Rebuilding / Repairing / Running the Citadel

[Curgyr]

I suppose this can be a place to ask any questions about this element of the AP, to discuss it, to tell stories about it, etc., but I opened the thread because I have a specific question.

In the interest of contributing the idea that the thread might continue beyond the first question, I'll point people to the Community Created Content thread for cleaned-up maps of the citadel! I know I've seen it come up in other threads, and it's a really fantastic thing that was made and put out for us to use by Ruzza!

Here's my question:

Under "Basic Repair Activities", it very specifically says that "[a]s with Crafting or Earning Income, the PC can continue on with the activity after the roll, continuing to make progress at the same rate and cost." So you only need to roll once, and then you carry on with the repairs, presumably stopping and starting again if you need to (Administration and Organize Labor requirements notwithstanding). "Upgrade Activities" doesn't have this specific text. Instead, it says "[e]ach upgrade activity requires a successful skill check to complete a day's wroth of work. On a critical success, the PC's team completes 2 days' worth of work that day."

Since the repairs only say that each activity (but cleaning) only requires "a successful Crafting check" and that a critical success allows you to "complete 2 days' worth of work each day" (and then tell you how that one check can be used to keep on going) and the upgrades lacks this text but seems more specific about how a roll takes a day ("2 days' worth of work that day", how a check completes only a day's worth of work), do my players have to roll a successful Check for every day (or 2 days, on a critical) required by the task?

I'm tempted to say they can just roll once, like with repairs, but I don't know if this is an extra cost in micromanagement/risk for the complexity of upgrades?

[Curgyr]

Changed my mind! One more question:

I'm thinking of adding some things to the list of upgrades and buildables. I might have a thing for base management/building mechanics. The first idea I had was a secondary entrance to the secret tunnel between the vaults and the Pickled Ear. A more public and obvious entrance that it doesn't feel weird to use.

For context, pursuant to a discussion of the typo in the Hellknight Hill thread about the citadel being either 10 miles or 1 mile away - and the impact that either would have on the narrative - my table has ruled that the ground path to the citadel is 10 miles (up a winding path, meant as exercise and conditioning for the Hellknights who took it) where the tunnel is only a mile because it bores straight through the terrain. As such, my players probably have a vested interest in using the tunnel for convenience.

I'm thinking they'll need to dig up a new stair and construct/re-purpose a building to serve as entrance. Maybe spruce up the tunnel so it's more welcoming, and adjust the vaults to be a secondary entrance? That could be anywhere from 1 to 3 different activities. The question is... what would be a balanced requirement for doing this, do you all think?

[Captain Morgan]

I do like your solution for the distance. I'd say how long it takes may depend on the tools they have access to. It would probably be a lot easier if they came back after reaching a level they can use Shape Stone. 3-7 castings of that per day would really move shave a lot of time off, I figure.

[Unikatze]

I'm gonna go ahead and Necro post this to ask a question about repairs.

Odd situation, but right now I'm the only player in the game.
The previous party fell apart right at the end of Hellknight Hill, and now we're continuing with a new group in Cult of Cinders.
I have some downtime before the new players arrive into town for downtime activities.

My Character is trained in crafting, but has no Specialty Crafting. So he'll be needing to hire a Stonemason to repair the Staircase going down to Alseta's Ring.

Here's where my confusion starts.
When the activity says it requires a "Stonemason; organized workers" does that mean I'm paying the 5GP per day for the Stonemason AND 1GP per day for the workers? (Plus the 1GP per day for the materials).

The book says "a force of organized specialists" so I'm not sure if that means the Stonemason plus his workers or something else.

Also, would this mean it frees my downtime to do other things because I got a specialist on the job? Meaning I could go ahead and hire a different Stonemason to work on a different part of the Citadel at the same time (Roleplay might cause conflicts, but that's a separate story).

Thanks!

[xNellynelx]

Unikatze wrote:

I'm gonna go ahead and Necro post this to ask a question about repairs.

Odd situation, but right now I'm the only player in the game.
The previous party fell apart right at the end of Hellknight Hill, and now we're continuing with a new group in Cult of Cinders.
I have some downtime before the new players arrive into town for downtime activities.

My Character is trained in crafting, but has no Specialty Crafting. So he'll be needing to hire a Stonemason to repair the Staircase going down to Alseta's Ring.

Here's where my confusion starts.
When the activity says it requires a "Stonemason; organized workers" does that mean I'm paying the 5GP per day for the Stonemason AND 1GP per day for the workers? (Plus the 1GP per day for the materials).

The book says "a force of organized specialists" so I'm not sure if that means the Stonemason plus his workers or something else.

Also, would this mean it frees my downtime to do other things because I got a specialist on the job? Meaning I could go ahead and hire a different Stonemason to work on a different part of the Citadel at the same time (Roleplay might cause conflicts, but that's a separate story).

Thanks!

So alittle confusing, because of the wording, but there are essentially 4 "categories" of people.

1) PC with the correct skill/feat. In your stairs example, the PC would need either Expert Crafting, or Specialty Crafting Stonemasonry

2) If a PC can't do this, a hired NPC can do this. Page 75 lists the Hired Help. These are NPCs you can meet, or have met, throughout age of ashes. For Stonemasons, Amera Lang and Rorsk Axebain are both Stonemasons that live in Breachill. Hired Help NPC's can be hired for 5sp a day.

3) Organize Labor (Organize Workers); use the Organize labor downtime activity to get a group of organized workers. They cost 1gp per day. These guys are required for all the Basic Repair Activities.

4) Organize Labor (Specialists); use the Organize Labor downtime activity to get a force of specialists. They cost 5gp per day and are required for all Upgrade activities.

So, in short. For your stairs. You need #1(PC) or 2(Hired Stonemason). Plus #3 (Organized Workers)

It's easy to confuse #2 and #4, but the "Organize Labor (Specialist)" is specifically when the activity calls out for Organized Specialists. When it says "Stonemason", it's asking for a specific individual who is a stone mason to lead the project in place of a PC. Not an organized force of stonemasons.

[Kamiro]

Thanks, that was a little bit confusing to me as well (and I was about to ask here something... but your post cleared that for me.)

xNellynelx wrote:

So alittle confusing, because of the wording, but there are essentially 4 "categories" of people.

1) PC with the correct skill/feat. In your stairs example, the PC would need either Expert Crafting, or Specialty Crafting Stonemasonry

2) If a PC can't do this, a hired NPC can do this. Page 75 lists the Hired Help. These are NPCs you can meet, or have met, throughout age of ashes. For Stonemasons, Amera Lang and Rorsk Axebain are both Stonemasons that live in Breachill. Hired Help NPC's can be hired for 5sp a day.

3) Organize Labor (Organize Workers); use the Organize labor downtime activity to get a group of organized workers. They cost 1gp per day. These guys are required for all the Basic Repair Activities.

4) Organize Labor (Specialists); use the Organize Labor downtime activity to get a...