with a mighty blow from his maul (36 hp damage).

Severely battered, although no longer bleeding out of its eye, the ancient beast concludes it is no match for the group and plunges under the water and swims away to the West.

Silence settles over the scene, and the water calms, although the group knows Belmazog's fortress is nearby to the North (about 150 feet ahead where the the swamp seems to open up into a large area, slightly around a bend and obscured by foliage).

What do you all want to do? Technically we are still in combat rounds and it is round 3, which is relevant to Lisi's flight and Caiten's spiritual weapon. If there are external guards at the fortress, you suspect they have heard the sounds of the combat.

I think the rules are a little fuzzy (see my comment in discussion thread), but I'm fine saying Yasami can scurry back to a standing position in the boat without making a roll.

It's not clear to me that Yasami technically got dragged into the water. Although it seems logical, I don't think there is anything in the rules saying that a creature that grabs another can automatically move the grabbed creature. I think any movement would require an action, and I'm not sure what rule would apply to accomplishing that movement. So, it may be that, under RAW, the crocodile was holding Yasami in its mouth without actually moving Yasami off the boat. That doesn't make a ton of sense to me, and if there's something in the rules that can be read otherwise I would be curious to see it.

In any event, I think there is an argument that under RAW Yasami is in the boat (prone or not?) with one action left. But I'm more comfortable saying that Yasami can use her third action to get herself back in a standing position in the boat without making a roll. If you're ok with that, we can go with that.

Good enough! So you have one action left. You can either be in the water or on the boat, as you prefer.

Yasami is able to wiggle a bit and gets her hopes up, but the creature's jaws are just too powerful and she is unable to escape.

ROUND TWO!

Deinosuchus 33
Yasami 32
Lisi 31
Catalina 30
Caiten 28
Oren 25

The Deinosuchus is battered by a series of furious blows from the heroes, but for the moment it is more enraged than scared off. It opens its massive jaws and chomps down on Yasami for 19 points piercing damage. It also grabs Yasami in its jaws (she is actually restrained because it was a critical success).

The creature then smacks Oren with its tail for 13 pts of bludgeoning damage.

The party is up!

Yes, I meant Yasami! And, Lisi, I botted you already for round one but I'll count that as your action for round two of combat. The Deinosuchus will go first and then everyone else can post their actions.

Yasami deftly leaps to the prow of the other canoe and plunges her main-gauche into one of the Deinosuchus' eyes, leaving a gushing wound. (18 points damage + 3d6 persistent bleed). Her flashy movements seemed to have drawn the creature's eyes to the blade, to its dismay (fascinated).

Catalina strikes the foe with a mighty blast, manipulating her esoterica, and striking the creature between the eyes, creating a flash of exploding leathery flesh.(25 points of damage)

Caiten conjures a floating morningstar over the crocodile's massive head, but the rocking of the boat distracts his aim and he fails to connect with the snout.

Frustrated to be out of the action and lamenting the exit of his druidic rower, Oren releases the rope connecting the canoes; drags his canoe closer to the swampy predators with a mighty tug, using the other canoe as leverage; and pummels the massive crocodile with his maul (17 points of damage). I decided that, given the short distance and Oren's strength, he could just grab on the other canoe and pull his canoe close enough to attack.

botting LisiFinally, Lisi sends a spray of needle darts at the Deinosuchus, but they fail to penetrate its tough hide. He then moves to stay airborne.

We just need Lisi's action and I'll resolve the round. Catalina, you hit but didn't crit, so it sounds like the listed damage is correct.

Oren, unless I'm missing something, I don't see a halberd on your character sheet, and you can't reach the creature with your maul. In answer to Caiten's question, moving the canoe isn't difficult, but there are some actions involved:

(1) cutting the rope connecting the canoes
(2) dropping your maul and picking up an oar
(3) using the oar to move the canoe closer to the creature -- an athletics check but not a hard one.

In the next round, you would then need to pick up your maul and attack. The water is still enough that you won't need to use an action each round to prevent the canoe from drifting, although it might eventually become necessary.

If you want, we can retcon that this round Oren uses his actions to manuever the canoe alongside the creature so he can attack next round...

This is definitely a deinosuchus, a primeval relative of the crocodile. And it is basically just a really big crocodile. It doesn't have any weaknesses or immunities or resistances, but it will swallow you whole if given the chance, just like it did with little dinosaurs when there were more of them around. It's a dumb ancient creature that you might be able to scare off if you hurt it enough (but just one or two blows won't do it).

And, yeah, an ordinary success on the check.

Who are they? They are a stalwart group of players who have been working through Rise of the Runelords since 2010.

Who am I? The poor fool who scooped them up and did my best to get them to this moment... but family issues and other logistics force me to admit when my time is done...

Please won't you think of the orphans?

The group is in the first part of Part 3 The Hook Mountain Massacre. At this point I have transitioned to the Anniversary edition and despite my own plot hooks the AP should run relatively smooth from the book as is. Its a kick ass group of players that I honestly am sad to leave but life happens some time.

Our game is HERE

I am committed to handing off the torch properly and will still be around (all be it not very often) if there are questions but I am hopeful that some folks might be willing to take this on. Post here is interested!

We can hammer out final details HERE

Ilizmagorti, Black Pearl of the Tropics. A city on few maps and more well known for its secrets then its day to day affairs. A mysterious trade port in the heart of the Shackles all is not as it seems, even to those who know the city best. Rumored home of The Red Mantis Assassins Ilizmagorti is a city of contradictions and chaos yet somehow it survives and even flourishes.

Beneath the normal teeming streets of haggling and fishmongering, merchant trades and mercenary contracts, is the sophisticated web of participants that make up the premier group of assassins throughout Golarion. Contracts are made. Recruits are summoned. Supplicants to Achaekek are brought forward to know what it is to serve in the image of the Gods own assassin. Under the watchful eye of the hidden Crimson Citadel the assassins ply their trade. Under the quite eye of the lighthouse on the Three Sisters islands, the mayor watches the city.

A city with little law and full to the brim with strangesr who could just as soon be a dealer in death, the servants the Red Mantis Assassins stir as a newcomer vies to become one of them...

Whoops...here it is.

Cuddles, Anton and Mattrim saddle up their horses...

Welcome one and all. Once Black Dow has his character hammered out he will join us.

For the record, though it should be clear soon enough the elemental axis ended this way:

Shattertooth - Earth
Squeeze Bits - Water
Zika - Air
Narissth - Fire

Take a moment to review your sheets and make sure nothing is missing. I will make a note soon about some QoL adjustments I am hoping folks will make to their profiles so info is easy to reference...

The raven's cawing seems almost suspiciously rhythmic

*Caw* *Caw*

*CAW* *CAW*

Since gestalt is SO in and since I have also seen some other recruitments going on that have inspired me to dust off the ol' "notebook of ideas"

The Premise {Narrative}

You fair traveler were on a boat. A boat? Yes, a boat. You were going wherever that boat was going and were doing whatever you were doing when abnormal weather caught up your boat and you were thrown overboard...

A boat? Well any water going vessel. It could be a ship, a canoe, a raft or you could have been swimming for all the gods know. The one requirement of your backstory is that you were on, in, or near water and then weird weather threw you in to it.

And then? And then indeed! You, fair traveler, awake on a pristine white beach, naked as the day you were born, unequipped, unharmed (except for being a little waterlogged clearly) and in the presence of three total strangers. What happens next is the stuff of stories. Or a PbP game, ya know, whatever.

The Premise {Mechanics/What to Expect}

Its an island. With ruins and monsters and its uninhabited *cough* liar *cough* and 4 adventurers are going to try to figure out how to survive and, if circumstances permit, escape or do something else based on what you find.

Magic. Mystery. Etc. E6? Gestalt? Why? Oh the island is messed up. E6 presents a good dynamic to keep the power scale more in line with what the threats of the island are and gestalt helps you live. What will be fun is that everyone is from Golarion and it will be clear to the characters that things are messed up. In essence your characters will be conscious of their E6ness and gestaltness (in vague general terms) and depending on what happens that might actually be undone at some point. It sorta depends on if you live.

There are other strange things. I will mention them in the build instructions. I intend this game to be not for the faint of heart. Casters will have to track components (after all where is the bat guano on the island, hmm?) and divine agents will experience cosmic interference. Why is it every time I talk to Gozreh I get that weird echo? Crafting skills will be important. The island will try to foil you and in general (I think) much fun will be had.

Think Lost meets Robinson Crusoe meets Lord of the Flies meets...Aliens? Treasure Island? Lots of weird stuff.

Selections and Timing.

I have one, I need three more. The party has to be small to make this work the way so I cannot accept a bigger party (and I usually do). Sorry.

I want one representative for each elemental alignment. The one locked in player has Earth or Air. (This is why I was asking for two, so you have a backup) It will actually play a role in the game.

The twist: In addition to your own submission I will be asking each player to cast one vote for another proposal they would like to see on the island with them. (This will happen after the final sub phase.)

I hate picking and I want the folks that end up on the island to be invested and excited in the group dynamic.

I'll leave the thread open until 9:00pm -8 GMT Sunday August 30th for dots. Final subs will be due 9:00 PM -8 GMT Wednesday Sept 2nd. Votes will be cast for two days until 9:00 PM -8 GMT September 4th with an intended start of the weekend of Saturday Sept 5th.

Ask away.

Just thinking that it would be very nice for a player to be able to mark a campaign as "inactive" so its no longer on our campaign tab. Being a long time PbPer if a GM leaves there is no way to get it off my tab unless I harass you fine folks...which don't take this the wrong way, I LOVE to do but it might just be nice if we could "excuse" ourselves from a game on our own.

Unless I am missing something?

Looking to change the GM on a PBP thread. I could have sworn that if you were the active DM you could pass it off but my search-fu is failing. Is that possible?

So I was hip deep in reading that voting thread when it got snipped and something that came up for me was this article which I was reading right before it:

How Republicans Can Get Things Done: What the GOP can learn from Democrats about how to govern.

The author (Reihan Salam) is known as a conservative commentator. I know nothing of how far he leans and I would have picked a better title just given the current partisan climate but I think the substance of the article has some merit as far as what he "sees" in the two political parties.

I thought this might be a good example of something to discuss around politics that proves to the powers that be we can have civil discourse.

It just really made me think about how I see the parties and what I "expect" of them and why, etc. YMMV

Hello,

My name is PirateDevon, paizo community member and play by post player.

I play in a Wrath of the Righteous game. Here

Long story short? We are two DMs in the hole and are looking for a brave stalwart soul to lead us to...well we aren't sure because we are the players and we would *never* read ahead in the AP.

Are you that soul, ready to forge a story of destiny using only words? We are a tenacious lot, ready to play, we waited through two DMs and are still looking for more! You can't buy that kind of loyalty!

So...yeah. Anyone want to take a stab at taking over?

Not wanting to muddy the waters in any of the other engrossing threads on martial/caster disparity. OR the rogue threads I was wondering about Ad&D mechanisms for balance in the form of separate XP tracks.

Obviously there was more than that (fighters got strongholds and kingdoms for instance) but rogues progressed much more rapidly than wizards (2 for 1 almost?) and so on.

I'm just curious if that metric has been thought of by the community to any serious degree. It seems to me the rest of the system could be left mostly intact (minus some feat tree trimming just on general principal) but could XP by class provide a relatively simple means of re-establishing class equity (rather than balance because obviously if some progress faster than others the system is acknowledging imbalance).

Anyone have thoughts on this?

Dot the gameplay yo ho!

Here be the discussion thread. yar.

Reading up on the iconic Summoner and watching the slumber hex thread explode into hilarity it got me thinking about the non-core classes and if they are more rare and if there was anything that indicated how rare they might be? (In Golarion obviously) Ive ssen plenty of AP material with expanded content but that is about players coming up against unique things. Anyone have any insight?

Lads and Ladies the Heroes of Sandpoint are in need!

We are a group of currently 4 players, one GM, playing in a well worn but lovingly dedicated RotRL game that has passed between a few DMs and recently lost our long time paladin. Care to join us?

We are looking for one, and may be willing to take up to two enthusiastic folks.

Here is the nitty gritty:

Build yourself at level 4 with the following:

20 point buy
2 traits
Max hp at 1st level; roll for subsequent lvls, min 1/2 hit die (ie, if your class uses d6, and you roll a 1 or 2, you get 3 hp + your bonuses)

For gear assume average wealth by level. Please be sure you are outfitted in a sane manner, I would not appreciate your character coming in with 2 magic items and no clothes. ;-p

My message to prospective players is build prepared to interact with a group that has good character dynamics. Concept first mechanics second. If you want to build an Invulnerable Rager or a witch go for it, but pick something you like and something you think will jive with the narrative. We have a couple of locals and some out of towners so you can be a known (if poorly remembered until now) quantity or you can ride in on your horse cloaked in mystery.

I prefer characters built with some hooks so I have some things to consider in making the game more focused on the players, I think everyone in the thread now has left me a juicy tidbit in their playing or in their histories that I can run with. If you have any ideas for inserting yourself into the game I am open to hear them.

For those who have played RotRL before have no fear as so have some of my current players and due to changes made by previous DMs I have already taken steps to modify the AP to flesh things out, offer some twists and in general make the game a unique experience.

I will leave recruiting open until Friday the 13th at which point I will take what I think are the 4 most promising submissions back to the party to vote on who they would like to see join the game.

Let me know if there are any questions. Either post in the thread or PM me if you like.

Here we go, up and running. We can chat mechanics, ameplay and b@*##&~% here to keep the game thread tidy.

In the heart of the city of Ravengro, in the nation of Ustalav, the burial grounds known as the Restlands is the site of a somber affair. Amidst clouded skies and pattering rain a woman stands in black cowl and dress awaiting the arrival of an unknown number of mourners to pay final farewell to the man she knew as "father", Professor Petros Lorrimor.

You instructions were fleet and short; Lorrimor is dead. You are urged to attend his burial and the reading of his will. There was no mention of your history. There was no mention of your relationship. Simply a date, a place and ample expectation that clung in the air unsaid.

Feel free to narrate your approach. Include how you came to Ravengro if you so desire.

Still abed with the sun over the yardarm? On your feet, ye filthy swabs! Get up on deck and report for duty before Cap’n Harrigan flays your flesh into sausage skins and has Fishguts fry ye up for breakfast!

The words seem overly loud. You awaken to the smell of salt and spray. Your head pounds from the merriment, noise and chaos of the Formidably Maid, the tavern of your revels...was it last night? Your head aches with the dull pain, like an oar was smashed on your head and the ringing has not quite stopped in your ears. Your mouth tastes of bitter and sweet all mixed together. The room sways. Is that the room itself or an after effect of the spicy food and spiced rum? It was rowdy night, even for Port Peril...

Don't make me fetch the boys to drag yah before the Cap'n. Unceremonious type o way to start your career on the Wormwood...

The harsh words come from a man in the doorway. Dirty light, some lantern, some sun, mix just enough to see a tall man with a black braided beard, long black coat, heavy boots and a menacing whip in his his hands. The red tone of his bandana threatens to be the only true color on his person as even his fingernails feature black paint of some kid. See HERE for a reference

You note that you are clothed but seem to be lacking you equipment. In turn each of you note that you have been roughly handled but seem to be intact.

The man menaces at you lazily with his whip indicating you are to rise and follow. He leaves little to the imagination as to what happens next if you fail to comply...

Let me know if you plan to resist or follow.

Yarr! This be the the OOC for me upcoming adventures on the high seas of Golarion. Post your character concepts, builds, ideas and thoughts HERE!

Using this alias I am in a PBP here that does not consistently update with a "new message" count from my "Campaign" screen in my profile. (ie. sometimes the count is accurate and sometimes it is not.) Additionally I will sometimes pop into the thread, see nothing, come back a few hours later and see posts from before or during my last time in the thread...

I use multiple aliases throughout the forums and I am in multiple updating threads and only this one thread w/ this alias has this problem. Any ideas?

So under magic item creation it says that cheap scrolls can take as little as 2 hours to create but that ultimately "Regardless of the time needed for construction a caster can create no more than one magic item per day." (p. 549 PF Core)

Am I going to mess up my game if I let my wizard work no longer than 8 hours a day but craft as many scrolls as he can in those 8 hours. (So up to 4 cheap scrolls a day). Anyone see a problem there?

Fellow Paizoites (Paizoans? Paizolonians?)

I am curious what your take is on the following issue:

Pearl of Power says :

Once per day on command, a pearl of power enables the possessor to recall any one spell that she had prepared and then cast that day. The spell is then prepared again, just as if it had not been cast. The spell must be of a particular level, depending on the pearl.

Crafting Requirements says:

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be able to cast spells of the spell level to be recalled ; [costs per spell level from here].

Emphasis Mine.

Can a wizard craft a pearl or power and then can another class use it? Or does the user have to be of the same class? (The word "prepare" is used in reference to clerics too you see) I am curious what the community thinks about this and what they would allow in their own games.

Thanks.