It makes sense that Ramada would rush in, since the auditorium reminds him of the lecture hall.
IC, that is indeed the case. OOC, he's decent at investigating suspicious things - he has high ranks in Knowledge (Arcane, Engineering, and Nature), and his Soul Seer alternate racial trait allows him to detect undead.
Anyone going to check on the noise from Lectrum?
Covid fog is a serious thing! Well here is to being back and finally healthy!!!
What... oh that's right Lectrum went into the other room by his lonesome.
What's the range on that 'Soul Seer' alternate racial trait allows him to detect undead?
Does the furnace monster provoke AOOs when it makes ranged attacks in melee?
Normally when casting or making ranged attacks yes.
I am treating it as a breath weapon... these haunts have strange rules.
Well to tell you the truth this week has been one challenge after another. Lots of work which has taken a lot of my overall time. Then on Tuesday I came down with some kind of stomach bug. I was out sick Wednesday sleeping to recover. Then sleeping and catching back up to a healthy state. Sorry for my absence this week as you can tell it has been rough.
We understand. Glad you're feeling better.
Thanks! I felt great today!!!
I fear we may have lost Doctor Ramada as well!
Sincerest apologies for the lack of posting - I hadn't gotten notifications for posts in this campaign for close to a month, so I had assumed that the game was dead. I am indeed still here and ready to continue.
Awesome! Glad to hear you are ready to keep this game moving forward. Though I partially fear with the lack of Borak there is two main scenarios. 1. Draken takes the lead and keeps pushing the group forward. 2. Someone else will need to step forward and be proactive. I hope everyone does some at least.
I'd like to apologize for the decreasing quality and frequency of my posts - with the way work's been going, I'm afraid I may have taken on one campaign too many. Unfortunately, after careful consideration, I have decided to withdraw from this campaign. While it was by no means an easy decision to make, a general malaise with this particular style of PbP game, confusion regarding the integration of StarCraft enemies into Pathfinder, and the fact that Ramada is my single most difficult character to get into the mindset for have convinced me that I should withdraw from this game. GM Wolf, thank you for running such an amazing game, and my fellow players, thank you for helping to make this game so enjoyable. Best wishes to those who remain.
So sorry to see you go. I understand life can get busy.
So it has been half a week and only Lectrum has posted... Valiard? Visayn?
I hate to say it but are we done with this game or will you be posting more often?
Sorry I have gone silent so long. I had my own IRL distractions (and Pbp gameday).
Now that we have lost another player, has anyone thought we should reopen the recruitment? It feels like the game is dying slowly without new players.
I want to keep playing. I guess with recruitment.
Your three man team and Drake should do fine. I will open recruitment, what classes are we looking for? Cleric, paladin, ...
I would like to keep playing as well. I haven't been as good as keeping up with this as I want to be. I feel guilty. I have put a reminder in to help me keep up to date and checking up on this in the future.
I will keep playing as long as everyone else is in!
A paladin or cleric would be ideal. Oracle's are cool and great RP but they don't have the same flexibility you get from a cleric.
FYI:
@GM Wolf: Is there guidance on how to roll HP? I don't think I've seen that yet. Thanks.
Oh! I don't think that was addressed in my posts above. So you may take half rounded up or roll for them. Full hp for 1st level. Also if you do choose to roll you may roll twice.
So for a 4th level paladin:
9
10
5
7
Also if you roll two 1's you get max HP for that level. It almost never happens. This might be a bit different from the first time and my original players may make a second roll if they wish!
Dipping into discussion.
I am a beatstick, I can fly and being a half fiend will be an RP challenge, but hej, it beats getting experimented on.
And I owe the professor my sanity.
Hey all, I've been invited to the Discussion thread by GM Wolf.
I submitted Calin Milotti, an Aasimar Paladin. Looking forward to playing you all and figuring out how to bring Calin into the game.
Hello, I am Imrik reporting for duty.
Ideas for getting us in:
The way I wrote Ragnars background, he has been a frequent research subject of the late Professor, since undoing the Demonic Apotheosis that was done to him would be quite interesting, and for thus it has to be researched.
He has been working for the Pharasman church, which is rather non plussed about him being a half fiend, and has been fighting against the undead in Lastwall.
This has both pragmatic and personal reasons, he enjoys trolling those who made him a half fiend by doing good, and to have a reasonable existence as a half fiend, he is well advised to showcase abilities and capabilities against dangerous evil foes.
He may have met Calin there, he was not there for Prof. Lorrimors funeral because Lastwall quarantined him on account of biting a Vampire spawns head off during a night attack, in front of several paladins. Lastwall has strict quarantine procedures for anyone seen ingesting Vampire blood.
We probably proved that half fiends cant contract Vampirism, at least not by biting a spawns head off and using its body as an improvised thrown projectile. For Science.
@GM Wolf: Trying to wrap my head around the current party and who is being added.
From what I've gathered, the current party is:
Valiard Tessar, rogue; played by ZetaGilgamesh
Lectrum, fighter (Eldritch Guardian); played by Phantom Genius
Visayn, rogue; played by Mustaparta
Drake Windfall, ranger; played by BloodWolven, aka the GM
And, you've decided to add (so far):
Kai Yashin, brawler/cleric; played by LDDragon
Imrik Farstrider, omdura; played by Malinor
Calin Milotti, paladin, played by Eletido (me!)
Do I have that all correct?
Rai Yashin reporting in for the discussion thread! I misspelled my own character's name, putting a K into of R, was meant to be Rai Yashin, heh.
Thanks for inviting me to the discussion! :)
Ideas for getting us in:
The way I wrote Ragnars background, he has been a frequent research subject of the late Professor, since undoing the Demonic Apotheosis that was done to him would be quite interesting, and for thus it has to be researched.
He has been working for the Pharasman church, which is rather non plussed about him being a half fiend, and has been fighting against the undead in Lastwall.
This has both pragmatic and personal reasons, he enjoys trolling those who made him a half fiend by doing good, and to have a reasonable existence as a half fiend, he is well advised to showcase abilities and capabilities against dangerous evil foes.
He may have met Calin there, he was not there for Prof. Lorrimors funeral because Lastwall quarantined him on account of biting a Vampire spawns head off during a night attack, in front of several paladins. Lastwall has strict quarantine procedures for anyone seen ingesting Vampire blood.
We probably proved that half fiends cant contract Vampirism, at least not by biting a spawns head off and using its body as an improvised thrown projectile. For Science.
Wow I like your suggestion! May I offer another PC to be a companion of yours from the Lastwall stint?
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Yes Eletido that is on the nose. I know some of you may fear that we have too many players. But if you look at the history of this game we started with two teams of roughly four or five. Now unfortunetely we are down two three of those nine. I like to play the long game and assume that due to one reason or another one player will drop out each week.
I am open to setting up a 2nd table again if that is what you are interested in doing. So first steps who really wants to join our friends?
At the moment I believe our total is 8 players.
---
With so many players Drake will likely just meddle around the professor/Kendra's home.
---
I envision many of you coming in as companions or at least associates, through the professor. Due to one reason or another you weren't able to make it to the funeral. Now you have collected and have given your condolences to Kendra. When the others return they will find many new faces.
Joining the others sounds good. :)
I know what you mean about people dropping out, in both my play by post games and in person ones there is a cycle of people joining and leaving.
Mechanical musings:
--Ragnar picked up the unwelcome business trait, which gives him disguise as a class skill, and nixes the -2 to pretend to be a member of another (specifically chosen) race. He picked tiefling for this, and as long as he is not spreading his wings (or seen naked, when he cant pretend that his wings are a cloak) he can pass as a tiefling, which is subject to repression and racism, but does not immidiatly result in an inquisitorial hitsquad.
--He is squishy on account of only having 2 hitdice. Technically, half fiend is a +1 template at 4 cr or less, so he may have 3, but then skip a levelup to 5 because that is when his template becomes a +2, I have made him a half fiend steelblood 2 for now.
--I do not plan to abuse being a flyer who can fight at range. And if I recall, many enemies in this AP are fought in fairly close quarters under roofs anyway.
Background musings:
I am playing a chaotic neutral half fiend bloodrager, this may trigger some peoples alarm bells in terms of party wrecking etc.
--While not religious in terms of class, he will have the following tenets:
----My pack is me, their glory is mine, and my glory is theirs
Means he will be quite altruistic towards those he considers his pack, and is a teamplayer
----My word, given freely and formally, is steel.
That does not apply to words made under duress, but he is punctual about contracts, vows and pledges. He is also not obligated to go through with things if he says "F&&$ you" to a Ghoul during battle, as its not a formal pledge.
----Death comes to all, and when it comes, I will face it, fangs bared and steel in hand. But only a fool seeks his own end.
Pretty obvious. Tactics exist, he isnt Count Richelieu, but he engages in sensible tactics, and even has some unusual takes on operational doctrine and the military art.
----A fight in which the outcome is clear is but a massacre, and such things disinterest our Lord in Iron, I shall avoid such fights, even taking flight if I am much weaker, or offering good terms if much stronger.
He can run from obviously superior foes, and will offer reasonable terms to much weaker ones.
----Violence is the purest expression of our Lord in Iron, to engage in it randomly for no reason is to demean our Lord.
This is somewhat non canonical, but it makes for much better roleplaying in general.
----I will not kill those who genuinely surrender, and if I offer terms to a foe, I will obey these terms. The same is true if an honorable foe takes me captive, and offers me parole.
Not sure how many "honorable foes" this AP has, but if you drop your weapon and put your hands up, you are pretty save from him. Note, Surrender=!being knocked out in battle while resisting until incapaciated. He will likely treat such brave foes reasonably, but is not religiously obligated to do so.
"Oh may, looks like we have a lot of fiendish blooded members of the group."
I am in. If it is easier to do one big group, that works for me.
Yeah I would prefer to do a big table but I wanted to give someone an out if they wanted it. Also if enough people opted for another table I would be fine with that choice.
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I typed up a reply earlier today, but it looks like I either forgot to hit 'send' or I didn't notice an error message.
I'm good with Calin and Ragnar being acquainted given both of them have been in Lastwall for some time. Maybe they travel to Ustalav together? Calin was also a subject of the Dr. Couldn't make the funeral to important duties as a Knight of Ozem.
I haven't read the other backgrounds closely enough to form an opinion on how they might tie in with Calin and Ragnar.
Oh, and I'm also good with having a larger table. I imagine having two groups will be more work for the GM. Plus, a larger group likely makes it easier to handle the occasional weekend-long AFK, or full departure.
Big table sounds good to me, can have everyone meet everyone.
@Calin is this fine with you:
Alert! Vampires and ghouls! I woke up with a start, only to find one such ghoul right next to me, in my tent. Good thing my claws are sharper then his, and another good thing that a half fiend like myself is pretty hard to paralyze by poison. I tear into the ghoul from my prone position.
Observe I think to myself as I take stock. A gaggle of Lastwallians have assembled around a Paladin named Calin, who manages to have a pretty good commanding presence inspite of, just like me, being in his undergarments. The problem is 2 Vampire spawns, flying in the pitch black moonless sky above them, seeking to dominate the targets of the resistance.
Orient The ghouls, while nasty, are going down fairly quickly, that Lastwall troops established a buddy system of sorts, if one warrior gets paralyzed, others protect him with reach weapons from coup de grace attemtps, and eventually lastwallian training will prevail on the ground. But the Vampire spawn...
Decide Need to go, now, I break into a sprinting charge as I spread my wings
Act Whatever the vampire spawn closest to me expected, bloodraging half fiend was not on it. My claws connect, and my bite tears into its throat, tearing its head straight off. Note to self, Vampires spawn taste like s%~%, maybe that why they want to drink blood. I grab its body and fling it at the other flier, my throw goes wide, but it covers my charge. This one is more competent, and less surprised but...
Observe I am much heavier then she, this spawn is female, is
OrientWe are directly above the circle the Paladins made
Decide Coming in from slightly above, I grapple, and simply stop flying. We fall, her at the bottom, into a number of Iomedean Paladins. I use my own flying skills to hit the center of their circle, shouting Kill the spawn
ActThe impact is less surprising for me, I mount and start slashing, in which the Iomedeans join in. I give their leader a friendly grin. Who unfortunately raises his glaive, only to straight behead the 3rd Vampire spawn that was about to attack me from top and behind. S$#@, relied too much on my darkvision, and not enough on other things such as hearing or smell.
I have several questions Mr. Ragnar yes?
The Paladin asks quite politely, but authoritatively, especially for someone covered in dead ghoul and vampire while in his undies.
A big table is both a good and bad thing, as both approaches have pros and cons.
So if I were to have a fey "aura" would something like this work?
Cantrip: dancing lights
1st level spell: faerie fire
At 3rd level gain DR 2/cold iron
So if I were to have a fey "aura" would something like this work?
Cantrip: dancing lights
1st level spell: faerie fire
At 3rd level gain DR 2/cold iron
Yes sounds great.
Idea for his wrathfull demonic aura:
Cantrip: Detect fiendish presence (as a demon he perhaps can sense other demons)
1rst level spell: Wrath (his transformation hails from an incredibly angry all the time balor lord (who if anything got even more angry after getting killed), whose midnight isle is now run by a also very angry balor lord who is also a runelord of wrath)
At third level: Gains feat extreme mood swings (I am amazingly rational yesyes)
Idea for his wrathfull demonic aura:
Cantrip: Detect fiendish presence (as a demon he perhaps can sense other demons)
1rst level spell: Wrath (his transformation hails from an incredibly angry all the time balor lord (who if anything got even more angry after getting killed), whose midnight isle is now run by a also very angry balor lord who is also a runelord of wrath)
At third level: Gains feat extreme mood swings (I am amazingly rational yesyes)
Yes that seems reasonable. ;)
Everyone got connections settled? You could also connect with a starting player or Npc.
Rai has had many discussions with Professor Lorrimor about various types of undead, how to recognize, and counter them. Given that Ragnar has fought a bunch of vampires and ghouls, Rai would be interested in talking with him and getting his opinion and experience on such matters.
If Calin and Ragnar know each other, perhaps he could have met and talked with both of them.
Alkaid's aura is
Regeneration/Cure type,
so I thought of something like;
those she considers allies are in an aura of fast healing (1/3levels), though undead suffer the same to their HP per round while with a Radius of 15 ft.
Though to match the format of it, I think
1st level spell: Stabilize
At 3rd level gain the above aura idea.
Though with 2x +1 templates, I'm only level 2 at the moment.
She'd of been like a combat medic, which would fit in with supporting soldiers at Lastwall.....
Ragnar doesnt really have knowledge religion, and when asked about how he fights against undead came up with this general guide for not particularly knowledgable people.
You probably wont know what exactly you are fighting. But dont panick and follow these easy rules:
1: Have a combat buddy! A lot of the undead stuff doenst like, throw fireballs! But they do like their paralysis hijinks, and if you have a trusty friend next to you, your chances of survival more then double!
2: Reach is great! Bardiches vs Zombies and Ghouls, Bec de Corbins against Skellingtons and the like!
3: If an undead can talk, you can maybe try mind effecting hijinks on it. If it doesnt talk, dont even bother.
4:Invest in some blunt arrows, or backup throwing axes. Most ranged weapons deal piercing damage, which limits their use against even fairly common undeads, but some small little additions to your arsenal can completely transfer a fight!
5: Use your trusty chain shirt/studded leather armor pyjama. Undead like night attacks, and having some armor on you is literally live saving when they do one!
Talking with him some more actually gets something innovative
You see, I think the biggest drawback of the undead is reaction times. Them necromancers are micromanagers, they take a fair bit of time to orient themselfs, to observe what is going on, to decide on a course of action actually act that out. Very much unlike Demons, whom I view as more dangerous, and not just because I kind of am one. The large half fiend pauses
If I go through such a circle quickly, and make good enough orientations, observations, decisions and actions, I can sometimes get to a point where I get through 2 such cycles, while the enemy is still in his first cycle. This is when his position becomes completely messed up, he has observed what I did, but what I did has already changed while he was making his decision, so now his decision may be completely wrong because the observation and orientation on which it was based was already outdated He seems to be agitated
So if you like... like act quickly, decsively and your decisions are good enough you will, in my experience, 9 out of 10 times prevail over the bestest and most optimal plan so to speak. I also wonder if Necromancer tendencies to overprepare are not really a direct weakness they have, but their attempt to counter a weakness they know off. Just because there are thousands of tales of plucky little groups of heroes defeating vast undead armies, it doesnt mean the undead are harmless, far from it. He pauses
Still, their overplanning can be exploited. Ironically, I almost think that certain demons would be highly effective against the undead. It may be why Pharasma never really goes to war the demonkind, unlike her far more hostile relation with Abbadon.
@Alkaid
Ragnar can pass for tiefling with some effort, he uses tricks like making his wings look like a cloak, and he can retract his claws (not his fangs though, although tieflings with fangs are common). He very very rarely uses his darkness spell like ability, and frequently does not use his full strength (which gets up to 26 during bloodrage, stronger then a Rhinoceros by quite a bit).
@Ragnar
Alkaid's a bit in the same boat, but has shape change.
Though due to a flaw, she has restrictions on things.
And Alkaid is quite knowledgable on multiple subjects, she just won't be able to be a master at all of them......
For my Positive Energy aura I was thinking:
Cantrip= Stabilize
Lvl 1- Cure Light Wounds
Lvl 3- Negative Energy Resist 5.
Would anyone like to set up a connection with Imrik? Maybe Lectrum as a Dragonkin and I have met before?
@Calin is this fine with you:
Yeah, this sounds good to me. Calin doesn't normally fight with a glaive, but that's a very minor point.
A narrowly escaped disaster serves as a nice way to tie these two adventures together.
If Calin and Ragnar know each other, perhaps he could have met and talked with both of them.
Fighting undead is one of Calin's main focuses as a Knight of Ozem. He would be very interested in 'talking shop' with Ragnar and Rai.
Might be better if we all have a connection with Last Wall and fighting the Undead / Orc Hordes at Last wall.
Might be better if we all have a connection with Last Wall and fighting the Undead / Orc Hordes at Last wall.
I would be interested in having met up in Last Wall.
Yeah, we could all be in the same combat unit at Last wall.
It would give a connection base for all us newcomers.
So, we are lastwalls aerial freakshow lead by super-calin-man the Paladin?
More like, "The Freaky strong ones and oh what's his name, Rai"
As most have 20 or over in STR