[pfrpg]

Herobizkit · Apr 21, 2010

He did, but then wondered if he was allowed back in if he didn't make a nasty Inquisitor.

Scott was next in line, so it's cool if there's no more room. Scott wants to play an Oracle, and I say let him.

Scott DeWar · Apr 21, 2010

and I pm'ed hero saying that since he was here first, that he should go ahead with the oricle idea!

fireinthedust · Apr 21, 2010

mmmm.... I vote we have a sing-off to see who stays@! Parking lot, after school. bring your groove...

You two hash it out. You both seem nice. I'd have you both, if everyone can keep up. Anyone who lags (other than me, unfortunately) will be eaten, crushed, exploded, balefully polymorphed, swallowed whole, disintigrated, hacked, slashed, pierced, mashed... and then finally killed.

You two could even work on a duo/pair of PCs. Maybe the two of you were asleep in the wagon during the Wolves' attack, while you get your characters figured out.

Oracle: sure, but keep in mind the Greek interpretation of Oracles is a big theme there. Mediterranean influence, some kind of curse as the price for your powers, even a supernatural interaction (ie: one of the gods tried to sleep with you, you declined, cursed with your powers [sblock=spoiler] of course then you discovered it was David Bowie, which you only figured out later when you remembered his pickup line was "you remind me of the babe"; and then you were like "wait, what? David Bowie wants me, and I'm not dreaming?! Nooooo!" but it was too late. Sad story, really. Tragic, but that's Oracles for ya.[/sblock].
Gender doesn't matter. Age doesn't either, and keep in mind that Oracles and Wizards (to me) seem like the perfect classes to play an Aged character in (not always, of course, but if you wanted to play one it's not a bad class for it, conceptually). Old blind Skoli of the Ulfen, or Crippled Fatimia of Ossirion, that sort of thing.

Inquisitor: yeah, I imagine them with pliers and thumbscrews. Van Helsing is clearly *CLEARLY* a ranger, albeit one with a great hat. One of my favourite movies, btw.
And if you wanted to be like him, a ranger who hunts things that go bump in the night, starting the adventure in a forest not far from Ustalav, a surrounded by ravenous wolves... would not be an inauspicious beginning...

GlassEye · Apr 21, 2010

What's your objection to posting out of initiative order? I think requiring us to post in initiative order is really going to slow combats down something fierce. If it takes each of us a day to post our actions (and I know it won't always take that long but sometimes it could take longer) then a round is going to take a week (and I'm already chomping at the bit to get moving). If we posted in waves, pcs before the monsters, monsters, pcs after the monsters, then the round could be cut down to three days.

This method isn't without its issues. For example, Sindri is going to cast haste on his turn. If I can't post for a bit and everyone else posts before me then no one will have taken the effect of haste into consideration. That puts the onus on you to add those extra attacks in those instances when the pcs would get one. It's not ideal but I think it more than makes up for it with the potential decrease in time for a round to occur.

Also, those actions stated in the IC before you called for initiative... Are those considered first round or are they actions that were able to be gotten off before normal initiative? I think we kinda need to know what's going on with them and the results in some cases. (Does Angus get his crossbow shot off? Does Sindri get his light cast? etc.)

fireinthedust · Apr 21, 2010

ooooh, good points!

I'm doing it in order mostly because some of you have dexterous characters, and part of the point-investment (not purchase, but investment) in Dex is into initiative, feats, etc. A free-for-all negates that, and allows other characters the bonus of going earlier than they normally would simply due to post response.

Having it be a free-for-all, albeit in three groups, would almost answer this, so good idea.

However, the original method is partly what I'm trying to wrap my head around. It'll also give me a good idea of who in the group will and won't post promptly. And it's partly how the game was designed to work.

I think I'd like to try a run-through normally. Then we can see about speeding it up. I like your suggestion, though, and will for sure consider it. Maybe other variations on it. I'm one of the first posters in most of my game history, so having the option to act fast is so handy.

If it's any consolation, that's how I'll do things *outside* of combat, which will hopefully be regular. And I'll know after this who to ask to hurry the F*** up!

fireinthedust · Apr 21, 2010

also: the actions already taken happen on their initiative (in order); in your model they'd happen in their section/group.

not a bad thought, actually. It'd allow faster PCs to act in their timeframe, possibly, while allowing the group to get through combat faster.

Did you come up with this, or an earlier group?

GlassEye · Apr 21, 2010

Not original to me! I've seen other pbp games where they run initiative with some variation of this so that time zone/posting issues don't slow the game down too much. I'm not sure how much of an issue the Dex thing becomes; just don't remember.

SelcSilverhand · Apr 22, 2010

fireinthedust said:
I'm doing it in order mostly because some of you have dexterous characters, and part of the point-investment (not purchase, but investment) in Dex is into initiative, feats, etc. A free-for-all negates that, and allows other characters the bonus of going earlier than they normally would simply due to post response.

One option might be to total up the initiatives of the party then take the average of it, then roll that to see if the party or the monsters go first. People who take feats raise the total average and benefit the whole party.

I've been really thinking about this method for my group, but GlassEye has a good point about people's actions modifying other people's actions. That hadn't occurred to me yet.

The order that people post in could be the order for the round for the party actions. I can see it working just like at a regular table game. Sometimes the fighter will take his turn, then the wizard goes later and casts a haste or other buff. The fighter can still use it next turn, but since he was quicker than the wizard he's already take his action and the benefit didn't kick in yet. It's just the luck of the initiative.

Scott DeWar · Apr 22, 2010

Hero: You take it. I have some real life issues coming up soon that will severly hender my posing.

That is final.

GlassEye · Apr 23, 2010

What do you mean by 'soak the damage'? If you just mean that they have so many hit points that the damage done to them is inconsequential then I understand. If you mean they have DR and no damage is actually done to them, I get that, too. If you mean something else then I would like to understand. Whichever way, I could use a little clarification on what you mean.