So, are you waiting for us or did life get busy?
It's good to have you back, I was worried the Curse had gotten you.
Is it dark when we arrive at the old fishery? I imagine we will find a place to hide and observe for a bit, planning to enter when the people have gone to sleep. I will consult with Pat and do a post in the game thread soon.
As a side note, I am running a RotR game on another site and I like to copy/paste the pictures from the PDFs of the adventure, then edit in the characters. Do you find making your own maps easier?
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I tend to copy and paste a lot of images where it comes to giving a visual of NPCs or scenery or the like. I normally make my own maps, just because it gives a lot of the advantages of battlemats that way, it allows me to make edits on the fly and to leave obvious symbols for characters as well as terrain that may affect things. It also has the advantage that I can allow players to move their own characters around.
You held your meeting at dusk, and Zellara's house isn't far away, so its likely the sun would just be fully set. This part of town is likely to stay busy for another few hours still. Light is plentiful in the areas around the markets and along the roads, but if you are willing to risk dark alleys then there are plenty of places to hide and keep an eye out.
Neither one of us feels any great need to be in control of the dice, so in these situations, we trust you to roll the dice for us. That will save time.
Survival +4
Stealth +7
Perception +4 or 6(elf)
How are we supposed to roll dice? I looked but was unable to find where you mentioned how to do this.
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Sorry, we just jumped into things since I hadn't needed to give you much of a background on the setting for the AP since you had begun it before.
The best way for me to roll dice is to use Invisible Castle, which does a great job of displaying your results, even giving you bbcode so you can just copy and past it straight into your post.
Also, while talking of general things I do, you may have noticed that I normally bold any dialogue and make a regular use of spoilers for information. Later, just to save some of the amounts of posts that have to go back and forth I'll likely do things like post a DC for checks(particularly knowledge or perception checks) and put a spoiler beneath it with the information you will know if you make the check. I don't mind running on the honor system with that, trusting you'll only look at the spoilers if you made the checks.
Thats also a good way to communicate with me any questions you might have, or when an NPC or something is talking to just one of you. Much less of a problem with just two players though.
Did you say something about Invisible castle, or am I confusing you with the LOF game I started on this site once upon a time? I also skimmed our threads, and can't find where you posted a rolling method.
Fortune is trying to just remain out of sight (full cover), so he is not seeing what is happening, but can't be seen either. Though here are his stats if you want him to roll;
perception 2 4(elf)
stealth 0
For Vallis the raven, in SRD they have +3 listen/+5 spot, but I don't have the PF raven stats.
Yeah, I notice it now, but you posted while I was busy posting (isn't that what is called being Ninja'd or something?) I'll go look for the download now and if you haven't rolled/posted by the time I'm done (which may be awhile as I'm multi-tasking) I will do some invisible castle rolls for both of us.
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Yeah, getting ninjaed is when someone posts information you were typing up a post to give.
I'm really busy at work at the moment so it will probably be an hour or so before I can get a real post up, plus its always nice when you guys can roll your own dice. I know that adds a lot to the feeling. I try and just roll for you guys when you aren't going to even know you are making a check.
So if things calm down a bit on my end before you have the post up with the rolls, then I'll just start to piece together some of the fluff of my response post and hopefully I'll see the rolls up soon.
posted some rolls, but I'm not sure I did it right. Take a look and let me know.
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Fortune,
Rolls looked fine to me. If you want it to be better spaced out and easier to tell which roll is which, you can use a semicolon instead of a common to separate dice rolls, but I understood all the numbers just fine.
Also, where it has the 'comment' field on the dice roller, you can put in what the rolls are going to be for, and it will include them in the tag it makes for you.
haVING TROUBLE GETTING TO THE MAP (and with my cap lock key). I got to it once, but now when I click on it, it just takes me to googgledocs sign in page. Any ideas?
Well, I managed to find it again, somehow. I'll let you know how when I figure it out.
What skill do you need to set a trap?
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To actually make a trap it would be a craft:trap check. However, for simple things that don't actual use any sort of real device, you would use either disable device or survival.
For instance, I'll let you do something like set a snare with survival, or you could rig a wagon wheel to fall off with some use, or jam a lock or setup an existing trap or cause one to misfire with disable device.
Pat wants me to ask about wild empathy.
It takes a minute. If he starts using it now, would the dog be quite for that minute (assuming the rest of us did nothing but stand still) or would it start barking right away?
Wow, it did post. When I hit submit, the icon just kept whirling for the longest time. I thought maybe it didn't post.
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As you noticed, generally wild empathy takes a minute and there is a penalty associated with doing a rushed check. However, since you have the drop on the dog, then I don't have a problem with it remaining silent during the check. You are aware of it first and that will make it easier to approach it in a distracting and soothing way rather then having it start barking immediately.
Procedure I use to get to map.
The 1st time I hit the map link, it takes me to the login screen for goggle-docs. 2nd, I hit the sign in button (I don't have an account, so it comes back with the same page). 3rd- hit the link again and it takes me to the map.
Oh my... 3 bad guys...what to do, what to do. I'll talk with Pat after work about what we might want to do.
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Thats really odd and I can't reproduce it myself, tried with multiple browsers now too. I am running a shadowrun game as well on the boards, and I have one guy in the group who has just started reporting the same issue, so I am trying to come up with a solution that I think will work better while giving the same flexibility. I'm glad that you are at least able to get into the map, even if it means clicking a few times.
Shhh, don't tell the dice.
Was the room dark or did it have a light? You didn't specify, so I assume it was dark, which would imply empty or someone heard us and was prepared. Do we hear anything (per +4(Ft), 6(SL))? Does Sl dog(+8 per) alert on anyone (his would be much better at this than mine or the new one)?
Looking to the future, is there a place where Fortune would think of to take the children?
-any temples of Desna?
-any other good temples?
-we will see if any were kidnapped and try to return them to their families (and see if they can take another).
-maybe the fortune teller could take 1 or 2.
-any orphanages associated with good temples? This is his last resort, after all, Fortune was sold to Lamm from an orphanage.
He wouldn't have any close friends around, at least none with the resources needed. We'll look through the CotCT Players Guide to see if anything jumps out at me or Pat (or is that Pat and me, I never could get that straight).
If it's ok with you, I am going to change my feat from EWP to Acadamae Graduate feat. It is easier to justify it as a "background", 1st level feat than it will be to pick it up "in play". EWP: bladed scarf is much easier to get at 3rd level.
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The room you opened to was unlit, but with the small candle sputtering in the bedroom your lowlight vision will let you see just well enough to make out the full description of the room and to see that there doesn't appear to be anyone inside in any case.
As for the gods of the town, by far the biggest church in town is that of Abadar. There is a huge catheral to him in town as well as running the bank of town and being greatly involved in the justice department.
Desna does have a small shrine setup just outside of town. There is a large stable varisian camp/shantytown that is built right against the outside wall that houses the shrine.
Most of the other good and neutral gods have at least small shrines within the city. I'll put up a much more thorough description of the different religions tonight when I get my hands on my Korvosa book again tonight.
Edit: Also, I don't mind if you do the swap. You haven't made use of either yet, so feel free to adjust.
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Alright, here is probably way more information then you need on the various temples, orphanages, and religion in general in Korvosa. If there is any other information you need or want about the city, feel free to ask any questions.
Churches:
Grand Cathedral of Pharasma, in the Gray district of town. Nothing like an orphanage, or likely to be able to handle much in the way of children. They run the city's crypts and catacombs.
Temple of Asmodeus, originally a small shrine but was rebuilt to be a large temple about 25 years ago by the last queen. Has blossomed greatly since then, partly because of the cities emulation of cheliax. Church is the biggest competition for Abadar in terms of power in the city.
Temple of Saranrae, devoted to healing and the good of the city, this building is well funded by any nobles who happen to come down ill or become wounded. However, while it is certainly more then a shrine, the temple still is much smaller then the other full churches in the city except for the Sanctuary of Shelyn.
Sanctuary of Shelyn, certainly qualifying as one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, the square building is filled with works of art and beautiful flowering plants. The church itself only has a couple of priests and a handful of alcolytes.
Temple of Aroden, crumbling and old this building is maintained by three clerics who remain devoted to the dead faith. The city has moved to tear down the temple several times now, but the clerics have managed to build enough support to keep it alive if mostly unused.
Pantheon of Many, completed just a couple years ago, the Pantheon of Many holds within is marble walls shrines to 17 different deities. Of the 20 main deities of Golarion only Gorum, Lamasthu and Rovagug do not have shrines. Up unil days after it opened, neither did Cailean or Desna but their followers formed protests that led to their inclusion. Clerics of the deities tend to the shrines and perform rites here, but the only live in members are two impartial observers that ensure no korvosan laws are violated.
Orphanages:
Life in these orphanages is strict and highly regimented, providing early training for those interested in joining the Korvosan Guard, Sable Company, or even the local Hellknights. Many of those who turn 18 and leave the orphanages do indeed join the military organizations, and most of those who do not take up the wandering life of adventurers.
The three middle-sized orphanages stand in Midland (with one apiece in High Bridge, Pillar Hill, and Slope), with the largest in North Point’s Mainshore ward and the smallest in East Shore. All together, the five orphanages can house up to 450 children, although they frequently only hold about 150.
Religion on Korvosa:
As a general rule, Korvosans love their city, attempt at every opportunity to acquire as much wealth as possible, and believe strongly in a strict and lawful society. The church of Abadar frequently (but nonviolently) clashes with that of Asmodeus, as the faiths share many of the same interests but differ both in the execution and intensity of those beliefs— where Abadar promotes law for the sake of maintaining order, for example, Asmodeus sees law as the best way to control the greatest number of people. The church of Abadar assists the church of Pharasma in the latter’s duty of presiding over the Gray District (either indirectly with troop support from the Korvosan guard or directly with clerics of Abadar). When the church of Sarenrae focuses its attentions on healing the sick of the city, it and the church of Abadar get along quite well; when clerics of Sarenrae call for the rehabilitation (rather than punishment) of criminals, the two faiths launch into heated debates. Abadarites and Shelynites rarely interact outside of their combined attempts to beautify the city. Of the rest of the religions represented in the city (mostly within the Pantheon of Many), the church of Abadar tends to work the most with Gozreh (in order to calm the sea and weather in general), Irori (in support of the city’s places of learning), and Torag (both in regards to the creation of public works and the defense of the city).
While the leadership of Korvosa reluctantly accepted the infernal inf luences of Cheliax (and the Acadamae warmly embraced it), the rest of the city did not. The church of Asmodeus remains what many consider a necessary evil in the city, as its inclusion improves the chance of Cheliax eventually reclaiming Korvosa. Asmodeus’s faithful tend
to keep to themselves and work with clerics (or even layfolk) of other deities only when necessary. In addition to its frequent clashes with the church of Abadar, Asmodeus’s religion interacts most frequently with the faithful of Shelyn, as the god of pride demands only the very best and most beautiful works to adorn his temple (which the artisans of the goddess of beauty can most easily provide).
Pharasma’s faithful patrol and (mostly) control the Gray District, and for that the government of Korvosa and many of its wealthiest families generously donate to the goddess’s religion. Because of this guardianship aspect, the church of Pharasma works closely with those of Abadar and Torag in maintaining order within the necropolis. In Pharasma’s role as goddess of birth, those clerics less inclined toward battle frequently become midwives who then work closely with clerics of Erastil (who focus on family), as well as healers of Sarenrae.
Commoners in the city love Sarenrae, for she represents the Korvosan quality of honesty (corruption in the government and military is nearly unheard of in Korvosa), to say nothing of her role as the great healer. The temple of Sarenrae doubles as a hospital and clerics of the goddess frequently find themselves mobbed by those seeking health. Sarenrae’s faithful frequently work with worshipers of Erastil and Gozreh to inf luence the weather around Korvosa to remain temperate.
Although the church of Shelyn has a small (but beautiful) temple within the city, she and her faith have little influence over Korvosa.
The Pantheon of Many in South Shore represents 17 deities, including all of those mentioned above. All of these 17 gods and goddessestherefore have some representation in the city (and rumors whisper that even those not included in the pantheon have followers) and work with or against one another as their faiths dictate.
Thanks, I'll look it over and chat with Pat.
After discussing it with Pat, on a gritty scale of 1-10 (1=Disney, 10=a nasty Tarantino film), a 5-6 would be ok. Thanks for asking. PG 13, verging on R(for plot purposes) would be fine.
No problem, women and children come first. Particularly sick women and children.
Pat- knows she is a foreigner.
B guy- knows everything in the players guide (young, foreign, gold digger, disliked by many).
I think I am going to not post today, have picked up a bug (nasty cough, feel drained). Pat is feeling much the same. Though he got it earlier than I.
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Take your time and rest and feel better, we can put things on hold until you are up on your feet again. I think things have been going real well and I hope you feel the same.
I think that you covered it pretty well with your description of the queen. I'll try and get together some good info about her and the general political positions in the city tonight that you guys would be aware of without any knowledge checks.
Sorry to take so long, but we are both still feeling nasty and I have a cough that just won't let me get to sleep. We have talked about it and have a little exchange set up, but I am having trouble finding the mental focus to respond quickly. I imagine we will be a bit slow for a while.
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No worries, Fortune. I really am pretty happy with how well things have been going in this game, so if you guys just need a little bit of time to get feeling better, then take your time. Your health is more important then the game.
I'll be here to respond whenever you guys get a post up, but you can just let me know when you are ready to pick things up faster. Until then, just doing bits of intel gathering or slow advancement is fine with me.
Roll for hp? I can't seem to find if we talked about this or not.
Sounds good, I usually do a fixed amount, but then I dislike rolling for permanent character things (stats, hps). I once had a 2nd ed paladin with less hps than the party wizard (yes, I rolled 1's and 2's for 5 levels in a row).
If I post as Valandil Ancalime, it is still Fortune. Val is another character I play in a RotRL game that moved over here from RPOL when we changed DM's a couple of weeks ago. He is my default posting name, and I may forget.
I have been keeping an eye on the game and your accounts "recent posts", as we both thought you were a great DM. A couple of weeks ago we decided to switch to RPOL and continued the game. It's been slow though, so we are just now going to meet Devargo. We have also introduced a 3rd character, another RL friend of ours is playing a elf pal/sor(celestial) cousin. The player has a...unique....way of looking at things. If you wish to see more before you make a decision, I can give you the name of the game on RPOL.
If you wish to continue the game we could continue from where we left off and let you introduce the new character in your own way. Let me know what you think and if you ed more info.