Is it sad that I created both threads and they NOT ONLY show up under the wrong alias but I don't even see any dots now? How in the hell?!
EDIT: OK so NOW my OOC dot appears but I'm still perturbed that it shows the threads were started by a character who shall exeunt stage left within a few pages. >.>
It looks like this has been fixed, he he.
EDIT, Ahh I get it the PMG worked his magic, he he
Yeah, I made a website request today and Gary kicked the threads to get this fixed. :D
Hey guys, since it has finally become important to keep track of time within the course of a day rather than simply the days themselves, I finally hunkered down and completed Elsemar's timekeeping system.
Please have a look over the additions to the Calendar article on the wiki so as to familiarize yourselves with the terminology and to avoid confusion:
http://wiki.worldsunknown.com/wiki/Calendar#A_Day
Alright, based off of the time-keeping system I worked out, and the fact that it was pissing me off trying to get MapTools to yield decent-looking output at 1/10 mile squares, I've gone with an hourly system after all. Each hex will be 1/2 mile across.
The rules on the following wiki page detail movement rates. I've omitted the very slowest speeds since Gelik's movement rate is actually 30 due to his feat choices.
Please look over the rules and let me know if you have any suggestions or if anything is unclear:
http://wiki.worldsunknown.com/wiki/Overland_Round
I've created a map overlay that numbers the hex grid so that you guys can easily state where you're moving. It also fades out the surrounding regions as they get further from you. Have a look at the current revision so you can follow along with the explanations below:
[ SITE: Reaver's Shiv | B-Wreck of the White Pearl | Overland Rules ]
To make it easier to gauge distances, I've color-coded the distances as traveled in a straight line:
- 1 hex: Purple
- 2 hexes: Blue
- 3 hexes: Green
- 4 hexes: Yellow
- 5 hexes: Red
Of course, there will be times when you don't necessarily want to go in a straight line. Therefore, when declaring movement for each move action, please specify the numbers of the hexes thru which you intend to move.
Naturally, this process might get refined some as we go along, but for now let's see how this works.
Okay, I've given these a cursory look over, and I have a question. Obviously there is a difference between moving through a square and "Taking 10 to Search/Explore Hex". Does that pretty much mean that any of us (despite land speed or survival skills) can only search out a hex the same speed as others? I was kind of banking on Mal's ability to move fast, normally succeed on Perception/Survival checks, and ignore difficult terrain (natural undergrowth) to be be to scout a much broader range much quicker. The rules, however, don't seem to support this. Am I correct?
I mean, using Mal's unique capabilities, what can I expect to know about a 1/2 mile hex simply by moving through it? can i tack on some kind of check to improve the amount of information gained (without tacking on a standard action)?
It just seems that the ability to move faster and unimpeded gets us nothing for exploration/observation since every time Mal moves into another square, he's forced to stop there and take a standard action (basically using up a full hour)... which means Gelik can explore as fast as Mal can. And that seems to fly in the face of what I understand scouting to be.
Can I maybe take a penalty to either speed or a skill check to do both at the same time? Which would basically allow me to search out a much greater amount of area in any given area?
also, on a side-note, Mal has Create Water prepped. Which was why the tub was deemed useless. It seemed very "in-flavor" for the scout/tracker/survivalist. And has the added benefit of giving us water as a free action as per the Overland Round rules.
I understand that we have to make standard action rolls to provide food anyway, but those seem (per the normal rules) to work on a daily basis... not hourly, so the loss in time to stay nourished should be a half hour every day (between Mal, Tal, and Sasha).
Although, if you'd prefer the exploration to be more team-based, I get that, too. So let me know either way and I'll begin thinking accordingly.
Obviously there is a difference between moving through a square and "Taking 10 to Search/Explore Hex". Does that pretty much mean that any of us (despite land speed or survival skills) can only search out a hex the same speed as others? I was kind of banking on Mal's ability to move fast, normally succeed on Perception/Survival checks, and ignore difficult terrain (natural undergrowth) to be be to scout a much broader range much quicker. The rules, however, don't seem to support this. Am I correct?[/b]
Typically while moving you'll only be making perception checks against stuff that is in your path. Considering how much visibility is restricted in a dense jungle, basically I'll be erasing only a small path of the Fog of War when a group takes move actions. Taking a Full-round action to fully explore a hex means I'll erase the whole thing (as I did for our starting hex), and that you automatically find any non-hidden sites and can make checks as normal against hidden ones.
Remember this isn't Kingmaker — you aren't out to explore every nook and cranny of this island as a surveyor. Instead you are trying to find a way off and track down whoever got you stuck here as quickly and safely as possible.
So as far as searching a single hex, if the party was in a single hex and then each member took a 1-hex step into an adjacent hex, each person could spend that hour taking 10 on their perception to fully explore it. However, that pretty much kills any aid another bonuses:
Perception Modifiers
As you can see, Mal would have the best chance at having successful search results whereas someone would most likely need to redo any hexes searched by Gelik and Jask. Your degree of aptitude in a given skill reflects on how good of a job you do, not how quickly you do it. Just like with crafting magic items, or moving quickly while using stealth, you either increase the DC or suffer a penalty when trying to rush things. It's no different here.
So yes, everyone searches at the same speed, some characters will simply do a much more thorough job.
I mean, using Mal's unique capabilities, what can I expect to know about a 1/2 mile hex simply by moving through it? can i tack on some kind of check to improve the amount of information gained (without tacking on a standard action)?
If you're taking a move action to pass thru a hex, then you're really not exploring it. You're keeping your head up for dangers in your immediate pathway and noting the general lay of the land. If others are following you, you're trying to get them thru it safely. It's pretty much the same thing as driving your car somewhere. You're paying attention to what's an immediate hazard.
Therefore, you're probably not going to know a whole lot simply by moving thru a hex anymore than you'd know a lot about a town that you just drove thru without stopping in.
It just seems that the ability to move faster and unimpeded gets us nothing for exploration/observation since every time Mal moves into another square, he's forced to stop there and take a standard action (basically using up a full hour)... which means Gelik can explore as fast as Mal can. And that seems to fly in the face of what I understand scouting to be.
What do you mean stopping in every hex? I'm sorry but it took all night just to make an overlay clearly labeling an area 11 hexes wide. There's no way I can put up a map that's much bigger and still show any sort of detail. You'd pretty much be looking at green, light-green, blue, and brown hexes at that point.
I mean, combat isn't resolved in a single round either so I'm not entirely sure I understand what you're asking here.
As far as "getting you nothing" what do you mean? Woodland Stride allows Mal gets to treat the entire jungle as a "trail" rather than being trackless. That means even staying in his normal form, on a move action he travels 3× further than anyone else. With longstrider he moves 4× further, and in his cheetah form he moves 5× further! Exactly what else are you looking for here? The way I see it, he's got a huge advantage and yields a huge benefit when scouting.
Can I maybe take a penalty to either speed or a skill check to do both at the same time? Which would basically allow me to search out a much greater amount of area in any given area?
I get the impression that you're confusing scouting and surveying. Scouting is simply going to reveal any obvious dangers along the path you are taking along with things that stand out. Surveying or really searching attempts to uncover everything within an area.
Just because Woodland Stride allows Mal to ignore the movement penalties and damage associated with moving thru underbrush doesn't mean it allows him to see thru foliage. Visual sight distances are still limited. Remember Mal's already making regular perception checks against 3-5× as many hexes during the course of a move action as anyone else. He's the main one blazing a trail and ensuring that there aren't any dire tigers, raptors, pools of quicksand, etc. in the path that everyone else will be following.
Most of the time, you are not going to want to be fully searching out every single hex. Alis is not interested in building a winter home here or taking a 3-month vacation. :P
also, on a side-note, Mal has Create Water prepped. Which was why the tub was deemed useless. It seemed very "in-flavor" for the scout/tracker/survivalist. And has the added benefit of giving us water as a free action as per the Overland Round rules.
Yes, it's a great cantrip to have, but considering Mal is intent upon vanishing into the jungle alone and cannot be tracked, it makes more sense for him to use that ability for himself rather than the camp that he's left several miles behind. Well, unless he or someone else who can cast it feels like posing all day as a water fountain. Also remember that each spell you guys dedicate to endure elements, or other such practical concerns leaves you with that much less firepower should an enemy rear its head.
I understand that we have to make standard action rolls to provide food anyway, but those seem (per the normal rules) to work on a daily basis... not hourly, so the loss in time to stay nourished should be a half hour every day (between Mal, Tal, and Sasha).
Not sure where you are getting 1/2 an hour from. The PRD says that using survival to provide food does indeed call for a single roll each day... However, that check is made based off spending your entire 8-hour overland hike moving at half-speed so you can gathering food as-you go, hunting etc. Hence, that survival check comes at the end of 8-hours of work.
I can only assume you're getting 1/2 an hour because you're misunderstanding what the Survival actions on my chart represent. I'll try to clarify...
You'll notice that the movement rates I gave on the chart are exactly 1/2 the overland speeds listed in the Core Rulebook/PRD. That's to account for using things like stealth or survival which cause you to move at half-speed. (i.e. I've already factored in such activities when designing the actions.) That's why, if you take two move actions during an hour you move the overland rate listed in the PRD. That's why if you decide to hustle for an entire hour, it's listed as being 4× the normal movement speed rather than 2×.
This way, we don't need to do any additional math to recalculate movement rates when you want to be stealthy or collect food for the rest of the party. Clever, huh?
So as you can see, that's why I have Survival and Stealth listed as standard actions. These are activities being perform not in one-shot (like making an attack or drinking a potion), but over the course of your entire movement.
So essentially, taking standard actions on survival checks (ones made for gathering food anyway) are like filling up the quota necessary to allow for a Survival check to be rolled. Since Reaver's Shiv has a great deal of edible fruit and other resources available, the AP says that only 4-hours are required each day rather than the normal 8. Once you or Sasha have gotten those 4 Survival actions completed, you can go ahead and make that Survival/Food check for the day.
As such, those standard actions to be able to qualify for making a survival check are each 1-hour long, but you're able to work on them while moving at the same time.
Although, if you'd prefer the exploration to be more team-based, I get that, too. So let me know either way and I'll begin thinking accordingly.
Hmm, well conventional wisdom is to always go hiking with a friend in case you break a leg, suffer a snake bite, etc. Of course, most people aren't commandos either so what do you want.
Just be mindful that if you decide to get in any fights while flying solo that I'm not necessarily going to make them any easier simply because Mal's alone. The only character under my control who has any sort of sense for woodsmanship is Sasha, and she tends to be a bit foolhardy herself. Therefore, neither Alis nor any of the NPCs is going to know enough to gainsay Mal's advice on how he wants to conduct exploration or scouting.
After all, that's a big part of the reason why Larathiel assigned him to help Alis. That's his job and his call, she's trusting his judgment here.
Just be mindful that with everyone else moving so much more slowly and the fact that Trackless Step makes Mal untrackable, that if he gets into trouble, he might be SOL. I'm mentioning that not to tell you how to proceed, but because given Mal's skill in wilderness lore, it's something that he'd be cognizant of.
BTW, just since it's kind of relevant, here's everyone's Stealth and Survival modifiers too (for comparison's sake).
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.
.
.
Stealth Modifiers
Survival Modifiers
NOTE: Making/breaking camp (in the overland rules) implies pitching/taking-down tents, bedding down, making meals, getting prepped and ready to go etc. It is NOT the same as actually building a permanent shelter or campsite.
While you guys can camp without a proper shelter, you won't gain any of the benefit vs. exposure to disease, vermin, etc. if you simply camp out like you might on a backpacking trip.
The rules in SS#1 state: "Locating a suitable site and building a shelter requires a DC 12 Survival check and takes 8 hours. Lack of building tools imposes a -5 penalty on this check..." Although you guy located such tools aboard the ship. "...The time required is reduced by 1 hour for every 2 points by which the Survival check exceeds DC 12, down to a minimum of 1 hour."
Given how large each hex is, I think it's safe to say that so long as it is mostly on solid ground, that a shelter can be built most anywhere. Therefore, I'd say it's mostly a matter of picking a hex that has the features you are looking for (high ground, low ground, near a trail, remote, forested, water-accessible, etc.) and then declaring that you intend to build there.
Having a look at Mal's prior Survival check along with Sasha's the two of them aiding one another would only need 1 hour to build a suitable shelter for the rest of the party (who could then begin moving in and getting set up while Mal goes a-trekking). I'll need to know what hex you want to build in though, and naturally Mal will need to move at the same pace as Sasha if the two of them are working together.
However, if Mal would rather just leave all the work to Sasha, her Survival result of 28 (without his AA) is still more than sufficient for her to build a shelter in the course of one hour.
Since there's been so much talk of different terrain types and their effect on movement, I figured it's worth mentioning a few more things just in case they aren't obvious...
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.
.
- Brown: Generally beaches which I'm treating as a sandy desert for purposes of movement. Woodland stride won't really improve your movement rate in these areas since there's no foliage obstructing you, but rather the 'soil' itself.
- Light-Green: Generally these are gaps in the jungle. While these could be considered plains, generally the terrain on Reaver's Shiv varies enough that unless you are walking at the base of the cliffs along the shore, then I'll be treating these as hills (trail or 3/4× movement) rather than as plains (highway or 1× movement).
- Dark-Green: Trackless jungle. If the hexes along your path are predominantly filled with dark green clumps without significant expanses of light-green going in the same direction that you are, then movement will be at the trackless jungle rates.
- Blue: Water. :P
- Grey: Wouldn't YOU like to know! >:D
- Grey-Green Lines: The cartographer used these as rough topographical lines to indicate increases in height. Long lines with numerous short ones extending away from them are cliffs with the solid line being at the top and the shorter lines going in the downhill direction. (This should be self-evident for anyone who has ever looked at a fantasy map, but I figured it bore mentioning.) NOTE: It will take an extra move action to scale or descent a cliff.
- Brown Lines: Trails.
- Blue Lines: Rivers. NOTE: Rivers are not quite as difficult to cross as cliffs. They will cost an extra hex of movement to cross rather than costing an extra move action.
Stealth Modifiers
Right. What this tells me is I have the ONLY PC without a familiar!
Well you DID but then you went and broke Felmor's heart! >:D
Bah! He doesn't count. With a familiar there is an emotional connection.
:O
Oh, no he di'int!
OH SNAP!
Why me ears be burnin' now...'n I seem ta 'ave picked up more scars on me chest fer some reason...
Oh damn, I forgot about Alertness adding to Sense Motive!
Oh damn, I forgot about Alertness adding to Sense Motive!
OH SNAP! he he.
Well, you are practically sharing Tal with Mal... closest I could get for ya.
Also, I out up a quick post. I can have more later. Weekends are hard sometimes.
I say we make camp on a cliff. Either one works, but whichever we choose, we should make a zip-line to the other... ya know for purely practical, non-fun reasons.
And thanks for the clarifications above, Laith. I thought (since you went to such trouble to map out everything) that we'd be doing more than passing through a lot of the squares.
Zip lines sound like a fun er– I mean pragmatic method for ambushing quarry or making good on an escape. :3
As for the trouble I went thru to map stuff. That was actually to facilitate being able to move around rapidly with a minimum of ambiguity on what paths you guys want to take etc. So we're probably looking at it from different perspectives/paradigms.
Unlike say Kingmaker (where the whole point is to survey huuuge tracts of... LAND), Serpent's Skull is much more time-based. While there will be points in the AP where it's desirable to research and survey, that's not nearly as common as trying to get someplace in a hurry.
Hey guys, I've updated the map of the island to reflect different fonts for each character's handwriting. Tried my best to fit the complexity/simplicity, neatness/scrawl, humility/ego to each of the characters. If you click on each of the links, I had some fun writing out each character's full title.
Hope you like it! :D
http://wiki.worldsunknown.com/wiki/File:Reaver's-Shiv-Map.jpg
"Ach! 'N where be me signature?"
"For the love of... Sir Traker, would you kindly be more mindful of your handling of that quill? You are leaving ink spots all over my– wait... is that my– that's my spellbook you $%@#*&^!!!"
*Alexis signs Felmor's death warrant. >:|
"Oh snap! No he di-int!!!"
"Yes he di-id!"
BTW, if any of you would prefer to pick out your own fonts etc. like Eric did, just paste a link in here and I'll swap it out. Just try to pick something that looks handwritten rather that all perfect like a computer would make it. :)
OK, so... I'm wondering if we ought to stock up (on a daily basis) with enough Endure Elements spells to cover all the folks that are regularly affected by the heat. Between Jask and Priyya, we can probably corner the market leaving Mal free to take spells that will assist him as the 'tip of the spear'.
Follow-up question for Mike... what sources are we allowed to draw spells from? I noticed that Lureene has the 3.5 spell "Lesser Orb of X". I've been keeping Priyya on a strict diet of PF Core and now APG... but should I be hunting through any other sources?
Here is the revised spell list I'm playing with currently:
Orisens
- Detect Magic
Detect Poison
Light
Resistance
1st
- Bless
Protection from Evil
Shield of Faith
Domain - Endure Elements (possibly using Pearl of Power to 2x this one)
Note: Any of these can be converted to CLW
2nd
- Admonishing Ray
Spiritual Weapon
Domain - Heat Metal
Note: Any of these can be converted to CMW
Depending on what Jask is packing, I'm happy to switch out items on this list. For instance, 'Delay Poison' is probably a good choice.
Justin,
Mike allows (limited?) access to the Spell Compenduim, the approved list for all the sourcebooks allows is posted in the Wiki.
BTW Lureene also has Endure Elements, so she could also memorize it, too. I would prefer to have more offensive spells, but I will memorize it if needed.
yah, i guess if I'm covering the Ant Hauls it would be nice not to have to worry about the Endure Elements.
I also have Detect Poison, Delay Poison, and [/i]Purify Food and Water.[/i].
On the Wiki? Bah, the wiki is used for holding Cialis ads! Never trust the interwebz! LOL
Thanks, E. I didn't know the Lesser Globe spells were in the Compendium, hence my confusion. I'll check through it and see if there are any low level cleric spells that might benefit us. It would be good to know what Jask is packing so we don't get too redundantly redundant.
So I take it by Justin's question and Erik's answer that some of you haven't seen this page in the house rules? ;)
BTW Justin, I'm not sure what you mean about using a Pearl to 2x a spell. If you're talking about memorizing it twice, then please give the spellcasting house rules another read-thru and I suspect that will address the issue. Let me know if I need to make specific mention of Pearls of Power if things are still unclear.
As for Endure Elements... actually scratch what I was going to say in here. I think it would be more meaningful if she confides to Priyya about it in-character. I'll try to get that post up in a bit... :)
BTW, I still need to go thru Jask and Alis' spells for the day. The NPCs are mostly statted out at this point, but between work being busy and long phonecalls each night with a certain lady I've been a bit strapped on time.
Quick question here: Do you want Lureene to memorize Endure Elements or not? She would prefer not to memorize it, but she will if needed.
Well, Priyya and Jask both have the ability to cast it, and Alis can do so 2× a day from her wand.
That means we have a total of 4 castings that would need to be made from prepared spells. The question then is whether it is more efficient to spread that burden around or to have just one or two people doing the castings.
The characters with divine casting all seem to have lots of other abilities to fall back on when they are out of spells. Conversely, Lureene is much more limited on what she can contribute once her spells run out.
Of course, given our house rules, just because Lureene might have it memorized doesn't mean it's taking up an actual casting of another spell, merely that the number of spells she's memorized is reduced by one.
OK that cleared things up, thanks. Lureene will NOT memorize it, preferring to go with something more offensive orientated.
OK, so here's my understanding of the casting rules. Correct me if I'm wrong:
.
.
.
Priyya Basics (by the book):
0 LV: 4
1st LV: 3+1
2nd LV: 2+1
Wiki-nator system:
O LV: Select 4 and cast them until the cows come home...
1st LV: Priyya select 3 spells + her 2 domain spells (Endure Elements, CLW)
She can cast any 4 spells/day of those known
With the Pearl of Power (1st) - 5 spells/day
2nd LV: Priyya selects 2 spells + her 2 domain spells (Heat Metal, CMW)
She can cast any 3 spells/day of those known
Correct?
Justin,
This looks right to me as according to the Wiki, you can spontaneously cast any of your domain spells plus either cure or inflict spells per the choice allowed by their deity.
So this gets my stamp of approval, he he.
Justin: Yep, that's exactly right. :)
Eric: Gimme back my stamp dammit!
Ah, another classic conversation between the bard and the dancing girl: http://www.motifake.com/130033
Aaand the untold story of how Gerrold won Lisa's heart: http://www.motifake.com/98009
Sasha posing with her childhood pets: http://www.motifake.com/46388
Mike,
According to the description of the Fly spell, you can charge but not run, which is why Lureene did not use her fly spell. Are you ruling differently?
Also, I take it the eagle is not capable of understanding the command to attack the rope? (The INT of the eagle is 2)
Finally, could a magic missile spell target an inanimate object?
Alis, and Lureene... doing their part to ensure your cardio-wellness: Fox News story
Clockwise from the top: Lureene, Alis, Sasha, and Alexis — the Academy days...
http://www.motifake.com/87619
After a lot of thought and some on-going conversations with Laith, I'm going to step away from the game. I have no ill-will and no hard feelings for any of you, but after some on-going frustrations on both my part (which have then become Laith's), I think it's just better for myself and the story itself if I no longer play.
Obviously I'm still gaming with you all in other games and roles, and I can't wait to see where those take us.
I've told Laith this, but I'll say it to everyone else, too. Feel free to do with Mal as you all see fit. I'm fine if he becomes an NPC, fades into obscurity, or finds some other end. I won't be offended any way you all skin it.
Thanks, Laith, for the opportunity to play in the game, and I hope the story goes well. I'll probably drop in from time to time to keep up to date on the story.
No hard feelings Ben. Even if we knocked heads over the crunch quite a bit, I've always enjoyed the RP dynamics between Mal and the others. Thanks for helping me to explore some new parts of the world too.
I'll see you in Isles and where ever else we might both pop up. Take care.
So guess what?
I finally figured out how to redo the site theme for the Wiki to finally include the logo at the top and the page title at the start of the article (i.e. like God intended it). I've checked it in Chrome, FireFox, IE8, Safari, and on my Droid, and it looks correct on each so I think I formatted everything correctly.
Also, clicking on the logo will return you to the wiki's homepage. So glad I finally figured this out...
Just so you don't think I've been slackin' while I've been slammed today, here's what I've been working on all weekend:
Next step is to add Darkshoal's moon phases to the cells, then make room for Calendar entries...
OK, I finally finished tracking down the point at which the dates got out-of-sync with the days of the week:
It was still accurate here: Post #426
But then it looks like I skipped a number starting here: Post #600
Thus far, the day of the week has been more important than the day of the month. Since I haven't actually skipped any days of the week, I'm going to correct the problem by rolling back the date by 1 day (rather than advancing the day of the week by one).
Therefore, the current date should read:
Darkshoal: Waxing Crescent
Time: 2:00et (eventide, 8:00pm)
Testing out some new scripts...
Alright boys and– um... our girl characters. We've hit 4K!
As a token of my appreciation for what's been a pretty amazing ride thus far, please add a +1 to one of your ability scores. The only caveat is that I'd like you to place it in something other than your strongest ability or whatever you buffed at 4th level. Think of it as becoming a bit more well-rounded as a result of the company you've kept. :)
Alternately, if you prefer, you can instead gain a one-time bonus of 4 extra skill points. Just let me know in here what you choose.