I plan to reserve a Scandinavian language for Skald and an Asian language for Tien, although I haven't picked which ones yet.
Maybe Icelandic for Skald (since it's probably the most obscure Skandinavian language apart from Finnish and Saami, which don't really sound "Vikingy"), and Japanese for Tien (for ease of transcription)?
Does anyone actually know Japanese? Cyberias maybe, with all his manga lore? ;o)
@Daryn: Good to have you on board! I do think that tanks are what our party is most sorely lacking. I seem to be the only high-Strength character around right now, and I don't even have a full BAB...
Pathfinder tanks are less boring to play than 3.5, and you can always pick a Paladin if you want to RULE SUPREME -- I mean, have fun with special abilities and spells and such. ;o) Rangers now also offer more than the traditional two combat styles. Otherwise, a Fighter specializing in combat maneuvers or maybe sword-and-shield dual wielding (it's the ultimate defense+offense combo in Pathfinder) would be non-trivial enough to be interesting.
HI DARYN!
(Fortunately for both of us Firefox has a underline mis-spelled words function.)
Esp since that line has two errors at the moment.
Hi, Daryn!
Despite Hrunndalf's worries, I actually would *much* rather you NOT play a class you're worried might bore you ... having played in plenty of "nonstandard" party combinations that ended up being extremely effective, I'm not really worried about "holes" that might need filling.
I do have some concerns about duplication, though, since redundant characters can end up feeling, well, redundant. I'll try to contact you on chat or e-mail to discuss possible characters, but we can continue discussing here if we miss each other.
I do have some concerns about duplication, though, since redundant characters can end up feeling, well, redundant. I'll try to contact you on chat or e-mail to discuss possible characters, but we can continue discussing here if we miss each other.
True, we're still missing a good hairdresser. ;o)
True, we're still missing a good hairdresser. ;o)
If/when Kevin joins the game, he will quite likely fill that role. One of the character ideas he sent me was "A young swordsman off to seek his fortune, with the ultimate goal of returning home and producing a world-renowned cheese."
Since we've found at least one halfling, though I haven't spoken to him yet, I suppose I should pick something to represent the halfling tongue. How about Estonian?
Estonian works for me. (Eesti töötab minu jaoks.)
FYI, all, Daryn is currently considering a gunslinger, and Kevin is currently considering a barbarian. So you may get your front-line-damage-sponge wishes from one of them, at least. :)
True, we're still missing a good hairdresser. ;o)If/when Kevin joins the game, he will quite likely fill that role. One of the character ideas he sent me was "A young swordsman off to seek his fortune, with the ultimate goal of returning home and producing a world-renowned cheese."
Blessed are the cheesemakers.
FYI, all, Daryn is currently considering a gunslinger, and Kevin is currently considering a barbarian. So you may get your front-line-damage-sponge wishes from one of them, at least. :)
Sponge ≠ tank, but I do agree that barbarians tend to shorten fights greatly, one way or another. ;)
Also, Hrunndalf will appear much more civilized next to an actual Barbarian!
And we have entered the first combat of the AP!
And we have entered the first combat of the AP!
Yay! Battle! :D Poor Alaric, though...
BTW, how does that work if Lio and I want to teach each other one of our languages? Do we spend a skill point on Linguistics when we level up?
My mock Terran is a simple substitution cypher of English. Translate from English to Terran in these three easy steps:
1. Preparation:
If a word starts with a vowel, stick an h before it. If it starts with an h, remove it. If a single vowel stands for the "long" pronunciation (as the i in "hide"), put a circumflex accent on it and remove the now obsolete mute e: "hide" > îd. Do the same for the digraphs "oo" and "ee", i.e., "steel" > stêl. Invert the order of the digraphs "oa" and "ea", so "roast" > raost.
2. Substitution:
Every letter (or sound made by a group of letters) is replaced by a similar-sounding letter. This ensures that the word stays pronounceable.
Stops, nasals, and fricatives just rotate their place of articulation by one step: labial > dental > velar > labial, so:
p > t > k > p
b > d > g > b
f > th > kh > f
v > dh > gh > v
m > n > ng > m
Sibilants stay among each others, as to rhotics/liquids:
s > sh > s
z > zh > z (zh being the s in "measure")
ch > j > ch
r > l > r
And finally, vowels and semivowels just flip along the front/back dimension:
i > u > i
e > o > e
y > w > y (treat a y as an i when it acts like a vowel)
a is the only constant letter.
3. The ubiquitous English ending -s, which translates into -sh, can cause some rather ugly consonant clusters. In those cases, one can fill in a vowel before the ending to smooth things out a bit. Use a copy of the last vowel in the word, e.g. "births" > dulkhsh > dulkhush. The same trick can be applied to other unwieldy consonant clusters, for example "protect" > tlekopk > tlekopok.
Here's a sample "translation":
I'm selling these fine leather jackets.
Hû'n shorrum ghôzh thûng raokhol chappokosh.
BTW, how does that work if Lio and I want to teach each other one of our languages? Do we spend a skill point on Linguistics when we level up?
Essentially. The ways you can learn a language are to spend a skill point on Linguistics, take a feat (or for a couple of classes, an ability) that confers extra languages, or increase your intelligence.
Based on my reading of the skill rules, you can also "have learned a few simple words" with a DC 20 appropriate Knowledge check (Knowledge Planes for Terran). So if you shout "Look out! The banshee is eating my face!" they might at least understand "Look out! ... face!" by making that check. The check must be made each time, even if it's the same words they "knew" before. Your accent is tricky.
That cannot be done with a Linguistics check, however -- Linguistics allows for only complete fluency in a language you do know, or slow, methodical, not-in-the-heat-of-the-moment translation of a language you don't know at all.
If you want to make sense of why that is so under the rules, I'd say that Linguistics is a careful study of language and grammar; simply teaching someone how to say "Where is the bathroom?" in Elvish isn't really learning any Linguistics, so it's a Knowledge check instead.
I'm having trouble parsing that battle map. Maybe you could make it monospaced so it looks rectangular? I don't mind if I have to copy/paste it into a text editor first...
I would love to make it monospaced. If you have any FREAKING CLUE how to make something show up monospaced on this site, let me know. The input field isn't even WYSIWYG, as far as I can tell.
Oh, I see what you're saying. I think making everyone copy, paste, and convert the battlemap to courier or whatever would be impractical. I'll experiment with the site and see if I can get it to show up better.
@@A@/K""
@M@LIY"W
o@H@I"""
@V@=I"""
If you type it in notepad first (oh and i changed the settee to 'o' so that it would only take up one character space) then it comes out a little easier. There were a few spaces that messed up the map.
Or it looks right pasted into notepad.
This one is easier to 'read' in notepad:
..A./K""
.M.L|Y"W
o.H.|"""
.V.=|"""
This is a test.
This is a test of the notepad mapmaking system.
In the event of an actual map, please panic.
@@A@/K""
@M@LIY"W
(@H@I"""
@V@=I"""
Yeah, it still doesn't look all that good on-site. It needs to copy and pasted, which is a bit of a pain. Hmmm ...
I have notepad open anyway, for crafting responses, so it doesn't matter to me :).
I personally didn't have a problem sussing out the map. I also normally have a text editor open, so if I needed to I have a ready tool. But once you had the walls drawn in, it was easy for me to understand. But I may be weird that way.
BTW, if you ever tire of transliterating Terran lines for NPCs, we could just pick an other Google language for it, such as maybe Georgian or Estonian. Personally, I'm having rather a lot of fun with the transliteration, especially when the resulting phrase looks convincingly non-English. ;)
BTW, does the Kannada text display right for you guys? I only get unicode boxes. It doesn't seem to help either if I try to force the unicode encoding.
BTW, does the Kannada text display right for you guys? I only get unicode boxes. It doesn't seem to help either if I try to force the unicode encoding.
It works for me on my work laptop (which I'm using at the moment). But at home I also get the Unicode boxes. I think it's a matter of having a font, but I could be talking/typing out of my ass.
BTW, does the Kannada text display right for you guys? I only get unicode boxes. It doesn't seem to help either if I try to force the unicode encoding.It works for me on my work laptop (which I'm using at the moment). But at home I also get the Unicode boxes. I think it's a matter of having a font, but I could be talking/typing out of my ass.
OK, after a little Googling, it looks like it is a font issue. Windows has built-in support for Kannada, but MacOS earlier than Lion does not. So for Snow Leopard and earlier you need to download a font.
According to Wikipedia, the following has free Kannada fonts: nickshanks.com.
I'll try that when I get home. Or I'll finally upgrade to Lion.
Sorry, I uses a PC.
Sorry, I uses a PC.
Meh. Not really a problem, even for us Mac users. I mean, it's a free font download. Easy.
So, I don't know how you guys want to handle treasure division, but you have just received your first piece of it:
Cloak of Resistance +1
I'm not going to futz around much with magic item identification for stuff you find; the identification DC's tend to be easy enough that if at least one of you keeps your Spellcraft up I'll just assume someone figures it out *eventually* and tell you what it is straight off.
Identifying magic items someone is actively using will, of course, still require a check, so there is still a reason for keeping the mechanic around.
So, I don't know how you guys want to handle treasure division, but you have just received your first piece of it:
Long term I'd say a magic item should go to whomever can make the best use of it. In this case, I'd say the guy who had his face gnawed off and was reduced to negative hit points should get first refusal.
Besides, maybe a cloak of resistance will help keep him alive.
</snark>
Since it's one of those magic items that are useful to anyone, I say we give it to whoever is most likely to kill us all on a failed Will save.
Since it's one of those magic items that are useful to anyone, I say we give it to whoever is most likely to kill us all on a failed Will save.
Who would that be? Not being snarky this time. But at our level, I don't think anyone is particularly dangerous to the party as whole. I can dish out 1d6 per round, but can be taken down by one or two party members if they cooperated. Now, if there were a ninja on board....
Alternatively, how about a show of hands (figuratively). Who would like this? Personally, I'm willing to pass on it in anticipation of a magicked sword or magical armor later.
Also, downloading the font I linked to above sorted my Kannada viewing problems. Reasonably well. I think Lion will work better, but as a free solution the free font works.
I would pass... But I would pass on the magik armor too... And most magic weapons... But if we come across a ring of protection or amulet of mighty fist :)
Edit: And Mryi want to know what it looks like first... Which is understandable. If it's a gauche lime green not as attractive.
Of course, since it's being currently worn by a halfling, it's probably halfling-sized. Although with most magic items that's not a concern.
All magic items are masterwork, and therefore both stylish and fashionable.
Magic items other than weapons and armor are one-size-fits-all.
Yes, but what color is it?
A stylish and fashionable color that goes well with the hair, eyes, and skin tone of the wearer, of course.
re: cloak of resistance
I'm ambivalent. If no one wants it I'd happily take it. On the other hand if someone does want it, it's all yours.
As a quick note, I would strongly suggest that you guys not over-plan.
A general plan, in this game, could in some cases be extremely useful (e.g., approach from this direction, with intent to do X, and ready to do Y if it fails.)
A detailed plan involving multiple contingencies and carefully thought out detailed strategies will in almost all cases be completely pointless.
This has primarily to do with the way that the AP is set up, along with certain other factors.
I think I'll hold out for some better armor. Maybe Alaric should get the cloak, he paid for it in blood.
I think I'll hold out for some better armor. Maybe Alaric should get the cloak, he paid for it in blood.
I agree with that. But maybe we should get some of this conversation into the game. I think I'll do that now.
OK, looks like it's decided. Alaric, please note the item under Magic Gear, add +1 to all your saves, and note the bonus under Save Modifiers. Bear in mind that the spell "Resistance" will no longer be effective for you, as it does not stack with the item's bonus, although you can still cast it on other people.
Interesting. Do they no longer have both item and enhancement bonuses? Or is the bonus from the cloak an enhancement bonus?
Hey, all. I have found a workaround for ASCII maps. Copying and pasting will be unnecessary.
The text entry and editing box is all in monospaced font. If I enter an ASCII map in monospaced font, it will look great in the box, and then crappy and confusing when posted on the board and it converts to a non-monospaced font.
BUT. If you REPLY TO my map post, it will convert BACK to a monospaced font in the quoted text, so you can see what it looks like. Example:
_______
I...G.]
I.O...I
I.....I
I.....I
-------
That should look nice and even and rectangular if you hit reply. Try it if you like. So from now on, when I post a stupid-looking map, just reply to that post to see it nicely if you don't want to copy and paste into notepad.
Interesting. Do they no longer have both item and enhancement bonuses? Or is the bonus from the cloak an enhancement bonus?
It's actually a "resistance" bonus, which is the same kind of bonus conferred by the spell "Resistance". I don't believe Pathfinder has item bonuses.
(As you probably already know, bonuses can't stack with bonuses of the same "type" except for Dodge bonuses, "untyped" bonuses, and a very few others that explicitly say they do. So you could, say, increase your AC with a combination of armor, shield, natural armor, dexterity, insight, competence, luck, morale, size, deflection, and three different dodge bonuses until you hit AC 57, and they'll all stack together, but if you add another deflection bonus only the larger of the two will apply.)
(And enhancements bonuses don't stack with each other, but if they each "enhance" a different type of bonus, both will apply. So you'll get an extra +7 to AC from a shield with a +3 enhancement bonus plus armor with a +4 enhancement bonus, but a +2 enhancement bonus to your strength won't stack with a +4 enhancement bonus to your strength, you'll just get a +4.)
Aha. My D&D knowledge leading me astray!
You know ... D&D is *&*&^! complicated.
This is neither a suggestion nor an implication -- high group Stealth is not, in my opinion, a necessary key to success or a particularly terrible impediment. And tactician would only let the group use it for a limited amount of time. I just thought I'd give you a heads up about the possibility since the Stealth abilities of large groups have been bemoaned within the context of this game (and many others.) :)
** spoiler omitted **
Thanks for the heads up.