JBRam2002

Modular Pathfinder

Maiko | Elora

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As the others peeled away from the group, Maiko's attention was drawn towards the group of monks near the stairs. It had been some time since she had met up with other monks, and she would always relish the opportunity to chat with other orders and compare notes. Not wanting to have Elora feel left out, she motioned for the archer to follow her as she approached the group.

"Hey there!" Maiko greeted the group. "Is it just me, or are there an awful lot of monks here? Any of you students of the Perfect Style?"

The group of monks bowed in acknowledgment to Maiko. It seemed some of them were members of a rival team, and others were dressed in the crimson robes of the Ruby Phoenix. "I am Bokan," said one of the monks. "No, that is not the style we have chosen, but we have heard of it. I suppose you are monks as well?" Bokan looked towards Maiko and Elora and raised his eyebrow in question.

With the others having trickled away already, and with her inability to properly find footing with conversation as easily as her colleagues, she obliged Maiko’s gesture and followed the girl as she approached a group of monks. Thank Saranrae that she had a bowl of noodles in her hands to busy herself with while the monk of her team initiated conversation. Elora, seemingly absentmindedly, slurped at her noodles, though was very intent on the going-ons of her surroundings, particularly noting her other allies busy with their own talk.

Her gaze continued to peruse the scenery until one of the strangers spoke, and the elf waited until she had appropriately licked her lips clean of any residue the free meal had left and responded quite matter-of-factly: “This one is - I am not.”

"I'm Maiko, and this is Elora," Maiko said, introducing them. The monks nodded, although asides from Boram, none of them felt it necessary to share their own names. "So, you're not dressed like all the rest of the monks. Are you in the competition? What did you do to get here?"

"We're the Monks of the Enduring Spirit," Boram replied simply. "At the previous ceremony ten years ago, we helped uncover the plot that nearly unraveled the Ruby Phoenix tournament, and were given an invitation to compete in this tournament as part of our reward."

Another of the monks piped up. "If it weren't for Marthysan the Righteous, we may never have figured out the plot. I wonder if the Sisters Wu still hold a grudge... it's only been ten years."

"Ten years is a long time for many people who lack patience," Boram reminded the other monk. "In any case, I haven't seen either of the Sisters Wu yet. We should be fine."

Still quietly slurping at her noodles, Elora let her gaze wander away again as Maiko introduced them. Truth be told, she wasn't at the tournament to make friends, but even she knew to stop herself from pointing out the obvious; still, it slipped out under her breath, just lowly enough to reach her friendly monk's ears. "Taking the glory, hm?"

Then, clearing her throat a little, she spoke at her normal volume: "Why would these Sisters hold a grudge?"

"You haven't heard, then?" Boram asked with quiet surprise. "You must still be fresh off the boat. In the last Ruby Phoenix Tournament, a sorceress from Lingshen was disqualified just prior to the final round for cheating. She and her twin sister were swapping places while the other received illegal healing from the mainland. She swore vengeance upon her competitor, the de facto victor Marthysan the Righteous, who is sitting right over there."

The monk pointed towards a quiet-looking man who had been watching the room with interest, his gaze lingering on the members of the party. As Maiko met his eyes, Marthysan smiled and nodded at her. Before Maiko could comment, the other monk continued blabbing on. "I've been listening to the rumors all day today. While some people believe she may strike soon, the event happened a decade ago, and many believe the sorceress has forgotten about the perceived slight or moved on. I am in the former camp. Loxas here seems to be in the latter."

"Surely the organizers wouldn't allow cheaters to return to the next games, right?" Loxas replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "There's nothing to worry about!"

Elora raised her eyebrows slightly, unable to deny the cleverness of the plot. Her eyes followed the monk's finger to the man, and after his acknowledgement of Maiko, gave him a polite nod of her head in return for his smile. She kept her gaze lingering in his general direction as they continued to speculate on the situation, taking an idle sip from her bowl.

"There's never nothing to worry about," she said in reply to Loxas, wiping the corners of her mouth with a thumb. To Maiko, she cleared her throat a little, and wondered aloud. "Might be nice to ask him if he's concerned, at all."

Maiko nodded in response. "It certainly sounds suspicious," she replied before turning back to the monks. "Thank you all for greeting us! Good luck in the tournament!" The monks bowed their heads towards the duo before returning to their gossip.

"Let's go talk to this Marthysan guy, then!" Maiko suggested to Elora, but at that moment, Chung Po had announced his challenge. "Ooh, this looks fun! I wonder if they know what they're in for..."

The Library Outside Time (Pathfinder, PBP game)

@JBRam2002 Get with me in discord, meng.

@Blaze Gamma

I sent you a PM a while ago asking for an invite. :)

D&D 5e - Titan Hunters

Ada Mavros

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As the group expressed their plans and recollections, Ada watched and listened. The groups seemed to be forming naturally amongst themselves, with weighty conversations being shared between the greatest combatants in the world as if they were considering which tunic to don this morning. It was an interesting juxtaposition between the extreme danger they all found themselves in, such that most men would never stand a chance, and the confidence that each had in their own abilities. Ada prayed silently that this confidence would not be their downfall before answering some of the questions tossed her way.

"Our library is not extensive on every subject, Seeker, but we do have many ancient tomes on several subjects," she replied to the druid's question, evidently already knowing her title before being introduced. "It seems the messenger neglected to give us any further information than direction, and there is a lot of land to the North and West. Perhaps we can determine a more exact location with the aid of research."

Ada then turned towards Kethan, bowing graciously to receive his gift. "Uncle, it has been far too long," she said before enclosing the elderly man in an embrace. "I am glad you answered the call, and I envy those who will receive your instruction to the West. Our library had been missing astronomical studies, so this book should be quite useful." With a smile, she placed the tome inside her bag for safekeeping.

"To think that we would be blessed with a Hammer of Grimjaw," Ada said to Markus, sending a smile his way. "Tyr may indeed have useful insight for us heading to the North, and although you speak true when you advise haste, we still have many preparations to make. Our research in the library may take some time, and the Duke has bestowed upon me the opportunity to present gifts to the party as well. Before we dig into the research, let me present to you all our gifts from the Mavrosian Vault."

From her bag were withdrawn a handful of peculiar items, all of which were noticeably magical once the party got a better look at them. "First, we present a simple magical item to each of you: an Earstone of Communication. These stones clip to one's ear, and allow you to communicate through closed doors and walls up to a range of 300 feet. Useful if we ever get split up. There is enough for each of us to take one." Ada presented a clip to each party member with a bow and a smile of gratitude. The stones were of various colors, although they seemed to not serve any special purpose other than decoration, and each person was able to choose a color of their preference. Clipping the stone to one's ear was only mildly uncomfortable, but the sensation quickly dissipated over time to be nearly imperceptible.

"Next, to keep our parties in touch over long distances, I present a pair of Sending Stones," Ada announced, handing a simple smooth rock to Markus. The figure of a face was etched onto one side, but otherwise, the stone seemed as mundane from a distance as any rock on a beach. "These are only usable once per day for a short message, but when in need of immediate aid or if useful information is found, these stones can be vital." Ada herself seemed to keep the other one, and the etchings on the stones were identical mirrored images of the other.

"And finally, our vault had two items of great legend that I wish to share. Items this powerful have the potential of great power, but also of great destruction. I trust that we know to use them well and safely." From her bag, she withdrew a crystal ball and held it out for the group to see. "This crystal ball allows the user to scry on a target and also to sense their thoughts, making it even more powerful than a standard scrying spell. Of course, we first need to have a target." She then hesitated a moment before withdrawing a deck of cards from her bag. "And this item... we have been counseled not to use it except in dire need, for many things can happen once a card has been drawn, both of good and ill fortune. I present these items to you to use as you see fit."

Magic Items

The items presented are as follows:

Earstone of Communication: Wondrous item, uncommon. As an action, can press the stone with one's finger to communicate verbally to all other linked Earstones within 300 ft. All of the Earstones appear to be linked together. The communication will pass through most walls or solid objects, but will fail if there is no unblocked path through at least an inch of lead or any magically-suppressing fields.

Sending Stones: Wondrous item, uncommon Sending stones come in pairs, with each smooth stone carved to match the other so the pairing is easily recognized. While you touch one stone, you can use an action to cast the sending spell from it. The target is the bearer of the other stone. If no creature bears the other stone, you know that fact as soon as you use the stone and don't cast the spell. Once sending is cast through the stones, they can't be used again until the next dawn. If one of the stones in a pair is destroyed, the other one becomes nonmagical.

Crystal Ball of Mind Reading. Wondrous Item, Legendary (requires attunement) The typical crystal ball, a very rare item, is about 6 inches in diameter. While touching it, you can cast the scrying spell (save DC 17) with it. You can use an action to cast the detect thoughts spell (save DC 17) while you are scrying with this legendary crystal ball, targeting creatures you can see within 30 feet of the spell's sensor. You don't need to concentrate on this detect thoughts to maintain it during its duration, but it ends if Scrying ends.

Deck of Many Things. Wondrous Item, Legendary Be very afraid.

D&D 5e - High Seas and Tall Tales

Those knights didn't look pleasant to deal with, and Jill had allies that would be much more effective near them. Speaking of allies, Jill whispered a few encouraging words towards Dyn, brushing her hand gently along one of his tentacles. However, seeing that Koan was hurt, Jill retreated slightly to cast a curing spell on the drow, leaving Dyn to man the frontlines himself.

Mechanics

Bonus Action to inspire Dyn - Add a 1d10 to an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw within the next 10 minutes.

Action to cast a lvl 2 Cure Wounds on Koan for 16 HP.

@The Grey Dust - Noriam moves two spaces to the east of Dyn and draws his Shadowblade.

Cynthia sees the enemies and grins back at the group. "Time for some fun!" she calls out before giving out a primal yell, beginning a Rage, and dashing forward. As she approached, both Templars were able to use their Attacks of Opportunity to hit her. One of them scores a crit as she wasn't expecting such an attack, dealing 22 damage, reduced to 11 from her rage. As she rounded the corner, her eyes widened. "Shit! It's a kraken!" she called back.

The two Templars whirled their glaives about, each attacking Cynthia three times. Out of all six attacks, only one managed to pierce her defenses, dealing a paltry 6 damage, halved to 3.

Mentions: @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu

Initiative

21 - Koan - @Gordian Nought
21 - Kraken
15 - Jill - @JBRam2002
15 - Noriam - @The Grey Dust
14 - Cynthia - @JBRam2002
13 - Gearforged Templars
8 - Adrevz - @Zverda
6 - Dyn - @Hekazu
5 - Alexis - @Guardian Angel Haruki

Adrevz - @Zverda is up next!

Current Battle Map!

Modular Pathfinder

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Yon-Loi's Noodle House

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Chung Po looked back at Kyoumi with a bit of confusion. Evidently, that girl wasn't all there, and it would be unfair of him to fight someone with that much of a handicap. Thankfully, the armored woman stepped forward, bridging the clear understanding gap with her offer.

This fight seemed just as dishonorable until she mentioned the shield. Technically, he did not mention shields in his challenge, and if she were able to use it to block his attacks, it would simply be more challenging. "I shall allow the shield," he replied just as loudly as his initial challenge, "but the armor must be removed! You have no objections, right?"

The monk hopped down from the table, landing just in front of Ming. Although not exceptionally tall, Chung towered over Ming's tiny frame. "Do you have any other conditions? Perhaps you would like to raise our wager?" he asked with a grin.

D&D 5e - High Seas and Tall Tales

As we worked to free the newcomer from her prison, the crashing and breaking of rock seemed to grab the attention of some nearby guardians of the Verdant Stream. Before we could finish getting the unnamed ally free, the sound of clanking metal could be heard approaching. That by itself was a bit confusing, as it sounded like armored soldiers marching along.

Sure enough, our foes approached from the south bend. Two soldiers approached, armored to the hilt and brandishing glaives... while marching on the floor of the tunnel. As they came closer, it became obvious that these were no soldiers, but rather mechanical automatons of some sort. It would be nearly impossible to squeeze past them...

Roll for Initiative!

21 - Koan - @Gordian Nought
21 - ???
15 - Jill - @JBRam2002
15 - Noriam - @The Grey Dust
14 - Cynthia - @JBRam2002
13 - Gearforged Templars
8 - Adrevz - @Zverda
6 - Dyn - @Hekazu
5 - Alexis - @Guardian Angel Haruki

Koan - @Gordian Nought is up first!


Will update map soon, but enemies are just south of this image.

The Library Outside Time (Pathfinder, PBP game)

@Blaze Gamma

Decided to go with Cleric / Magus. Here's the Character Image and Stat Block:

Cara Avelson
Aasimar Cleric of Iomedae (Good / Sun) / Skirnir Magus 1 LG
HP 9 / 9 Speed 30 ft Init 2
AC 16 Fort 3 Ref 2 Will 7
CMB +2 BAB 0
MW Cold Iron Longsword +4 (1d8+2, 19-20/x2) - free from trait
Str 15 (2) Dex 15 (2) Con 12 (1) Int 15 (2) Wis 19 (4) Cha 13 (1)

The Library Outside Time (Pathfinder, PBP game)

So it looks like you may need a healer, so I'll do a Cleric / TBD. Perhaps Cleric / Sorcerer to bolster the arcane energy, since Witch is more debuffs / buffs. I know there's a bloodline that makes Sorcerer use Wisdom instead of Charisma.

The Library Outside Time (Pathfinder, PBP game)

@Blaze Gamma I'll toss some interest your way. I'm not normally a fan of lvl 1 play, but Gestalt might just be enough to make it feel like less of a curbstomp.

Do we have an idea of current class choices?

Modular Pathfinder

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Yon-Loi's Noodle House

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As Orometsu excused herself, a monk approached Hanani and Kyoumi, bowing low in reverence. "Honored competitors! I could not help but overhear your conversation with the White Warrior. Blades and armor are, of course, fine tools of trade, but I have found that too much reliance on them could become a crutch. I, Chung Po of the Tetori Monks, would like to challenge one of you to a friendly wrestling match. A spar, one on one, to test our strength and show all in this tavern our true potential!"

The monk stood up from his bow and hopped up on the table. His hair was tied in a long black braid that trailed to his knees, and he wore baggy pants and nothing more than a sash covering his chest. "An honorable duel! I swear upon my Order that I shall not cause you permanent harm. Should you win, you gain the awe and respect of all in this noodle house, and I shall buy the entire house a round on me. If I win, you buy the house a round of noodle soup. Either way, everyone wins, right?"

---

As Natsumi lowered himself to the balcony's floor near Risha, the woman jumped slightly as if she had not expected him to approach. "Oh, hey! Uh, Katsumi, was it? I was just talking to a sailor who claimed to have fought a kraken! Can you believe it?"

Just then Chung Po began his challenge, and Risha looked down over the railing at the spectacle. "Hmmm... free soup? Sounds like a good deal to me, but that's gonna be a tough fight. Got any tricks up your sleeve to even the score?"