Yes, but if you only have so many prepped, you may need to on yourself or Korriban (just like you had only one prepped and cast it on Korriban during the last fight). If you're able to cast it on me, great, but I feel like this is a good thing to have as backup or in addition to what you can do. (Just like I'm packing some weapon blanch even though I also learned versatile weapon).
On an entirely different note... since we have a lot of downtime coming up... thinking of retraining Lingering Performance to either Step Up or Combat Reflexes.
Lingering Performance can be very handy, but I'm finding I'm ending up maintaining performance to the end of a combat anyway (hard to guess when it will end). Step Up and the feats that tree off it could be very helpful for Callie in her role as spellcasting harrier; Combat Reflexes also helps her make her Disruptive feat more useful (since she can then AOO more than once per round) and can lead to Combat Patrol which, likewise, combined with Disruptive helps her hinder spellcasters a little more.
OOOOR alternately I could also retrain to Disheartening Display, which combined with her intimidation abilities and her newly learned Dirge of Doom could be pretty nasty (and that actually might be appropriate to retrain from Lingering Performance since it's vaguely related to Callie's performative skills, rather than unrelated combat abilities).
re: Flying. That makes sense, just wanted to make sure you knew. It's a domain spell and the other choice is Rage, which wouldn't be beneficial to any of us, really.
Both of those retrainings seem very cool. So no preference from me.
I agree that it is WAY better to prep fly than rage, but just FYI that if she ended up in the midst of a heavy combat, Callie could benefit from rage pretty well--in spite of her being an acrobatic type character, she uses Strength as her primary melee stat (no Weapon Finesse, and as of this level her Strength modifier is higher than her Dex). So the boost to Strength helps her, as does the boost to Con, and the loss to AC isn't too big a deal. The biggest issue would be she couldn't cast spells, but again this is presuming being in the middle of a big melee anyway.
Excellent points. And I forgot Callie had high STR.
Smart playing like yours was as important as crazy rolls in us surviving those last battles.
That is very smart planning, Callie. As for your retraining ideas, I think that either one would work out well for our team.
Given how much gold we are going to get and the price of my retraining (as well as the 75 gp I want to give to Eries, the 50 gp I owe Samarith, and the possible 50 gp to Pash for the next month of investigation), I don't think I can afford much else. I'm also selling some of my unneeded equipment (waiting on Norv to find out how much I get from that). I do have a question about a purchase I should make. Should I buy some food? I haven't been removing any rations from my sheet.
...I generally hand-wave food if only because it's so annoying to track. And rapidly trivial for characters of your level. The only time it may come into play is if you're ever in a wilderness/survival situation and we actually need to track its consumption.
Callie, both of those potential retrainings sound cool! And both are certainly doable with the time/resources you have in this downtime.
On a different note...if we're still looking to add another melee/heavy-hitter character, I have two possible suggestions. Both of these people are in a couple of other PBP games I'm part of and I feel like they're good contributors, good writers, interesting characters, etc.
Option One: CrusaderWolf, whom I know as Thorek and Orrias.
Option Two: Mad Scientist, whom I know as Lily and Nerris.
Both of them also have the benefit of not being involved in too many PbPs at the moment.
Also! I would love to have feedback from you guys on how the game is going, and anything I could do to improve your experience.
One thing I've taken away from the last book (along with a desire to just be more attentive generally) is that dungeon crawls really take a looong time in PBP. The last two days of game time took something like...eight months?! There's one book later that has a big dungeon crawl component, and I'm thinking that I'll probably streamline that if it's ok with everyone.
Yeah, dungeon crawls take a long time even face to face it seems and aren't my favorite part. Streamlining them is fine with me.
I've been loving it, boss. This is a good group and we've come a long way, even losing as many players as we have over time. As for a new melee character, I trust your judgement. Streamlining dungeon crawls could help, especially if we decide upon a basic SOP that doesn't require EVERYONE to post about every square/room.
Teodor is going to be the best-blanketed homeless man in the city.
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Smart playing like yours was as important as crazy rolls in us surviving those last battles.
Thank you very kindly. I might characterize it as "desperate playing" but I'm glad it worked well.
I generally hand-wave food if only because it's so annoying to track.
I'm not that worried about tracking eating. More, while we remain in Korvosa, food may be a useful source of currency. We've also run into enough prisoners and the like who have been hungry I want to have something to give them.
Callie, both of those potential retrainings sound cool! And both are certainly doable with the time/resources you have in this downtime.
Okay, I am thinking Step Up for the retrain, but Combat Reflexes still has its advantages as well. Let me think on it.
On a different note...if we're still looking to add another melee/heavy-hitter character, I have two possible suggestions. Both of these people are in a couple of other PBP games I'm part of and I feel like they're good contributors, good writers, interesting characters, etc.
I am not familiar with either but they appear to be good, non-flaky posters. If you want to invite them that's fine with me. I'm also good with proceeding as we are.
I am also fine with running a recruitment--just taking care to look at applicants' posts to weed out those who would disappear.
Also! I would love to have feedback from you guys on how the game is going, and anything I could do to improve your experience.
Overall, this is a great game and is going well. I like the degree to which you characterize the NPCs, and things seem reasonably balanced, etc. You have been very communicative, in game and in discussion and that is deeply appreciated.
One thing I would appreciate is if we appear to have succeeded really well on a roll or something, but we are still unsuccessful (for example the interrogation with Joli), give us more hints on why things aren't working. If we roll that well, I think that's at least worth a hint rather than just going "that doesn't work" and leaving us to feel like nothing works except stabbing things in the face. So something like, "She seems to be unphased by the threats, but is responding well to the kindness..." would be helpful. (Mind I think you did do something like that with the Joli encounter, but that's just an example.)
My only other thought is--while you have done this to some extent--to not be afraid to bot us if we're not posting quickly enough to combat. Part of WHY dungeoncrawls get bogged down (see below) is because many dungeons are designed to be one combat after another after another after another, and it's combat that makes things slow in PBP. So if you're waiting on us, just push forward when needed.
Talking of pushing forward, but... this group is pretty good about this, but I'd also note to the rest of us (myself included) that it's also helpful to push things forward by noting if you've checked in but have nothing to add. I've only run one game in PBP so far, and I've caught myself waiting for people to post who turn out they just feel like they have nothing to say but didn't tell me. I've been trying to urge folks to post in discussion when they've checked in and have nothing to say, with limited success. I'll just note here it's helpful to other players and the GM if you do. When no one posts, it's hard to tell if the poster's busy, has nothing to say, flaked out, or trapped under something heavy.
One thing I've taken away from the last book (along with a desire to just be more attentive generally) is that dungeon crawls really take a looong time in PBP. The last two days of game time took something like...eight months?!
As a rule I actually LIKE a good dungeon crawl, but there's a big difference between a good one and a bad one, and a good one or a slow one.
Again, I think part of why it took forever to get through this particular dungeon is that it was very combat heavy. There I think was a fight in every room, or at least almost every room, which is frankly a little ridiculous. Go back and look at how many of those 8 months of posts were in combat rounds--it's crazy. Not to mention I would consider this one dungeon to have three different boss-level fights (Rolth, the Vampire, Andaisin; four if you count Davaulus before coming down to the basement), and fights of that level of difficulty particularly will slow things down because the bosses by default are designed to take awhile to topple. I know this is as it's designed in the module, but it's kind of nutballs dungeon design. Things that can help when the AP writer's just this much of an uncreative a@~&+~$:
- Combining fights (turn two fights to one and/or having the guards in one room join to help another), and/or making less important mook fights easier to win while adding proportional challenge to the boss fight (e.g., if you're supposed to fight six mooks in one room, and the big bad + two mooks in the next, make it four mooks in one room, and big bad + four mooks in the next, so it's faster to get through the mook fight).
- Allowing for more diplomatic options and other alternatives to combat (we tried a LOT to talk people down which almost never worked in spite of frequently amazing rolls; I know the AP itself may limit how effective social efforts may be especially against fanatical cultists, but especially when bearing in mind the importance of keeping the story moving, having the narrative constantly break down to pause for a fight makes things a) veeeery slow, and b) boring. Seriously, I get extremely bored by back to back combat. Anyway. So finding options to talk down, subdue, trick, etc. the bad guys in scenarios like this where it's otherwise literally one fight after the other, would be extraordinarily helpful and make for a much better story (not to mention appropriate since every member of the party is basically good at social interaction. This party SHOULD be able to trick or talk people down from time to time).
- If there are a ridiculous number of fight-after-fights, replace some fights with hazards, haunts, traps, or other non-combat challenges. I realize that's potentially more work for you, but resolving something like a hazard of an appropriate CR can take less time than finishing a combat in PBP, so it may help with timesaving and pacing in other ways.
The other thing that slows dungeoncrawls down in PBP (I am in one campaign that is one big giant dungeoncrawl and we have indeed dealt with slowness) is since people can't "chat around the table" about which way to go next, players are hesitant to be the one who first says, "Okay, let's turn left," or "let's search this door." So we players need to be willing to bite the bullet and push forward--we need to be willing to say, "Okay, we move forward" and let things progress. We could name a point person if we wanted to chooses the direction going forward (if we did, I'd nominate Korriban since he's our trap checker).
Following on what Teodor said: one thing that CAN help is handwaving or automating a lot of the exploration, which is where you as GM can help. If we can just say flat out right now that whenever we enter a room that we will always search it carefully once immediate dangers have passed (say, take 10, or you roll it for us so you don't have to wait for everyone), then you can just let us know if there's anything of interest or not, and we can move through quicker. Waiting for constant "I search the room" and "I search for traps" and "I search the room again" slows things down unnecessarily. We will always search the room, so just go for that as a given and proceed from there. By the same token we should be able to trust that if you say, "there is nothing of interest here" that there is nothing of interest there, so we don't waste our time in a room where there is truly nothing to do.
(I once ran a table game where I had a player CONVINCED there was something in a room that was completely empty of items of interest, and we spent a half hour with him checking every single piece of furniture, and he'd just get more weird and detailed with describing his exploration rather than accept my saying, "No really, there is nothing here." And I LIKE detail when players describe their actions, but this was too much.)
There's one book later that has a big dungeon crawl component, and I'm thinking that I'll probably streamline that if it's ok with everyone.
I think you might be talking about one of the sections I edited for the hardcover. Fortunately for this game I remember very few details. However, I do recall there were some interesting environmental effects, and some pretty well outlined NPCs in this area. This is definitely a place where you could reduce some of the smaller combats and instead play up the environmental weirdness and hazards and ensure options for meaningful negotiation rather than forcing every single encounter to become a combat. That should help speed it up.
Regarding the in-game post -- when we were given the cure, were we given one dose to inoculate ourselves?
That dungeon design WAS weird. I have a hard time remembering a time before the boss fights started, ha. And then Andaisin came back ...that book had more endings than the Return of the King movie.
Norv, I just realized something. I will need to reassign some of my skills since I will be losing scholastic and I will need three ranks in Knowledge (religion) to get Deific Obedience. I will also need to swap some of my feats. I'm not sure if that will increase the amount I need to pay for retraining.
Either candidate for a fifth player is good with me. Like Teodor, I trust your judgement.
In regards to streamlining dungeons, I don't mind. It did seem like that last dungeon was a bit of a slog. Not to mention the fact that the last boss kept coming back.
I really have been enjoying this campaign! This has been one of my favorite games. There's been a lot of good RP, the combat's good, and I really like the group.
Thanks for the feedback, and sorry for the delay, all. I'm currently directing a new show, and that plus a sudden bout of sickness (which I think I'm coming out of) plus crunch time at work...well, so much for getting posts up faster.
(Though these week-long ones are also bigger, and take longer to write.)
And yes, you were all given doses of the blood veil cure!
Korriban, I'm going to say that that doesn't cost more time or money for retraining; the retraining rules seem intended to be cumulative, and you're replacing a "bigger" thing that just impacts the others.
Now, to move forward...I'll get a post up tomorrow, but can everyone let me know one item or service they would like to have? You've got some more rewards coming. ;) It can be anything from help with research/planting rumors to a small magic item, but can't be worth more than 1,000 gp. Let me know if you have creative ideas, or just post an item. The book leaves it open, and I'd like to give you stuff that's useful/that you want!
Hope you are feeling better!
The clarification I wanted was that it was *one* dose each (I presumed so) rather than multiple.
I'll think on the item/service. I guess, really, Callie wants help getting into Old Korvosa, but that's time-limited by plot, and I am assuming we need to pick something not time-limited by/reliant on plot.
Glad to hear that you're getting better, Norv.
Thank you for the response on the retraining.
An item or service, huh? Hmm... I may need to think about this. I have so many options. Getting into Old Korvosa is something Callie's looking into. Pash is already investigating Korriban's parentage. I have the feeling that asking to let everyone in the Rosa out of Old Korvosa would be impossible. This is going to require some thought.
Take some time to think, indeed! It doesn't need to be resolved in this post.
And yes, you were each given one dose, though Kroft is happy to supply more if you ask. She's givin' 'em out like candy. (And remember that you'll cure anyone you come into contact with for about a week after being inoculated--yay magic!)
As far as the service goes, I should have been a bit more explicit: keep in mind it's a gift from a "normal citizen" of Korvosa, so favors like lifting the quarantine, etc., are likely out of reach. And yes, in that particular instance, a big part of the next book. :P
So I was thinking about Teodor's service/gift...if possible he'd like a small shrine to Groetus, either in the temple district or the slums. Is that too much?
Okay. Before I get my post in, I have some questions.
First, in regards to possible magic items, I do have some ideas on items to get. However, if I were to ask for a more unique item (like a ring, a cloak, or the like), how many spells or spell levels would I be able to have on the item without going over the 1,000 gp?
Second, in regards to the possible favors from the citizens, could I ask some nobleman to help get Celia into the Acadamae despite the closing? Or is that beyond the scope of what can be done? What are the limits for this favor?
Also, Pash said that he would continue the investigation on Korriban's birth parents without pay. Would that still stand if Korriban decides not to have that as his chosen service?
Teo, that is TOTALY possible, though probably not in a larger neighborhood. But a small shrine to Groetus could absolutely be created, that seems about right.
Korriban, if you're interested in a custom magic item...maybe PM me? Pricing magic items is complicated but doable. (You wouldn't be able to get much--remember a basic cloak of resistance +1 is already 1,000 gp.) The limits of the favor are basically up to me, and I think that getting Celia into the Academae would be reasonable.
As for Pash...to keep the wealth balanced, I would say if you DON'T choose that as your favor Korriban might, in character, insist on paying the man for his work? ;)
Given what has been going on and her being cut off from Old Korvosa for now Lantressa will be taking the time we're going through making contacts with various people of influence and trying to line up some jobs for her services among the wealthier residents of this area of town.
Not sure how to handle this but that is what she is doing.
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=Training=
Okay, I am going to go ahead and retrain Lingering Performance to Step Up. This will cost 400 gp.
While for the "boon," it's tempting to go for something like a 1,000 gp item like boots of the cat, I think I'm gonna go ahead and just use the training as my service earned, so I can keep my gold. Perhaps the trainer can serve as a minor contact as well. I was thinking maybe someone she sparred with in town.
(I'm sure now I've picked Step Up a circumstance will happen where I'll wish I had Combat Reflexes, but vice versa would also happen, so...)
=Question to the Party=
Has anyone checked on Zellara/Zellara's house? (I didn't think it was in Old Korvosa, but correct me if I'm wrong.) Callie doesn't have much of a connection to Zellara and only stayed there once so I don't think it'd occur to her, but IIRC isn't she a contact for the party? If I missed that someone did, let me know.
Korriban, if you're interested in a custom magic item...maybe PM me? Pricing magic items is complicated but doable. (You wouldn't be able to get much--remember a basic cloak of resistance +1 is already 1,000 gp.) The limits of the favor are basically up to me, and I think that getting Celia into the Academae would be reasonable.
Okay. If that is the case, I think that I will pass on the item and go with the favor. It seems more diverse in what I can do with it. Now, it's good that I can use that favor to help Celia. However...
While for the "boon," it's tempting to go for something like a 1,000 gp item like boots of the cat, I think I'm gonna go ahead and just use the training as my service earned, so I can keep my gold. Perhaps the trainer can serve as a minor contact as well. I was thinking maybe someone she sparred with in town.
...with this idea from Callie, I'm now torn between going with Celia or getting my retraining for free. I don't know if my retraining would be free since it would cost way more than Callie's retraining. If I do get free training, could I convince some nobleman or higher up to get Celia into the Acadamae (or pay for it)?
As for Pash...to keep the wealth balanced, I would say if you DON'T choose that as your favor Korriban might, in character, insist on paying the man for his work? ;)
Well, it's only 50 gp a month, so it's shouldn't set me back by much. Also, it does seem like in character with Korriban.
Has anyone checked on Zellara/Zellara's house? (I didn't think it was in Old Korvosa, but correct me if I'm wrong.) Callie doesn't have much of a connection to Zellara and only stayed there once so I don't think it'd occur to her, but IIRC isn't she a contact for the party? If I missed that someone did, let me know.
Well, Zellara is a friend. But, she's not a person. She's more of a ghost/spirit tied to her harrowing deck that Lantressa is carrying. So she's always with us when we need her. We can also have her identify up to 3 magical items for us using her deck. Her home is long since abandoned. We got some furniture for it and Gadriel is currently living in there. We have been using it as a form of home/home base.
I'd forgotten Zellara was tied to the Harrow deck. I *didn't* know she could identify magic items with the deck, which would have been useful when we couldn't ID those potions.
For some reason--maybe in the other CotCT game I'd played her house was played up more or we used it more. I also did remember you'd left one of your former party members there. Just wanted to be sure we weren't neglecting anyone.
By the way am I ever gonna get a Harrow reading?
You will indeed! There's one at the start of every book, basically.
(I mean, anyone can do more if you want, but that's where they're "built in.")
Zellara's house is not in Old Korvosa, it's in West Dock, and is currently being watched over by a creepy little orphan girl (witch) named Gadriel. It can definitely serve as a home base if you'd like it to! (And I always forget her identify ability as well...yep, that would've been good.)
@Korriban, I don't think your retraining costs can be free, though I'd be willing to discount the 1,000 gp as your "favor." The gold cost for retraining is pretty abstract, and especially with a retraining this big, it's hard to put my finger on what exactly it would be "spent" on. So maybe 1,000 gp is the "trainer's fee" and the rest of it is Korriban buying books on Milani, etc. ;)
Well, since things are now ramping up in Korvosa, I believe that we could start using Zellara's home more and more as a base and a second home. Maybe we can even send friends there to hide out.
Also, Farnsworth voice: Good news, everybody! CursaderWolf has agreed to join us! I told them to check in to the Discussion thread...they're starting to cook up some character ideas, and I thought it would be a good idea to float them in the open.
Welcome, CW! :)
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Thanks for having me!
I'm told that y'all need a brute who knows how to handle a punch or three and so I've got a couple of concepts in mind. I've been told that group is also human-heavy and tends strongly chaotic.
1) I like the idea of an Order of the Torrent Hellknight but that would most likely clash with the majority ethos,
2) a Shoanti Brawler who dual-wields his klar and close weapons (also throws javelins!). Currently my favored option mechanically. I love the Shoanti but I feel like maybe the group needs some non-humans and I should probably branch out from dwarves...
3) half-"orc" Mutation Warrior/Kineticist, fluffed as fey frost-trollkin trying to put some distance between himself and Irrisen. Thinking hydrokineticst for ice-themed powers but maybe not tanky enough for the party's needs,
4) tengu Synthesist Summoner bonded to an agathion in service to a still-undetermined Empyreal Lord.
Open to suggestions as well!
Of those, I would say the brawler. The Hellknight could be badass but the party, Teodor at least, would never trust or work with him/her. Second would be the Mutation Warrior ...it IS a very human party that could use some diversity but a bird dude feels like a large stretch.
Welcome, CrusaderWolf!
For the concepts, I really like the Brawler and the Hellknight. Both of them seem like they would fit into the campaign rather well. There is the fact that some of the party may not want to work with a Hellknight (Teodor was beaten by them around beginning of the campaign). The Mutation Warrior would be tied with the Hellknight. Gives us some diversity in races and the concept and build idea seems very interesting.
Welcome CW.
I like the brawler too. If you want to add racial diversity... Perhaps the Shoanti brawler could be half-orc and the reason he's in Korvosa is because he could never really fit in with his tribe?
If you're open to other suggestions, we could really use a switch hitter, IMO. Korriban and I are also melee focused and either of us could support a melee tank, but someone who can also strike ranged would be great. Maybe the kineticist could work in that way, I admit I'm not as familiar with the occult classes as I'd like to be--and tbh I'm not keen on the half-troll thing, even if it's just fluff. Too flamboyant for an intrigue-strong campaign set in Varisia, IMO. (Same goes for tengu.)
Generally speaking my sense is we need foremost a damage-drawer who can hold his own in combat; skill wise I think we're short on survival skills. Adaptability is good.
We are good for magic (cleric, sorcerer, and bard, plus rogue with UMD) and overloaded with party face capabilities. (I didn't help with that when I joined.)
I also like the brawler idea! I have to agree that the half-troll idea, while cool, might make the character stick out in risky ways in Korvosa.
Callie raises a good point about switch hitting, if that's something you're interested in at all; I don't know why the idea didn't occur to me, since the lack of really strong ranged options in the party definitely reared its head in the final fight of book 2. (Lantressa's got solid ranged spells, but if she runs low on those...)
The reason I suggested something that can take a hit is not so much that we need more damage in melee (Korriban and Callie can put out solid damage, especially when they're synced up, flanking, etc.) but because all of the melee characters have d8 hit dice right now...I worry about fireballs, etc. :P
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Sounds like the Brawler is the way to go, I've already got one active half-orc/half-Shoanti character going (from the Belkzen side) so I'm thinking a witchwolf for a little racial variety. CotCT is mostly urban, correct?
If you need a switch hitter I have the skeleton of a sword-and-pistol build that might fit the bill, but they'll be from Ustalav. Otherwise I could switch away from two-weapon fighting to a sword-and-spear build that emphasizes throwing.
EDIT: If it's ranged damage you want I have some thoughts there too.
The reason I suggested something that can take a hit is not so much that we need more damage in melee...
we need foremost a damage-drawer....
As in someone-who-draws-damage. I was not trying to be contrary.
What's a witchwolf?
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Witchwolf is a watered-down werewolf. Some minor shapeshifting, natural attacks in the relevant form, and can Charm animals of their type. They're Skinwalkers
I'm not really sure how to draw aggro without being either a) the most obvious threat, b) directly between our team and the bad guys so they have to go through me, or c) a "luring" build, which I'm not crazy about. I'm fine with being a melee or ranged beatstick but I don't think I can promise to be drawing attacks to me.
I am clearly not expressing myself well. I don't mean you have to lure anyone in particular--but usually if you're up front you can draw attacks (as you say, be an obvious threat).
I'll shut up now as I am not helping at all.
We're talking HP and A.C. Good saves always help. Teodor and Callie can provide buffs, too.
You're totally fine, Callie! I was clarifying in reference to my own words, in a PM Isent CrusaderWolf when they said they'd be interested. All good. :)
Excited to see this brawler!
Alright, I have my emissary/hunter of the Shundar-Quah more or less put together, except for carrying capacity and the weight of his gear. Equipment comes to slightly less than 33,000gp for an 8th-level character. I won't have his background and profile statted for a few days since my wife and I are leaving for an out-of-state wedding tomorrow, but comments & criticism always welcome!
I put the Brawler FCBs into skill points, and my 4th/8th stat increases went to Str and Dex. He should be able to tank fairly well between AC and hitpoints, even with the rage penalty. I'm going to get him a Ring of Protection & a Handy Haversack as soon as possible.
CG witchwolf (Shoanti) Brb1/Brawler7; 86hp, F +13, R +11, W +7, Ini +4; Spd40
Str16 Dex18* Con18* Int10 Wis12* Cha8; BAB +8, CMB +11, CMD // ACP -0
AC25 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 luck, +5 armor, +3 shield); Touch17, Flat-Footed20
Attacks: Brawler’s Flurry: +11/+6 cestus (1d8+5) & +12 klar (1d6+4) -or- +12 javelin (1d6+3)
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike*, Raging Vitality, Shield Focus, Missile Shield, Iron Will, Double Slice, Power Attack*,
Skills (6/lvl): Acrobatics +15*, Knowledge [Local] +11, Perception +12, Sense Motive +12, Survival +12, Climb +11*, Swim +11*
Abilities: Fast Movement, Rage 8 rounds/day; Brawler’s Cunning, Martial Flexibility [6/day, Swift action], Martial Training, Brawler’s Flurry [TWF], Maneuver Training [Bull Rush +2; Trip +1], AC Bonus +1, Knockout 1/day [Fort16], Brawler’s Strike (Magic), Close Weapon Mastery 1d6,
Traits: Fortune’s Favored, Armor Expert
Equipment: Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier (wyvern-skull helm), Belt of Physical Might +2 (Dex/Con), +1 brawling chain shirt, +1/+1 furious klar, Cloak of Resistance +2, Quick Runner’s Shirt, cestus, [5] javelins, backpack, 50ft rope,
EDIT: I switched him back to the witchwolf version after all, I just like the concept too much.
Oof, noticing a couple of errors. Climb & Swim should only be +10, and since I switched to Witchwolf I don't get the human bonus skill point so Knowledge [Local] needs to go.
The build looks pretty interesting. Good job! Hope you have a good time at the wedding.
Also, I know that I haven't posted in character yet. I just waiting for my last few questions answered before I get it up.
Which ones? If about retraining, as I said you could get a discount but 1000 gp doesn't cover your full cost, I believe.
As for Celia...it's Pathfinder, so anything is possible. But remember the problem isn't just money. The Academae has shut its doors and raised its wards, and both are tough to get through. You'd certainly need not just someone wealthy, but the RIGHT person.
Will look over Matoska later today!
Hmmm.... Well, given the fact that I would need to find that person and give them money (and risk a possible diplomacy failure), I choose to use my favor on Imperia and Celia.
Hmmmm. Early years in Ustalav made Teodor deathly afraid of vampires. But what of woodland? What is Groetus but A Moon? Perhaps he quite likes wolfmans.
Sounds good Korriban!
Matoska, I love the concept but can't seem to get the ability scores to work out. I'm probably just being stupid--what would they be at level 1?
I'm not Matoska, obviously, but I think his base stats at 20 point buy are something like
Str 14 Dex 16 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 10 Cha 8
With racial adjustments, this becomes
Str 14 Dex 16 Con 16 Int 10 Wis 10 Cha 8
If shapeshifted he gains a +2 to Wis, which is where that 12 Wsidom is coming from.
At level 4 and 8 ability scores raise, so if you boost Str...
Str 16 Dex 16 Con 16 Int 10 Wis 10/2 Cha 8
The 18s in Dex and Con are coming from his belt of physical might.
The following is NOT a complaint, just pointing something out:
One thing to note is since he's been built at level including with Wealth-by-level goods, he has better gear than we do---WBL for level 8 is 33,000 gp, which is how he's affording stuff like that 10,000 gp belt on top of a +1/+1 double weapon and so on. So his stats/abilities look higher because they've been boosted with lots of gear. Compare to Callie, who was built with WBL at level 6 which is 16,000 gp (which put her a little ahead of the party at the time). She has only gained about 6,000 gp worth of gear since (which is mainly the belt of mighty constitution plus a whole bunch of consumables). And while I think the others have gotten more gear through the adventure, I don't think any of us add up to having 30,000-odd worth of gear, so stats-wise that's why he looks a little ahead of us.
Again I am not complaining--just pointing out that if you're seeing a disparity, that's where it is. I don't know if the adventure was stingy in treasure (there was a lot of mook gear not really useful to us that got sold)--possibly a byproduct of its being originally a 3.5 adventure--or we failed to find everything we should have.
Thank you, Callie! That makes sense. I was missing the belt.
Didn't realize you guys were so far behind on WBL...I think it is partly stinginess on the part of the AP (they are known for running on the low side of WBL). Sounds like Callie's got about 22,000 go worth of stuff, then? Other PCs, can you confirm how much you have?
If that seems about in line, Matoska, I'm going to ask you to scale back to 25,000-ish. (Party, you're about to get another reward.)
(I just realized what's probably another contributing factor: we switched from 3.5 to Pathfinder versions, which necessitated some quick level bumps within this last book.)
Should hopefully have the last big downtime post up soon, but not sure I have Lantressa's reward (unless I missed it!). The 1,000 gp rewards I have are:
Teo: construction of a shrine to Groetus
Korriban: getting Celia (and Imperia, possibly) into the Academae
Callie: retraining costs
Lantressa: ...??