Dr. Si's Curse of the Crimson Throne OOC

[Dr Simon]

On channeling energy, I was under the impression that it did both effects at the same time, so that's what it's been doing in the game so far (and I'm pretty sure there's a feat that allows you to shape it so that you don't inadvertantly heal live enemies, which supports that idea).

On the game in general, what would help is for me to be less busy at work, which will happen after this week, but I was thinking of re-recruiting. Three players is a reasonable amount, but it would be better with four, or with some new blood. I don't like dragging old characters around as NPCs, but at least in a city-based adventure it's easy to retire them.

Oh, and as for what you're doing at the moment: Marshal Kroft has asked you to investigate rumours that corpses of plague victims are being stashed in Rackers Alley, thus constituting a further health risk. In the course of investigating you discovered a nest of vampire spawn hiding nearby, which you are now attempting to destroy.

 

[Neurotic]

I'm by no means an expert, but I thought it either did damage to undead or healed the living.

The feat, as I see it, is to prevent healing living enemies with channel since it's not selective without it.
Example:
You channel and destroy all undead around the priest, then you channel again to heal allies and heal enemy priest too.

It's strange we lost two at the same time Valthosian was gone once with announcement, but Ambrus seemed keen on the game...and I wouldn't expect him to drop out without saying something.

 

[Dr Simon]

Could have been issues in Real Life, dunno, I've heard nothing from either. Still, it happens in PbP.

As for channel energy, from the PFSRD:

Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric.

So you choose which type of creature you want to affect at the time of using the effect. What happens to either (harm or heal) depends on your alignment.

 

[HolyMan]

NP with going by the book and if you re-recuirt watch out there are perhaps 4-5 new posters about who all love them some Pathfinder

HM

_

 

[Ambrus]

Hi guys. Sorry for not posting for some time. I assure you I'm not quite dead yet. Doc was right; a combination of prepping my new tabletop campaign, busting my ankle and arranging renovations to my house had forced enworld onto the back-burner of my mind for a bit. Seeing as how the game had been moving slowly I'd hoped that my absence wouldn't be detrimental.

It seems that you're still involved in the vampire spawn fight in the alley. How is it going? Is it almost finished? If so then I can simply wait to join in after it wraps up.

On a side note, although I admire how you run the game doc, I am left rather puzzled by the plot of this A.P. We've been playing for several years now and have moved from the first to the second module and I'm afraid that it's left me feeling like it's rather disjointed story-wise. Don't get me wrong, it's been fun, but I am wondering if there's something more to it than simply performing a series of apparently unrelated missions set for the PCs by the Kroft. I get that there's been an upheaval due to the late monarch's death and the Queen's controversial ascension to the throne and now there's a plague, but it seems like the PCs are only indirectly tied to any of it. First there was Lamm, then the unresolved mystery of All the World's Meats, then some messing around with the Spider King guy, and then an unsuccessful hunt for Rolph the necromancer, and then babysitting the silly portrait painting girl, then shutting down a snake oil saleswoman and now a back alley vampire hunt. Like I said, it's been fun and all, but is there any sort of big plot thread we're missing here? I'm just curious to know since I keep reading how awesome everyone thinks this AP is.

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

I'm holding strong to the belief that there is an overarching plot - I'm running Legacy of Fire now and am about to start running Serpent's Skull. In both of these I've seen that the story arcs are very long term. It plays out very well in face to face gaming, but requires a bit more patience for PbP - it's harder to keep up and remember everything because the RL timeframe becomes so stretched out.

 

[Dr Simon]

I think that this escapade with the vampire spawn is the last of the "unconnected" adventures - by the end of Seven Days to the Grave there is definitely a more over-arching plot to contend with, plus most, if not all, of the episodes of Edge of Anarchy come back in some form or another. It's definitely not an AP that shows its purpose in advance, rather one that lays a lot of groundwork for what is to follow.

So, get those spawn killed!

 

[Neurotic]

I think we're fairly focused. First, I like short separate things in PbP with clear short term goals. Second, I believe that the plague is overreaching plot, we just don't see the connection...first one was to connect us, others to set up the crisis and get to know NPCs and now we're getting somewhere.

I still think we should go to the girl, she is one of if not THE first victim and maybe there was something we're missing. Some kind of agent or something, altough, the city with marketplace is fairly vulnerable to quick spread of the sickness.

 

[Dr Simon]

I agree with Neurotic that short goals work best in PbP, and in that respect I think the first couple of adventures of the Crimson Throne path work well, even if they come across as unrelated missions for Marshal Kroft rather than short hops along one journey.

I will also just mention that I'm playing things pretty close to the published version, partly because one reason for running it was that I wanted a scenario that I didn't have to plan myself, to save time. Ironically, it actually requires more work sometimes, but hey.

 

[Ambrus]

I guess what I find odd about the AP is the way it seems to dangle so many plot hooks while failing to follow through or resolve many of them. It seems more common for published adventures to present only one, two or maybe three related plot hooks which can then be followed to carry the adventure along. But so far this A.P. has dangled no less than ten plot hooks that seem only tangentially connected and at least half of which were inconclusive:

• Dismantling Gaedren Lamm's criminal organization
• Witnessing the suspicious ascension of Queen Ileosa to the Crimson Throne
• Investigating the inexplicably charitable goings on at All the World's Meats
• Wresting compromising diplomatic information from the disturbingly arachnophilic vice-kingpin Devargo Barvassi
• Hunting, though failing to find, the mysteriously absent necromancer Rolph
• Repeatedly rescuing the absurdly accused assassination-plot patsy Trina Sabor
• Assisting the exploits of the dashing vigilante Blackjack
• Curing an ill Varisian girl of a dangerously tenacious disease
• Halting the fraudulent activities going on at Lavender's Luxuriant Liniment.
• Fighting vampires while investigating unlawful body dumping.

Anyone care to offer conjecture as to the underlying plot tying these various elements together?

Now I'm not saying that the A.P. is bad, just that it's unusual in its design. If I was looking to run it I'd feel obliged to give my players two caveats; don't expect a linear plot for the first year or so and don't make a PC adverse to performing mercenary work for a big city's law enforcement leadership.