With regards spell picks I've went with the following for Maxim - feel free to critique as I want to get the balance right between spells for self and spells that compliment the group?
1st Level :
Crafter's Fortune: +5 to Craft checks. Not 100% convinced I need this one right now? Is good flavour but might be a better pick for a spell out there...
Detect Magic :
Fabricate Bullets: 1 lb. of lead = 30 bullets. In the wilds that will be priceless.
Mage Armour: "We are the self preservation society!" Ahem.
Magic Missile: Never misses. No brainer.
Mudball: Too fun. Can fire through the gun and its blinds folk... ties in with the whole "dwarf = son of the earth" thing too.
Read Magic : Obvious choice for reading scrolls, spell books and magical inscriptions of all sorts that we adventuring types tend to encounter.
(Bear in mind that spells from the Schools of Abjuration, Enchantment, Illusion & Necromancy cost me double slots due to my Spellslinger background.
The Mage Bullets class special ability is very cool too :)
EDIT: Drop Mudball!!!
Mudball: Too fun. Can fire through the gun and its blinds folk... ties in with the whole "dwarf = son of the earth" thing too.
That one is a goblin spell ;)
Mudball: Too fun. Can fire through the gun and its blinds folk... ties in with the whole "dwarf = son of the earth" thing too.That one is a goblin spell ;)
Damn. Back to the drawing board...
@ GM Rusteg and Maxim: would Corrosive Touch, Chill Touch, or Shocking grasp work for Maxim instead of Mudball?
Those spells stick to my mind as good alternates. If the rules allow it for Maxim's build. I'm not sure of the game mechanics for attaching touch spells to firearms for that build.
Chill Touch is necromantic school so would cost double, so its out.
Other two are fine, but I'm looking for ranged touch attack, cone, line, or ray spells as these can be cast via my pistol.
Burning hands is an evocation spell and i vote for that one if i get to^^
As the only area damage spell so far, it can serve any party really well, especially on low levels, since it´s most probably the only ability that can damage swarms. It can also hit several foes at once and damage them, also amazing on low levels!
Mage Armor is always welcome, Ikkyu can really use that. That´s why i get this 23-24 charges wand of mage armor i would give to anyone who volunteers to regularly use it on him in critical situations.
After abundant ammunition got nerfed to idiocy, fabricate bullets is really good too, but only since then ;)
@Juraan: IF acid ray were supernatural or something, it would not work. But on a spell like ability it should work i think.
At level 1 Core (remember the Core spells limitation) wizard damage spells are not impressive at all.
Burning hands is 1d4 fire damage, half if successful at the saving roll (a 1 or 2 average damage to multiple targets).
Shocking grasp, you have to close to melee and deals 1d6 (3-4 average).
Magic missile, 1d4+1 (3-4 average) without fail and long distance.
Compared to enlarge person, magic weapon or grease (party protection and extra AoO) it is a very small damage output. You would better spend those spells to enhance your gun with mage bullets.
From level 3 onwards, perhaps you have enough spells and they have some fair damage to spend some of them for it.
That said, pick whatever spell makes sense to you for your character!
Well didn´t intend to go over board there.
I´m playing PFS a lot and there as well as in some other adventures burning hands was extremely usefull at level 1, especially against swarms wich take 1.5 times damage from area effects, what´s the main sell.
(1-2 or more damage against several targets can add up!)
Magic missile is probably a lot better than shocking grasp if you´re not a magus else.
But i agree, your PC, your choices.
A few updates for Ryan to fill things in....
Ryan Taskerhill, 18 years old, went to the Church of St Cuthbert when he was 12 yrs of age 6 years ago.
Father: Eric Taskerhill,
Mother: Rosalyn Miomar Taskerhill, Daughter of Dhalven Miomar, Lord of the Merchants Guild in Sasserine
Eric has charge of overseeing the day to day business for several of the Taskerhill obsidian mine holdings.
Older brother: Aerin age 20
Younger sister: Anelia age 16
Aerin and Anelia have grown up learning the family business, while Ryan was introduced to the clergy early in life.
Ryan's current motivations revolve around growing the town of Cauldron, as said both for his familial interest as well as duty to Abadar.
Disappearances: It is also quite possible that he has been tasked to investigate the disappearance of the teacher by Jenya Urikas as a favor to the school's head master or noble patrons. As St Cuthbert's has many noble patrons.
Future development:
Based on the comments in the Player's guide...
"Even if the PCs are faced to hints that point the city is facing some problems, it will not be until the middle of the campaign that they can connect the different events that have been happening in front of their nostrils. Is then when the long developing plot starts to uncover step by step and the campaign escalates into an epic struggle placing the same existence of Cauldron into a halt and the world itself into danger, and the only force that knows about it and has the strength to face it will be the PCs."
I'm looking at the Holy Vindicator prestige class, thinking that as things progress, the character mechanics mature, and the character matures, he would be full of righteous wrath about something bringing the world to an end.... Thoughts????
Yeah in pfs swarms are everywhere. I like spells with utility at early levels. Magic weapon could save our bacon in a pinch but i think the choice is ultimately yours.
I still have to pick a first level spell as saving finale is not a core spell ideas? (I already have grease)
Holy vindicator is good, what I don't like about it is the delayed spell progression. Meaning you will not get 9th level spells until 20th level. The real question is are the abilities gained worth three 9th level spells and delayed spell progression. The good thing is you have five levels to figure that out :)
Actually it looks about like lvl 8, don't get the +5 BAB until level 7. Got plenty of time to figure it out as you say
I like taking Color Spray at level 1; it's one of those unsung spells, like Grease. Mind you, none of the sorcerer or wizard spells are anything to sing about at levels one and two.
As a story hook sort of thing … we bump into each other while trying to find people we know. Like Ærdric (Juraan's chum), Jasper Drundlesput, and/or one or two others maybe? Then realize we realize something's amiss. Or something along those lines.
Color spray and sleep both good 1st level spells that you want to trade out by 5th level. Which got me thinking, I recall somewhere in the players guide the ability to deal with crowds will be useful. Color spray definitely fits the bill. Any other ideas?
The best thing about Color Spray is that it's an AoE spell. So it's great for knocking out several opponents if they're 1-2 HD/levels. I've used that often enough for knocking the opposition senseless and ending fights right quick.
I like grease because you can either make an area in a tight passage too slippery for the opposition, or you can grease up a tough-guy's (or gal's) weapon handle so they have a good chance of dropping it.
Unfortunately, I'm stuck with one first level spell until level 3, so I have to tough it out a bit. On the other hand, I can get 1d3+1 with acid splash and can used that all day long, and enemies don't get a saving throw (if it hits of course). The acid ray helps a bit too.
I also like having a sling, partly so I have a little extra something to help the party out with combat. Slings themselves are free, the sling bullets are cheap (like me, ha-ha), your strength bonus goes into the damage, and their range isn't half bad. Of course, proper sling bullets are quite heavy, so you can't be carrying too many of those around unless you're quite strong.
The other thing about "dealing" with crowds is that it can be diplomatic, intimidation, or pure bluff with some crowds; think we have that covered pretty well at the moment.
However on the basis of spell selection feel free to make suggestions my way. Ryan will have the best option for swapping spells out early for what will benefit the group based on what the other spell casters have in their personal arsenals.
You also have the very useful ability of patching everyone up with a group hug!
Remember for your acid attack if you have an acid vial as a focus you can get an extra +1 damage from that.
Between the vial, the black dragon bloodline and point blank shot you can have respectable short range elemental damage on tap.
Of course adventurers armory may not be a valid source for this game.
The trick bit is there are so many cool feats and so few slots for them! :(
@Juraan it seems you have things(feats) pretty well planned out. Are you going t take Point Blank and Precise Shot? I just ask because at higher levels touch AC can get pretty high and once you start stacking penalties on top of it it might start getting hard to hit.
Okay I've narrowed down my choice of spells from the core rule book, I've put stars next to them based on how I see there value. If you have any advice or opinions let me know.
Charm Person: *** nice if you have a high diplomacy too.
Cure Light Wounds: *** better as wand
Expeditious Retreat: *** nice but maybe wait to take this.
Grease: **** already took it very versatile.
Hideous Laughter: *** good debuff.
Silent Image: *** some people really like this I don't think I'm smart enough to get the most out of it though.
Sleep: *** nice spell but useless after or 4th level.
Summon Monster I: *** nice spell but useless after or 4th level and I really hate sommoning.
@GR: Not a fan of Summoning either so I'd be ditching Summon Monster as well.
Hideous Laughter and Grease are good. Sleep is nice at low levels, and by 4th the'll be other stuff you can use. Its a nice non-lethal option? Charm Person too has its merits...
On the subject of spells I've just realised that both Fabricate Bullets and Crafters Charm are not CRB spells (as per GMR's requirement) - will deftly now jig spells to make sure they are Core.
Am thinking:
Mage Armour
Mount
Magic Missle
Magic Weapon
Identify
Read Magic and Detect Magic are freebie upscaled cantrips.
Refering to the other thread, what timezone is the GM in?
One person here seems to be from Scottland?
I´m in GMT +1.
With the spells:
-color spray is good even against CR5 foes, since it stuns at hd5 for one round. Stunning several for 1 round is good, means they don´t do anything that round. That´s why it´s better than sleep and lasts longer.
-Sleep is really cool on level 1-2, but becomes difficult at level 3-4 and more or less useless at level 5.
-Wasn´t summoning on the no go list?
-Acid vial: Didn´t mention that since i thought it´s not on the books list, but if the GM is fine with that, go for it! I think it´s even a non-expendable focus for that use, so you can use it often. With your alchemy you could - with GM approval - also craft some yourself perhaps.
That could be a good backup against potential swarms instead of burning hands. Did i ever mention swarms scare me?^^
GM did say no summoning in the opening right after no companions/familiars.
Seems that the 1st level spell I have for crowds is Bane, but that simply hurts their attack, which is alway good.
Was looking quickly this morning some of the protection spells might work as well haven't read through them completely.
Command is for 1 only at early levels
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Point-Blank Shot and Precise Shot will top my list. Those will be good for Acid Ray, spells AND the few ranged weapons I can use.
Thanks for point out that the opposition gets better touch AC over time. I kinda forgot about that.
I'll want Reach Spell at some point, to use some really nasty touch spells at range.
Your spell list looks good to me.
Hope the acid vials are okay with the GM. If not, I can always get something else that's not too expensive.
One reason I took the Craft Alchemy skill is so that Juraan can make some coin on the side and (hopefully) make some useful kit for the party.
You'll have some pretty cool abilities as a cleric. I'm sure there are plenty of useful spells you can use.
Yep I'm from Bonnie Scotland :) GMT, good to know Hayato is only +1 from me.
@Juraan: Thanks for the spell feedback, felt that core list befits the character and provides options to Maxim and the group at large. Remember with Spectral Hand you can delivery touch spells at range (and it doesn't use up a precious feat slot :)
@Ryan: Sorry never commented on your above posts. Really like the family fleshing out and link to Sasserine.
East Coast US here so GMT -5 will have to have mine completed by 7pm
Quick question and maybe I just overlooked it but if you take the variant channeling class feature does it work all the time or I'd it selective?
It´s a bit more complicated...
A variant channeling either modifies positive channeled energy when used to heal or modifies negative energy when used to harm. When using positive energy to heal, affected creatures gain only half the normal amount of healing but also receive a specific beneficial effect.
I'm at GMT -5 also.
@Dow spells look fine (I have to think about mount a wee bit longer)
It's either or, so I can take it an we get a bonus to hit and save 6 xs a day or we can have full heal. The group concensus please.
Thank you for the link finally saw the line I was looking for pertaining to my earlier question - should try to read when sleepy.
Bonus to hit and save please.
It´s really easy to overread such stuff.
For the channel, either is fine for me.
Of course it´s very nice to be buffed by a bard and then perhaps get another buff on top of that. The healing comes in very handy too though.
Thanks second guessing a bit of the initial choice, was initially thinking that it was selective as other channeling options were, but to loose half the heal bonus is a big hit although a nice sacred bonus to hit maxing out at +5 is no slouch either. We will see what the next week holds.
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The time quickly approaches for this phase to end and I think we put together a well thought out party that can face whatever challenges the Cauldron offers us. I really enjoyed the processes and working with you all. I think we worked very well together and have started the process of creating a memorable gaming experience. I have confidence that you all have enjoyed this experience as much as I have.
Thanks for putting up with all my suggestions (crazy and not so crazy). I hope we have the opportunity to continue this process together!
Regards,
GR
Agree with Gaming Ranger^^
Putting together this party was already a lot of fun and a really interesting process!
Time finished. During this new day I will set up the list of the final characters to face the adventure.
I hope you have enjoyed the process, and I am very sorry I cannot run the adventure for all of you.
Mh list of final characters?
So you changed the concept of picking a group and pulling 2 and choose individual characters now?
Ken,I think you are reading to much into his comment.
Hehe maybe^^
I spend the whole day with stuff where the exact wording is very important, aka science and law stuff. Sorry if i´m overinterpreting.
Ken, Sie sprechen sehr gut Englisch für eine Deutsch
Thanks^^
Much of that comes from reading any english originated book in english and watching movies and shows in english too.
Been doing that for 15+ years now, as well as often talking with natives.
Spend some time abroad too, surely helped as well.
I would like to join the others in thanking you GM for the opportunity to complete the last part of this process it has been very enlightening.
@Ken, Missed the part about your being from Germany, beautiful country, spent 2 months in Hamburg back in '92 as part of a student exchange program while in college.
I´m form the deep south, living close to Hamburg, but actually not been there yet. Happy to har you liked it^^
I've been out and about all day.
It's been a fun process, all this. Even though I got carried away with the length of the backstory.
A very interesting way to set things in motion, getting players and GM alike collaborate on a game before it begins.
It will be interesting to see how things turn out in the end!
And if I've not mentioned it, I'm in Victoria (city) on Canada's West Coast. Although at this time of year it's more like the Wet Coast.
I took German in high school (a very long time ago). I forgot most of it, sorry to say. Never got a chance to use it. Haven't been to Germany, apart from two stop overs at Frankfurt airport. But I have been to the UK, Greece, and South Africa. And the USA, of course, since I have family living there.
We have to advance it will be good for international relations :)
Echoing everything that has been eloquently offered up about the recruitment and fellow conspirators :)
Truly been a blast, some great characters pitched and look forward to gaming with you all - if not in this game then the next :)
Decision is here.