This is why I should be the one ruling! These softscales are more worried about stupid ugly headgear than showing the true power of the kobold bloodline! But while they fight over hats, I will be busy conquering all of absalom!
Checking in, not sure yet what character I want to apply it to but I'll decide shortly. One thing I'd like to emphasize that DMS mentioned in his post above, is to search out and read the GM discussion thread for the scenario here on the boards. You can find one for probably 80% of the scenarios, though it's a bit harder for the first couple of seasons. So many times when I'm prepping a scenario and have a question about a certain mechanic or whatever, it's already been asked and answered there. Sometimes it's just a group consensus to run it a certain way, but a lot of times the scenario authors themselves will chime in and explain their intentions. I'm also a big proponent of the PFSprep site, and use it all the time. Also, to add on to point number 4 above. I find this is more common with some of the faction goals within scenarios. A lot of times it's not obvious to the players that there may be specific faction objectives and some hints may need to be dropped. @ GM: Sorry, I'm not trying to steal your thunder!
Looking to recruit four players for the We Be Goblins series. For those of you that don't know, all four scenarios use goblin pregen characters. You do get a chronicle sheet from each module which can be applied to any legal PFS character. Here's what I'm looking for. I'd like two slots to go to players new to the PbP format, and two to more experienced players. For the experienced player slots, preference will be given to those who have GMed for me in the past, or those I've seen exceptional RP from. If you're interested, check in HERE!
I think it's one of those that you just have to get a feel for and it really depends on the players you have. If you have a table full of players that just want to smash everything in combat and don't care about the story, they probably would want to be pushed towards the next encounter a bit quicker, than say a party that wants to RP and chat a lot. And if you're unsure, ask the players how they feel about the pace!
So there's something I've run into lately with a GM, and I'm not trying to call anyone out, but instead I think it could be a good teaching opportunity. As a player, one of the most frustrating things I see from a GM is when they don't know how to control the pacing. Now when I say pacing, I don't mean a GM has to be online 24/7 and constantly posting game updates. What I mean, is that the GM knows how to push the game along so it doesn't get boring for the players. I feel this is something that's especially important in the PbP format. I was recently asked to jump in a game that needed another player, because someone dropped out, and another player or two was pretty inactive. After a couple days in the game, I quickly realized that it wasn't necessarily the players fault that they weren't posting much, but that the GM wasn't pushing the game at all. Here's an example I'm making up about a typical dungeon crawl, keeping it simple and detail free. Game # 1
Game #2
The first method may take more than a week to explore a single room, depending on the posting rate. The second method may only take a day or two. If it were a F2F game, the first example wouldn't be a problem, but because of the medium, the way you GM has to change a bit. It's up to the GM to set the pace of the game and make sure it doesn't get bogged down. You have to be able to have a feel for the game and your players. It's OK for you to gloss over simple and obvious things for the sake of keeping it moving. I feel that it's also important to establish a standard marching order as they explore, and if any players will always do something, such as a rogue checking for traps at doors. And if the game does seem to grind to a halt, make it clear to the players what you're waiting on, sometimes it might not be obvious to them. The GM has all the knowledge because they have the scenario sitting there in front of them so what may seem obvious to you, may not be to the players.
To add on to the "stealing stuff" topic. When I GM, I frequently use the search function on the messageboards to find other games that have been run of the same scenario. Sometimes I just use it to make copy pasting easier and you don't have to delete all those annoying returns at the end of the line when copying from the scenario. Other times, I look through the games to see how other GMs handle a particular part of the scenario if I'm unsure how it works, or how to best translate it to PbP. Which leads me to another things that's good to mention. Give up on any notion that you will be able to run scenarios just as they are written. Because of the PbP format, some mechanics just don't work well and need to be altered for the medium.
Corona makes her way towards their aggressors after she finishes healing 575, while Skye gives a rather odd blessing to the party. Ezren begins to call for some aid from the elemental plane, and Xuan takes the fight to the orcs, frying one of them with a blast of electricity. The remaining pair of orc warriors both step up and hurl a javelin at the closest target, but Corona easily dodges them both. The coyotes all charge in, one at the oracle and two at the nagaji, but none of them are used to attacking such fearsome warriors, and their jaws all snap at air.
Round 1
Xuan
Aid Token:
You may choose one of the following assistance per encounter. An Aid token may be received boosted, or be boosted by a table to create additional effects.
Allied Offensive: A Pathfinder agent strikes a creature at the same time as the PC, increasing the damage dealt by one attack by 1d8 points. In addition, after the attack, anyone attacking the target is considered to be flanking it until the beginning of the attacker’s next turn. To Boost: Succeed at an attack roll against an AC equal to an Average skill check. Boosted Effect: +1d8 points of damage. Burst of Healing: A Pathfinder agent heals all of the PCs of 1d6 points of damage. To Boost: Expend one use of channel positive energy or cast one spell with the healing descriptor with a spell level greater than or equal to your APL/2, rounded up. A PC must cast this spell, not simply activate a wand or scroll. Boosted Effect: +2d6 points of damage healed. Timely Inspiration: A Pathfinder agent provides the effects of a bard’s inspire courage bardic performance for 3 rounds. To Boost: Expend 3 rounds of bardic performance or similar ability. Boosted Effect: Increase the competence bonus by 1. Provide Knowledge (must be boosted): Gain the benefits of a Knowledge skill check or Spellcraft skill check used to identify a magical item. To Boost: Succeed at a Knowledge check of your choice, the result of the check (Easy, Average or Hard) should be noted on the Aid Token. Provide Spellcasting (must be boosted): Gain the benefits of a beneficial spell cast by an ally as listed on the Aid Token. To Boost: Cast one of the following spells and note your PC’s name and caster level on the Aid Token: lesser restoration, neutralize poison, remove curse, or remove disease. Only these spells may be granted. Expending resources that produce the effects of these spells, such as a paladin’s mercy class feature, may also grant these benefits.
A mass of orcs and their monstrous allies charges down the foothills. Remnants of an ancient dwarven outpost provide cover and an obstacle in their path; it is the most defensible position and they stop and dig in there. Seven formidable looking foes threaten the path up ahead. Three animals, which from what you understand from the lore around here, are known as coyotes. The orcs are each armed with a falchion, except for a larger, more well armor one standing behind them, armed with a spear. Initiative:
Round 1 Xuan
575 strikes twice at the orc in the cave, the first one hitting the duplicate, causing it to disappear. Xuan zaps the one carrying the barrel, as Corona prepares to curse the first orc within range. Ezren send another arcane bolt flying while Zavubek runs towards the cave. Skye prepares a spell and directs his flying starknife to attack one of the orcs. Two of the orcs rush down the path as the barrel carrying one runs past, having finally rubbed the dust out of his eyes. The orc in the cave swings its axe at 575 again, but can't connect.
Round 5/6
Fung
575 heads for the cave while Zavubak attacks the orc with the yellow pants, but somehow misses with both his claws. Skye's ethereal weapon takes care of the orc though, succeeding where the bloodrager wasn't able to. Ezren covers the floating barrels with dust, revealing the two orcs carrying them. Xuan zaps one of them with electricty, frying the poor orc, while the other is blinded from the dust. Corona orders the orc still standing to drop the barrel, but he's too distracted at being blind to listen. As the two orcs approaching the caravan from behind reach the wagon, Skye unleashes a blast of colors, knocking them both out cold. The orc with the floating barrel continues to run up the hill, but walks right into the cliff, still unable to get his sight back. Meanwhile, the the orc with the orange robe, swings its axe at 575, striking his arm and drawing blood. Two more orcs show up at the top of the cliffs as well!
Round 4/5
Fung
Daereon fires a ray of celestial energy, but it goes wide of its target. Vinhinan jumps down the ledge, and comes up behind the intruders as Loni starts to call more animals to the party. Groosalugg's javelin hits one of the Aspis squarely in the chest, before, Ironshanks finishes him off for good. Heavily outnumbered, the remaining intruder is quickly subdued. Out of combat! the party cleans up the mess that was made during the battle, moves all the crates back, and dumps the bodies into a corner for someone else to figure out. Shortly afterwards, Delroya and her contacts arrive to move the goods from the warehouse, and she sends some items to the Pathfinder Society in thanks for their assistance. Later, back on board the ship and safely on your way home, Ambrus Valsin personally thanks you for your successful mission, stating that you dealt a major blow to the Aspis Consortium’s operations on the Isle of Kortos, and prevented a great deal of suffering from spreading across the Inner Sea region. He speaks highly of your discretion among the nobility of the Isle of Kortos. Delroya is aboard the ship with you, and attends the meeting with the venture-captain. Valsin commends you for representing the best qualities of Pathfinders. Delroya herself remains quiet during the meeting, but her demeanor has softened a great deal since the ordeal in Diobel, and it is clear that she feels at home among the Pathfinders.
Should the sheets say CORE on them somewhere? The newer scenarios have a checkbox above the tiers that is marked
The Pathfinders make their way back to the sewers to find the same four addicts in their drug induced dazes, but also a fifth person towards the back of the sewer, hunched over the workbench. He spins on his heels upon hearing you descend the ladder. "Wh-h-hoo are y-y-ou??? Wh-h-hat are you do-o-oing here?" You can see that his exposed skin is covered in open lesions and horrible scaly patches, which he picks at as he stammers out the words.
We were still on the Material Plane but I would definitely consider that a gem-like wondrous item.
Kalak knocks the vial out of Laszo's hands and it shatter on the floor while Corona's body seems to not want to work correctly all of a sudden. Seleena pushes past the alchemist and starts an odd song, and the others feel a rush of energy from the tune. Kolris, still sick from the stench of the sewer, slowly moves towards the back of the sewers. Laszo takes a step back towards the corner, and tosses a bomb at Kalak, furious at her for smashing his vial.
Round 1
Kalak (-8)
There's less than a week to go before we wrap this up. There are boons available to everyone so I'm going to roll for those so I can get the names in. Win on 19 or 20. Kronas
Congrats to Lutorinus and Zandu on winning the mystery boon! I do need to get your emails for them, so you can post it here or PM me if you prefer.
With the Overflowing Oyster now empty and all to themselves, they take advantage of the opportunity to have a few drinks and fills their stomachs. Paltus and his mute younger brother, Gregon, get to work on a pot of fish stew, though their is plenty of grumbling along the way.
Sesska and Kolris see plenty of potential customers approach the Oyster, only to leave in frustration after seeing the 'Closed' sign hanging on the door. Sense Motive DC 15:
A man with a dark, billowing cloak, and leather armor underneath seems particularly distraught about the closure. He decides to hang out in the street and nervously searches the crowd. Knowledge Local DC 15: A man wearing the colors of House Lacosta, a prominent house of the Kortos Consortium approaches the door and hangs out for a bit in the street.
I want to apologize, this week has been crazy busy for me, and I don't see it changing over the next few days with the holiday weekend upon us. Any time I've had to post I've been trying to make the special my priority since it's time sensitive. I'll have a lot more free time starting on the 5th, and I'll get this going again.
A perplexed look crosses the marids face as she listens to Kronas's response. "A have met very few gnomes in my long lifetime, yet your kind always surprises me with your....odd nature. If it were as simple to free Raginori as granting you what you ask, I would. But alas, that is outside my current powers. And while I can not turn your enemies into baby cats (what an odd request, I will never understand mortals), I can weaken them for you." She raises her massive blue hand towards the ceiling, and utters a few phrases. For a moment, you feel lightheaded and dizzy, as if you may pass out. It's as if some supreme being is altering everything around and inside of you, but the feeling quickly fades. "It is done. Now make haste, and do what you can to aid your allies in freeing Raginori from his prison." With the Ice Reservoir now firmly in control of the Society, you make your way towards the vault. A half-elf in a flowing green robe who seems to be in charge, directs you where to go. After navigating some more frozen tunnels, you eventually find the entrance to the vault, and the tight passages quickly open into a much larger chamber. Vaulted arcs of stone create a bizarre network of geometric recesses, like a petrified beehive but in orders of magnitude larger. In one cell stands an altar smeared with blood and ochre. Before you have a chance to explore further, you realize you have drawn the attention of some unfriendly creatures. One of them charges at Kronas with a claw, but the gnome just dodges it. As the creature took its swipe, you swear you heard it let out a tiny meooowwww. Initiative:
Round 1 Red
As soon as Sorrina disappears from view, you feel the earth rumble and you return to normal weight for a few seconds. Zahleh obviously feels the change in gravity as well, more so than others due to her massive size. "Hmm I suppose I may have underestimated you." She nods solemnly, and smiles. "If it as you say, and your teams are all here, then we may stand a chance." Four water elementals float up next to Zhaleh. "Children, these people will lead us to victory. Let Ranginori be freed from his prison deep within this place. ... All of us will know freedom, just as we deserve!" Inspired, the elementals shoot streams of water up at the ceiling. She turns down at you. "Since you were so willing to help me when I was in dire need, I will grant you something truly special. A wish. Just one, of course. Choose wisely.""
"While you're thinking on what to wish for, I should explain how I ended up here. We once served Kelizandri, but rebelled against him at the behest of the winds that issue from inside the asteroid. I was foolish to think I could defeat him on my own though, and me and many of my followers ended up imprisoned here. These winds from inside the asteroid carry a sort of thundering, yet somehow faint voice, and it makes you feel compelled to listen. As if to call out to us. We need to follow that voice - it must be Ranginori."
Familiars don't have tricks or need Handle Animal since they are considered intelligent creatures. If you used your Sky Speaker ability though, you could clearly describe what it is you want. As for flight and encumbrance, it's a bit of a grey area, and isn't spelled out clearly in the rules. If only at a medium load, I would say it's flight speed is just decreased a bit.
Before you can further investigate the noises ahead, you receive the latest news from the Venture Captain. You aren't able to even process what this means before water starts rushing into the tunnels with force. Somehow, Kronas simply rides the wave, giggling with joy and is unharmed, while the others are tossed about. Whatever creatures were lurking ahead are clearly washed away as well.
Once the rush of water slows and starts to drain out of the area, you regain your composure and venture forwards. Several tunnels lead into an expansive ice cavern, in which rests an enormous block of ice bound in metal chains that hang from the icicle-covered ceiling. Hundreds of figures are flash-frozen within, caught in a moment of horror and agony. At the front of the inanimate crowd stands a regally clad giant who stares ahead with defiance. Based on what you learned from the rescued elemental earlier, this must be the shahzada, Zhaleh Setat.
@ Zin: I'm of the opinion that because inspiration is a limited resource, it would not apply to Day Job checks. If you had unlimited uses of it for you check, either by using a different skill through a vanity, or having a talent that expands your free uses, then I would say it's fine. Honestly, it's something I never even though of on my own Investigator until you mentioned it. PS. Buy an alchemist's lab for 200 gp. It weighs a lot but just keep it at your home base or your room at the Lodge or whatever and just use it for Day Job checks or crafting checks between scenarios. Lab
As you work on diffusing the odd magical machine, you get the odd sensation that the whole room, starts to move a bit. Then you realize it's not the room, but the entire asteroid moving, as it begins to rotate. You can already sense the temperature outside beginning to warm a bit.
Game Expectations 1. Posting Frequency: My games tend to run a little quicker than average. Before signing up, consider how much time you can devote to the game. I prefer players who can post once per day on average, if not more. I understand that everyone occasionally has a busy day and just can't find the time to post. I try to avoid this but even as the GM I sometimes miss a day. But not posting for several days is not acceptable. It slows the game down and makes it less interesting because your character will be left behind in the action. And if you disappear during combat and hold things up for a day, I will skip you and move on. This is especially important due to the nature of the special, as there will be hard timeline we must follow. The faster we play, the more content you get to experience 2. Posting Quality: Take advantage of the medium and write some description. Tell us what your PC is doing or what they look like; put up some dialog and start a conversation with your fellow PCs. It makes the game immensely more engaging, immersive, and entertaining. I will admit, it can sometimes be hard to spice up combat posts. Bottom line: be willing to make an effort role-playing in my game. If you aren't up to that challenge, please consider playing a different game. If you aren't much of a writer or are new to PbP, don't be intimidated. I/We will help you improve! But if you sign up for my game and make too many posts with just dice or just ooc text, I will give you a warning and if your quality doesn't improve I reserve the right to ask you to leave the game. 3. I also try to be pretty open as to what is allowed and options that are a little outside the box, I really enjoy seeing what creative players come up with. If I ask for a roll, and you feel that you have another option that may work better, there is no harm in asking. The best way, and by that I mean the fastest way to do so and keep things moving is to first off, make the roll I asked for, (because sometimes the answer will be no, but that's generally because the Scenario specifically says so and I can't control that), and then to both ask if you can do something else instead, and then also make the appropriate rolls for that alternative option as well. Go ahead and give me the following info Player Name:
As a player, there's not really anything you need to worry about regarding special rules. The Overseer and GM's do most of it behind the scenes. The main focus as a player should be consistent posting and keeping up with the game. Because there are time limits throughout the scenario, it is imperative to make the game a bit of a priority and stay active.
There's also nothing wrong with searching the boards for other recent games of the same scenario and reusing another GM's maps. No sense in reinventing the wheel. Another thing I always recommend for new GM's is to check out GM Shared Prep. While you won't find maps there, you will usually find stats for creatures and such so you don't have to worry about finding the right bestiary and applying templates all the time. Although the newer scenarios now include all of your stat blocks to make it easier.
I'll shoot Evil a PM as well, just so he knows what's going on. Assuming nobody has an issue with me taking over that is. So we are all on the same page, I just want to verify that this is a classic game and you are playing low tier, correct? There also seems to be a question as to whether or not Korai is continuing on with the game or not. Do we have a status on that?
HERE are the chronicles, let me know if anything needs to be corrected.
Alright, I'm going to run another table of #6-05 Slave Ships of Absalom, but this one will be a CORE game. This is a 1-5 scenario that should be of interest to Liberty's Edge and Sovereign Court members. If you are interested, check in HERE. Be sure to read my posting expectations at the top of the discussion thread. And just to reiterate, this will be a CORE game. |
