Please do make an offer, everyone.
It's fine that Arewe has invested in a bow and that Bruno can only spare (say) 4 gold.
A Potion of Healing can save your life(and also if we have a couple of them, our Druid can go back to loading an Entangle if he likes.)
Well yeah but it's too late now. Tom and Eli are the only ones who offered at the time, and that was back at the farm. We'd have to traipse there again, or as the GM, says, if you assume that you guys already bought the potion, maybe they can ask the others in the party to pay for our share.
Rowena had 44gp at the start of the game, so she could chip in something. I'm a little surprised she has that much; characterwise I'm not sure she'd be sticking around if she didn't need the cash. But maybe she's a bit money-hungry since she doesn't want to rely on her absent mentor anymore.
4gp is fine. It has taken my whole life to save up such a large fund, but so be it.
Well, of course, cash is one motivation for adventuring, but you already hinted at another earlier: a group of companions to work with for a while to let Rowena come to terms with these strange talents that she has, and is still far from comfortable with; and trying to find her place in life and where she belongs. Besides, 44gp would let you live well for weeks even in a place like Dale, but it's not retirement funds by any means... and of course once you get used to a gold-piece lifestyle it's difficult to go back to a penny a dayOriginally posted by choie
Librarians rule, Oook
So far we would have had enough to buy both the Potion and the food:
Tom willing, has 45g
Bruno willing offers 4g
Rowena willing, has 44g
Eli willing
Arewe willing but no gold left
Gabe ?
Tom remembers the stories that other hobbits on adventures have found:
- magic ring
- magic swords
- chest of treasure
- huge gems
So we just need to sort out the exact gold shares for this Potion.
Already we are in profit! We have another Potion of Healing, plus a further unidentified Potion. And that was the treasure from two weedy Snaga Orcs!
The first part is what we were thinking, but I dunno if that's as workable as I'd thought it might be, now that I see the format of the game and have a feel for the rest of the gang's gameplay preferences. The more straightforward money issue seems better suited at least for now. So yep I can just work with the 'not retirement funds' idea!Well, of course, cash is one motivation for adventuring, but you already hinted at another earlier: a group of companions to work with for a while to let Rowena come to terms with these strange talents that she has, and is still far from comfortable with; and trying to find her place in life and where she belongs. Besides, 44gp would let you live well for weeks even in a place like Dale, but it's not retirement funds by any means... and of course once you get used to a gold-piece lifestyle it's difficult to go back to a penny a day
Anyway, so glee, maybe you could have Tom ask for some compensation for the money he and Eli already laid out for the potion?
Choie,
I appreciate the support, but it's going to be a clumsy post at best in the roleplaying thread e.g.
Tom says "Remind me everyone, who paid what for the Potion and food?"
At this point, all the party know is that Bruno kindly offered 4gp - so how can anyone else say what they paid to make up the 53gp?
It would be much easier if Tom knew who was willing and how much gold they had!
He would then balance things out (i.e. those with more gold pay a bit more), get party agreement (within this thread) and finally post in the roleplaying thread...
Oh, I was just thinking that back at the farm, since Eli and Tom were the only ones to offer money for the provisions at the time, this obviously means that they were indeed the only ones to offer money for the provisions. No backsies, we can't rewind the clock and pretend the rest of us paid when we didn't say so at the time, right? We snooze, we lose. Just makes Tom and Eli look better!
Seems perfectly normal for Tom, or Eli perhaps, to say in-thread something like... I dunno... "Seeing this potion reminded me... look at all the cool stuff we have now, but my purse is getting empty. We'll need more potions and food soon. Maybe the rest of us can pitch in, as possible? Pitch in now or pool funds, perhaps."
It's probably my being such a noob, not to mention a reader who's embarrassingly literal, but to me it feels more immersive and, like, role-playingy, to have characters just talk to one another like people do, in real-time, rather than splitting it off. We do so little chatting amongst ourselves. This is a perfectly natural topic for a group of travelers to have with one another, no?
I mean whatever the rest of you prefer is what should work, I'm really just an intern, or maybe class auditor is a better metaphor.
So if y'all agree it's kosher to just handwave that yeah we actually all discussed this at some point but didn't bother writing it, then okay, put Rowena down for like 5gp, I guess? Whatever's average.
Choie,
I share your preference for things to be resolved in the game thread and to have good conversation there.
Unfortunately it's clear that there is a big difference in how much free time players have.
Personally I'm retired and look at these threads a couple of times daily. I also try to put in a fair amount of detail and promptly answer topics raised by others (including the DM.)
Some folk post less often and don't necessarily reply to an implied suggestion (e.g. shall we bury the Snaga bodies?)
I hasten to add that this is NOT a criticism.
Seriously, we are facing a deadly virus and people are facing huge difficulties over work, holidays, debt etc.
A game like this is welcome relief from our real-life troubles - but is not a priority!
Nevertheless it was July 8 when Briagha offered us the Potion and food - and we still don't know how we paid for it.
Oh totally of course I understand that. The part I don't understand is... we could have this conversation in the game thread and it would've been over, and whoever answers answers, and whoever doesn't, we'll just assume is quiet and the rest of the characters will just roll with it. What's the difference?
Heck with it, I'm just gonna lead by example. If Tom wants to answer, he can, or Eli can, or Arewe since I know Malacandra is around fairly often. The others have built-in reasons for saying nothing: Bruno's a man of action, not wordsand Gabe is in his own sing-songy world.
Perfect character excuses!
Choie,
I like your enthusiasm.
Tom is certainly happy to try to gather the payment by an in-game discussion ... fingers crossed!
As I dimly recall from days of yore, enthusiasm can sometimes make up for lack of experience. Or at least balance it out.
I'd say you're definitely on the plus side of the ledger, choie.
You read some amazing things on t'Internet*, but this I shall remember forever:
*garlic bread?!
Glad to meet an Elf along the way. What does "Idhrenion" mean?
Using https://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/sindar/index.html
idhren N. Ety/361 [ˈiđrɛn] adj. FR pondéré, sage, réfléchi — EN Ety/361 pondering, wise, thoughtful
ion S. MR/373, VT/50:18 [jˈɔn] (^iond *S. X/ND1, X/ND2, ionn N. Ety/400) 1. n. m. FR fils — EN Ety/400 son ○ 2. n. m. by ext., FR scion, héritier, descendant masculin — EN scion, male descendant ◈ Pour le second sens, cf. Hadorion, un épithčte de Húrin dans WJ/294, tandis que Hurinionath s'applique ŕ la maisonnée de Húrin l'Intendant dans PM/202-3,218, cf. aussi l'épithčte Ereinion de Gil-Galad et la définition du vieux terme qenya apparenté, yondo "descendant de" dans PE/12:106, ou l'utilisation de ce męme suffixe dans des noms comme Isildurioni et Anárioni en quenya plus tardif, "Héritiers d'Isildur (resp. Anárion)" dans PM/192,196 ◈ For the second meaning, cf. Hadorion, a Húrin's epithet in WJ/294, Hurinionath referring to the house of Húrin the Steward in PM/202-3,218, and Gil-Galad's epithet Ereinion, cf. also the gloss of the old Qenya cognate yondo "descendant of" in PE/12:106, or the use of the same suffix in later Quenya names such as Isildurioni and Anárioni "Heirs of Isildur (resp. Anárion)" in PM/192,196 ◈ ionnath S. n. coll.
iôn S. WJ/337 [jˈɔːn] n. FR fils — EN WJ/337 son
I would interpret as Son of Wisdom
Ah, thanks!
Top marks to What Exit? for a smart piece of detective work
Librarians rule, Oook
He's a craftsy one, he is.
Sorry Stebb! Gade it is.
Hey, I'm continuing to poke at a question I had for Malacandra about one of Rowena's spells, sift. Hopefully it's not too rules-lawyery. I just need to know the parameters of this thing. (And also to decide whether she understands it herself, but that's an internal character choice for me, I guess, unless our GM determines that her stats say she's too dim deluded in denial unknowledged about how any of her spells work.)
Just so we're all on the same page, here's the explanation Malacandra kindly gave me,. Some side stuff omitted.
Right then, I need to tease out some specifics, so I can know at least as much as Rowena would. (Admittedly, not much.)Sift just lets you look over something nearby (up to 30' away) as if you were standing over there. You make a Perception check -- there is a penalty for view via spell instead of in person, but this replaces any existing penalty for looking at something from a distance. Snip [Y]ou can find objects by touch as well as sight (but no other senses). Notice that if it's dark, sift won't turn the lights on.
There is a magic word and gesture that Rowena probably rationalises away as "just something to help me focus". It is short and simple.
You wouldn't find hidden orcs or rams this way, but you might spot something valuable or, as the case may be, dangerous; and you are welcome to ask questions like these in the out-of-character thread any time you like.
Here's a scenario: I am 20 ft. away from a room through a partially open door, through which I can see some of the inside--say, a corner of a table. On that corner I can see a small wooden box with a lid, closed. Using sift...
1) Can I see some engraved writing on the lid that I couldn't see through the open door?
2) Can I see inside the box, even with the lid on?
3) Expanding a bit, can I see the table as a whole, and notice if something else is on the far end of a table, such as a weapon or some elaborate booby trap just waiting for someone to touch the box?
4) Since sift seems limited to objects, I assume it wouldn't let me see a large guard dog or a person sitting at the far end, right? But--okay, this is weird--would I see the chair the person is sitting on? Or would it be blocked?
5) Expanding even further: Can I see the rest of the room as a whole, even parts (say, a bookcase) totally unconnected to whatever I could directly see through the door? If yes, am I correct in assuming this is limited to the 30-foot limit from where I'm standing?
6) Finally: Is there some hypothetical skill or spell that would allow anyone in the room (or nearby) to know that I'm sifting? And if that's a risk, would the GM tell me that before using sift that I have to make some skill check about whether I'm able to be stealthy enough to avoid detection?
(Or does this unknown NPC make his own secret skill check behind-the-scenes about reflexes or detecting magic or perceiving spells or whatnot? Presumably s/he wouldn't literally see me, unless there's some other skill I don't know about, yes?
Hm. I think that's all I can think of. Guess I'm trying to suss out whether this skill is a zoom lens or a camera on a drone (limited to 30 feet from where I'm standing).
BTW, Malacandra - if you determine that Rowena's knowledge of magic/skills isn't high enough to know the granular details on the above, I'm fine with having her know less than I do, and would show her learning through discovery/practice. In fact that's likely how I'd play it. (Honestly, as long as it's in character, I never have a problem showing my character's flaws/mistakes/ignorance. EH can hopefully confirm.) I just want to understand before I try anything.
Also, if you have your own in-universe ideas about sift and any of the aforementioned questions/abilities that rewrite general Pathfinder rules, that's perfectly copacetic. You can let me know if you want this stuff to be a surprise for Rowena, or just generally mention this if you want it to be a surprise for me too.
Sorry for what might be some pretty boring questions to folks higher up on the RPG food chain!
I have to comment, Bruno is such a basic character I find him incredibly boring and uninteresting. I'm use to being a skill monkey or spell caster. I rarely play front line fighters. Even then they need to at least be a smith or something. I think I need another option to keep any interest in the game. My simple characters are generally archers with stealth or the like.
The game itself is fine, but the character is so against type and boring for me. There is for me nothing more boring than a 1st level meat shield.
I was a bit nervous when I saw Bruno was going to be a 'strong silent' type. It means that apart from combat (when he is jolly valuable), there will be very little to do.
Maybe you could just give him a diverting hobby, like macramé or stamp collecting, for those slow times between bloodthirsty rampages?
D&R
Here's my take on the six points you raise:
1) Plausibly yes. If it's difficult to see, you would need to make a Perception check (or announce it: I roll the die for you) but although the spell comes with a built-in penalty it might still be a better option than trying to see it directly from 20' away.
2) No, it's not X-ray vision - you can see only what you could see if you were actually there and able to make a look-but-don't-touch inspection, and feel only the exterior.
3) You do need line of sight to anything that you want sift to see, although if you used it on, say, a smoke-filled room, then you can still feel anything that doesn't have a solid obstruction between you and it.
4) You have that exactly right - you can see furniture and so on, but not, say, someone lurking behind an overturned table.
5) No, you do need line of sight to anything you hope to see. The main advantages are that you can remain out of view of someone round a corner, for instance, and don't have to actually stand in what could be a dangerous place.
6) Merely being in the area of effect does nothing to creatures and nothing happens that could be seen. The only way anyone would know what they did would be if they saw you cast the spell, and then only if they could and did use spellcraft.
Librarians rule, Oook
If you wish to reconsider your decision to play a meat shield, I'm fine with that. Taking over Arewe is an option, but if you have other ideas, run them by me. We're aiming to be at this for some time
Librarians rule, Oook
Thanks for the answers, Malacandra! Zoom lens it is, cool.
Sorry, What Exit?, that is frustrating I know. Can Bruno's stats be tweaked so that he's a more dynamic guy, or is his race limited to specific abilities/personality characteristics?
I sympathise with What Exit? and would be completely fine with either a change to Bruno or taking over Arewe or making a new character.
This is about enjoyment (and Tom going up levels!)
Could I see Arewe? That might be the answer. Is the character a skill heavy Ranger? I don't really know pathfinder.
Rangers are one of my go to classes.
Just off to work now, I will forward you the details later, but in general, yes, rangers are one of the more skill-heavy classes. Arewe was set up to be a horse archer from the back story and if you dislike that then there is no bar to another ranger pitching up - we can discuss this.
Librarians rule, Oook
Thanks to all for keeping things going - of course it's completely understandable that real life can affect our game!
Thanks for letting us know, Malacandra. Please wish Stebb all the best, and I hope whatever he's dealing with is not too serious--and if so, that everything works out okay.
Thank you. I don't think I'm crossing any boundaries in reassuring you that Stebb himself isn't in any danger or distress, but the rest is for him to talk about.
Librarians rule, Oook
Thanks; we appreciate that.
Sorry to have kept people waiting - I will get things moving again tomorrow. Meanwhile, the board informs me that it is What Exit's birthday today, so many happy returns!
Librarians rule, Oook
Thank you.
Hear, hear!
A double celebration!
Belated happy birthday, What Exit?! (Oh hey, as an aside: You used to be the grand poobah here, right? Do you know anything about how the blog system works?)
As for the crazy situation we find ourselves in... dang I don't know. I guess Rowena has to gather herself together (like, is that an Initiative roll you'd do?) and try to find a spot from where she can aim and perform her Sleep skill. If that can be done without sending the whole party to sleep too, that is. I don't see anything on her chart about her ability to target specific individuals or groups.
Now, how many actions, or "if / then" possibilities, can or should I pack into one of these posts? Are we going to have another chance to re-evaluate depending on how our first moves went? That's what multiple rounds are, am I correct in that?
For sure I'd need to change her tactics if she sees, say, one of the orcs aiming at or attacking someone in the party without their knowledge. (Choosing whether to use either weapons or less violent methods is important to Rowena's development so I'll need to show her making that decision.)
Yes, Tom would indeed have cast Shield and Dancing Lights before the party went in.
Now that battle is joined Tom will repeatedly cast Magic Missiles at the leader Orc. (If he falls, then Magic Missiles at any Orc who is coming towards Tom and Rowena; else an Orc who has injured one of our front line.
Tom will also try to keep his Dancing Lights a) helping Eli sneak b) distracting an Orc.
(Sorry if I should have posted this in the main thread - I've now copied it there...)
Yes, you can give instructions that are meant to cover several rounds if you like, and if things change materially enough that the party needs to give me fresh input, then that will happen.
sleep is defined as a "10' radius burst" which means you can normally position the point of origin so it will catch the enemy and not allies, as long as the melee is not hopelessly intermingled.
Also, sleep is a spell, it fires automatically with no Performance check needed.
Initiative, along with other dice rolls, is something I'll take care of; once you've decided what you'd like to happen, the dice will tell me how quickly everyone reacted.
Librarians rule, Oook
Happy Hobbit Day!
Huzzah!
I'm off for my annual Civil War roundtable fall field trip with friends (our first since COVID hit), this time to the battlefield at Chickamauga, Ga. I may not be able to post again until Monday.
When I read Elendil's post, I thought of asking "Cavalier or Roundhead?", before remembering he's in the USA and I'm in England.
Just a bit of housekeeping:
- I believe the party have 4 magic potions (3 Cures, 1 Remove Fear; all held by Tom at present*)
- I reckon Tom has today already cast 3 of his 5 1st level spells
*I assume that if we win a battle, but a comrade has been reduced to 0hp (or less), that we can pour a healing potion into them for a Cure, correct?
If so, then Tom will pass a potion of Cure to Rowena (so two of us can help save our colleagues
Yes. Also, unlike in some editions of AD&D, being reduced to 0 hp or below does not render you helpless for the rest of the day; if you can get some HP from somewhere then you are good to go.
Tom has cast two MMs and a Shield. He has yet to try out his Toppling Magic Missile
Librarians rule, Oook
As I understand it, Toppling Magic Missile uses a 2nd level spell slot?
Watching Eli smoothly gather important information and bring it swiftly back to the party reminds me of a charming but 'over-enthusiastic' chap (George) that I played with for many, many years.
If George (like Eli) had overheard an important conference - which finished with some troops heading towards the rest of the party; George would have followed the leaders deeper into the caverns and not warned the rest of us.
Heh. Thanks, glee. Knowing when to fight, and when to sneak, is something I'm still working on. Eli is definitely more a spy than a swordsman.
Obviously all party member make useful contributions.
However I always rate a good Scout, who can give the party advance warning, map an area and use a sneak attack.
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