AVB - Urban Huntress

[Rizban]

AdamSmasher and DMs only!

He leads you over to his cubicle and has you sit in the chair opposite his at the desk. He pulls out a small stack of papers and writing implements then leans his elbows on the desk and steeples his fingers in front of his nose while pointedly looking you in the eye.

"Now, Miss Kelram, was it? I'll need some personal information, and I will need you to be perfectly honest. Failure to comply will result in your denial in accessing our services. If you do not wish to disclose such information, then you may leave now as you choose with no problems."

[AdamSmasher]

He follows the man in to the cubicle and sits in the chair, crossing his arms as he waits for him to shuffle his papers. Then...

She jumps in place like a scared cat and folds her hands in her lap, still looking like a sweaty, dock-working, were-kin. She leans back in her chair and looks out of the cubicle to make sure there are no non-bank employees within earshot, then leans back towards the man to whisper. "I'm sorry..." She pauses, gathering her thoughts. "It's been a bad day. It's Sam. Just Sam, I don't think I have a last name."

[Rizban]

"Well, Miss Sam, we understand that some of our customers have need for extra privacy, whatever their reasons may be; however, for the purposes of our security, we must have accurate information. Feel free to speak freely. As long as you are within the walls of this cubicle, nothing you say can be overheard from outside of it.

Now, I will need to know name, date of birth, home address, Citizen or Resident identification information, if any, and TelCom address, if any."

He picks up the pen, dips it in the ink well, and dabs it, ready to record any information your provide.

[AdamSmasher]

As the man spoke, Sam studied him. How old was he? Was he wearing glasses? A ring? Did he look like he enjoyed his job?

"My name is Sam. I just turned sixteen yesterday. I got kicked out this morning, so I don't have an address now, but I was living in mid-town. I've lived here all my life." She took a deep breath and gave him what information she could.

"How secure are things here?"

I'm assuming the knows her residential/Telcom information, if she has it. It might be interesting if she doesn't.

[Rizban]

He's a fairly generic NPC human: average brown hair, no real distinguishing marks beyond a simple wedding band. He seems slightly bored but not dissatisfied, as if this is very routine for him but not something he minds doing. Anything more about his motives requires Sense Motive checks...

"Well, Miss Sam, I'm not entirely sure we can help you at this time. Without a permanent address or TelCom number, we have no way of easily contacting you in case it becomes necessary. If you were born and raised here, surely you have paperwork proving your Citizenship. If you can provide that, we can probably forgo the contact info, as we will have other options available.

Ma'am our vault is one of the most secure places in Aldhaven. You're not getting in with anything short of an army of mages."

[AdamSmasher]

Sense Motive take 10 for 27 against a human. Specifically, does he seem sympathetic?

While I'm at it:

Knowledge (Local) take 10 for 22 to know if producing a 10 lb bar of platinum would be considered suspicious enough to actually get her investigated, to know about the TelCom address, to know if there's some equivalent of a P.O. box she could use, and to know about the process for replacing residency papers.

And, if it helps, you can generally assume I'm taking 10 on social rolls against humans and arcanists unless I mention it.



Sam droops in her seat a bit. There were no papers in the bag her parents - Tet - left her. Maybe she could get them back somehow. "My parents abandoned me last night. All I have is what's on me." She takes a few deep breaths to keep herself calm, looking down at the desk between them, and an idea comes to her. "Do I have to have a lease to open an account?"

She wanted to ask about the possibility of someone like Tet impersonating her and emptying her account, paranoid that this might just be one more step in a cruel joke. But given that she had already been caught lying, she didn't want to raise any more suspicion about her motives.

[Rizban]

He seems completely neutral to you. He's just doing his job.

You're pretty sure banks don't care and are willing to accept any form of legal tender or precious metals. "TelCom" isn't something you've encountered before, so it's probably something only the wealthy have. There's no such thing as a P.O.Box in Aldhaven, unless you can talk some courier service into performing some type of similar service for you. You know that you'll need to go to City Hall and purchase replacement records.

I'm not going to generally assume anything about social activities. That's the kind of thing you're going to be required to declare, and I'm not going to remember what your modifiers are and that you're doing it anyway. I've got too many players for that..He frowns and nods sagaciously.

"I'm sorry to hear that. All too common, I'm afraid.

No, you just need a permanent address of residence and able to demonstrate that you'll be living there for at least on month's time."

[AdamSmasher]

That's fine with me. Should I be rolling diplomacy just for haggling/sucking up/getting someone to do something, or for everyone I want to be polite to? Reading the revised diplomacy rules left me with the impression I need rolls just to make friends.

Also, take 10 for 22 to know if they have some equivalent of a safety deposit box, to know if pickpockets are a worry around the plaza and surrounding areas, and again to know of a safe place a kid would want to live. I'm guessing the shady adventurers' inn isn't one of them.

"Okay." She says, and thinks. "I need a safe place for what I have on me. What do you recommend? Do any of the other banks have less strict requirements, so I could use them temporarily?"

[Rizban]

Attitudes shift constantly depending on your interactions with people. Diplomacy/Intimidate/etc. just helps you move things along the direction you want them to go.

Use them when you think you need to use them or when I ask for them.

You've never used a bank before, so you'd probably be better off just asking the nice banker man sitting in front of you with whom you are currently having a conversation about safety deposit boxes...

Pickpockets are a concern almost everywhere. The Plaza (in Midtown) and Old Town are some of the safest areas in the city though.

The castle. It's pretty safe, and what kid doesn't want to be a king or queen or princess?
The Sad Flint, surprisingly enough, is probably even safer than the castle and also completely devoid of pickpockets, burglars, and the like."I'm sorry, but all banks must adhere to the laws and regulations we've been given to follow. I must have certain information to do establish any kind of account for you.

As for whatever you have, I'd suggest you take it home and not advertise to people that you're carrying something of value."

He seems to have already forgotten your sob story.

[AdamSmasher]

Haha, I figured asking his advice would be his window to suggest a safe deposit box.

Right. Stupid. "Well, Mr...." She scans his desk for a nameplate and finishes the pause. "I don't see anything else we can do for now. Thanks for your advice. If there's nothing else, I'll be back when I can." The scruffy shifter with the girlish cadence stands up from her chair and offers a handshake.

Before leaving the cubicle, she takes a few deep breaths and resumes the menacing posture of a man with very little to lose but his patience before exiting the cubicle.

He moves back to the tellers and reaches inside of his shirt, digging through the wrappings to produce his platinum bar. "Need twenty platinum. Make the rest easy to carry.""I'd like to exchange this for twenty platinum pieces and the easiest to carry denomination you've got for the rest." He stuffs the pieces in his pocket and stows the rest as best he can back in to his underwraps. Business done, he gives a curt nod to the receptionist, plucks his staff off of the wall by the door, and re-enters The Plaza.

He decides that his best option was to take the shortest and safest route possible. He shrugs his shoulders and cracks his neck, then lowers his posture. In just a few seconds, his possessions meld into his body and his form reshapes in to that of a Wolf, whose coat is the same burnished red as his beard and hair. The wolf cuts right across the plaza to go straight to the inn there, The Sad Flint. It'd heard it was as safe as they came...

And that's exactly what she needed right now.

Maybe they have some equivalent of a cashiers' check? That was actually pretty common in ye olden times.

Two wildshapes left today. Do those regenerate upon resting 8 hours, at dawn, or after 24 hours? And what time is it in game, still morning?

[Rizban]

Wildshape uses regenerate once per day at the time that you normally prepare spells.The teller says, "Alright, but I'll need a moment to verify its authenticity."

She takes the platinum bar down the line of tellers to a small office with a glass picture window. Inside, there appears to be a small alchemical lab. She hands the bar to the man inside, who proceeds to weight the ingot then drip various chemicals onto it before just watching the bar then wiping them off. Finally, he takes a drill and carves out a core sample from the center of the ingot and repeats the tests on the core sample.

He speaks with the woman for a moment, who then returns to you.


She counts out 20 platinum coins for you before saying, "Do you have an account with us?"

[AdamSmasher]

His heart starts racing as she brings the bar back to verify its authenticity. She hadn't even considered it might be fake. It was so heavy! What was heavier than platinum?

He shakes his head. "Need an address first."

[Rizban]

"Alright. I'll give you the balance in bearer bonds. Keep track of them though, they're just like coin, anyone can spend them."

She passes the coins to you and makes out 10 bearer bonds, nine for 1,000 and one for 800.

[AdamSmasher]

"Thanks."

He stuffs the pieces in his pocket and gently folds the bonds up small enough to clench in his fist (provided, of course, that they can be folded or rolled). Business done, he gives a curt nod to the receptionist, plucks his staff off of the wall by the door, and re-enters The Plaza.

He decides that his best option was to take the shortest and safest route possible. He shrugs his shoulders and cracks his neck, then lowers his posture. In just a few seconds, his possessions meld into his body and his form reshapes in to that of a Wolf, whose coat is the same burnished red as his beard and hair. The wolf cuts right across the plaza to go straight to the inn there, The Sad Flint. It'd heard it was as safe as they came...

And that's exactly what she needed right now.

[Rizban]

Each bearer's bond is written on a 10" square piece of paper. The bank usually charges a 2gp per bond processing fee, but it seems they've chosen to waive the fee for you this time. That was fortunate.

You hear several loud curses as you get underfoot racing through the crowd. As you dart past one of the City Watch near the fountain, he kicks you hard in side. "No wild shaping in the Plaza!"

Ignoring him, you dart into the Sad Flint.

The interior of the Sad Flint is quite crowded. People are coming and going all over the rather large barroom. Patrons of any possible description abound, most content to drink the beers in their hands. No one bothers to turn their head when yet another patron walks in. The atmosphere of the place is slightly dingy, but comfortable.

A lone half-giant is serving as the bartender at the long bar across from the entrance. Round tables with an average of four chairs each litter the common area, although several have borrowed chairs from others nearby. More than half of them seem occupied by patrons of some description and number. A pair of armored bouncers guard a double door along the west wall.

Barmaids of many different races weave in and out of the traffic, delivering food and drinks, as well as picking up empty crockery and more than a few pick-up lines.

The bouncer at the door grabs you by the scruff of the neck and moves as to throw you outside. "No pets without a leash."

[AdamSmasher]

If wildshaping is illegal, can I re-do the action?

[Rizban]

It's not illegal, you're just irritating the guard.

The bouncer doesn't know you're a wildshaped druid. He just assumes you're someone's pet.

[AdamSmasher]

Cool.

Given the size of the notes, he decides that the best option is to fold them once and tuck them into his underclothes where he had kept the original bar.

As the wolf trots along through the Plaza, ducking between feet, it slowly transforms its stature and coloration from large, rugged, and burnished red to a more lithe and well groomed grey and black form.

Emerging at The Sad Flint, the canine slinks into the front door before almost immediately being grabbed by the scruff of the neck. It squeeks and snaps in to the form of a doe-eyed young girl, who the bouncer now has by the collar of the shirt.

"I'm sorry." She peeps. "I'm new."

[Rizban]

He roughly lets you go, the left side of his nose crinkling slightly in either irritation or disgust, you're not sure which.

"Whatever. Just stay in human form."

He promptly goes back to completely ignoring you.

[AdamSmasher]

Sam shuffles away from the bouncer and weaves her way through the patrons, doing her best not to bump into anyone or get in their way. When she reaches the bar, she takes an empty seat as isolated as possible and waits for a chance to talk to the half-giant.

If he doesn't address her first and doesn't seem too busy, she'll speak up. "Excuse me?" Otherwise, "I'd like to rent a room, please. For a month. Are there different kinds?" She thinks for a moment. "And do you know what a TelCom number is?"

[Rizban]

He approaches you after you call his attention.

"We've got standards, doubles, and suites. Rates start at five gold.

As to TelCom, I might know something."

[AdamSmasher]

She could figure out what TelCom was without paying any bribes.

"I guess it's not important. Can I rent a standard room for a month? I need a receipt. Do you have extended stay rates?"

Either way, she reaches in to her pocket and counts out the platinums for the lodging, placing them on the bar between them.

[Rizban]

"One month is 150. No monthly discounts."

The half-giant waves his hand above the coins when you place them on the bar, and they promptly vanish. He then reaches beneath the bar and produces a flat crystal disk.

"Put your hand here."

[AdamSmasher]

Sense Motive! [roll0] +2 if he qualifies as an arcanist/+4 if he's actually a human with a half giant template.

Is that the right price? He's already asking for bribes.

Spot [roll1] to see how he vanished the coins.

Know (Arcana) [roll2] to identify the disk.
Spellcraft [roll3] to identify the disk.

Sam cringes as she puts a fistful of platinums on the table and watches them disappear. Reluctantly, she places her hand on the disk. Unless it seems super dangerous.

[Rizban]

He seems to be completely forthright about the price. Though, it seems he's not unwilling to give a monthly discount of a small amount if it's the difference between having your patronage or not. You can also tell that if push comes to shove, he'd just as soon let you walk out the door as deal with an irritating customer.

As far as you can tell, he never even touched the coins. They just... vanished.

You are unable to identify the disk. It's neither something you already know about nor an ongoing magical effect you can recognize.
As you place your hand on the disk, it glows faintly. Once the glow fades, he returns the disk to its place under the bar.

"You're in room 218."

[AdamSmasher]

*Slight* rewind. Microscopic.

Diplomacy [roll0]

And, on the off chance it matters, it looks like I could apply those Favored Enemy bonuses to the spot check for the coins.

And should I be rolling disguise or hide checks or something to act unassuming?

After hearing the price and the lack of monthly rate, Sam gives an uncertain look over her shoulder at the entrance to the bar.

"Not even for a first time customer?"

She doesn't push it, he certainly has the advantage over her and she accidentally lets it show in her face. She accepts his answer and pay the coins.

Assigned her room, Sam thanks him and slides off the bar stool.

"Can you give me a receipt or something saying I've booked a room for a month here?"

If he provides it, she thanks him again and weaves her way to the stairs and goes up to her assigned room.

[Rizban]

He shrugs and says, "Not likely."

Upon asking for a receipt, he points to your hand. "Your receipt is right there."

[AdamSmasher]

Sam looks down at her hand and checks both sides for some kind of visible indicator. Whether she sees it or not, she chalks it up to weird adventurer magic stuff and thanks the half-giant before going upstairs to her room.

[Rizban]

You see no marks on your hand.

You reach the room easily enough to find a similar disk on the door but no sign of any handle. After fumbling around for a moment and a bit of paranoia, you tentatively place your hand on the disc. A mark on your hand glows faintly for a few seconds before you hear the sound of a lock opening. The door swings open from your touch.

The door opens onto a 10 x 15 room. There is a bed, a chest of drawers, and a large wooden chest that doubles as a nightstand. There's a rug on the floor and a single small window that lets in light.*

http://www.mornproductions.com/aldhaven/AVB/maps/SadFlint/SingleBedroom.png

[AdamSmasher]

Asterisk?

Sam closes the door behind her and then leans against it, breathing out a huge sigh of relief and sliding down until she's sitting on the floor. She reaches into her shirt and draws out the bank notes to assure herself that they're still there before stuffing them back in her hiding spot.

She recharges her batteries for a few minutes before she gets up and checks around the room. She looks in the chest and in the drawers for anything left behind or provided, then looks under the bed and examines the bedding for its quality. Finally, she goes over to the window and looks outside; she wants to know exactly what vantage she has from here and who could possibly see into her room from where.

Does the window have locks? Blinds/curtains? What are its dimensions?

[Rizban]

Ignore it. I was copy/pasting the standard description from my text file, and it had a special character that the forum rendered as an asterisk.Upon opening the chest, she finds that it's an extradimensional space. Anything you have will fit inside. It, however, refuses to close if a living creature is inside. Experimentation shows that it functions much like a handy haversack, but with much greater capacity. It appears to be sovereign glued to the floor.

The 5 foot square window shows the Plaza in front of the Sad Flint, though you are almost entirely certain that your room should be facing the side street. It looks as if it is early morning, though you're quite certain that it isn't... The glass of the window doesn't seem to open, and it has neither blinds nor windows.

[AdamSmasher]

Disappointed that the room doesn't have a window she can open or curtains she can close, Sam sits down on her new bed and draws out her ration pouch. Reaching in, she finds a biscuit and a hunk cheese have been conjured to her fingertips. The dull, waxy looking constructions don't look entirely edible, but the emptiness in her stomach urges her to try anyway. The first few test bites reveal a lifeless but inoffensive taste. The next few, larger bites leave her chewing for minutes as she tries to build the will to swallow what feels like a mouthful of sculptors' clay.

Finished with her breakfast, and feeling no better for it, she leaves the pouch in her new extradimensional chest and alters her clothes to something more fitting a young local lady: A skirt and boots over pants and a jacket over a blouse. She leaves the notes tucked away in her undershirt. She also takes the opportunity to make sure her long hair is right, but it forced to do it by feel in the mirrorless room.

As satisfied as she can be, she takes a few deep breathes to calm her nerves before exiting her room and closing the door behind her. She slinks down the stairs, scurries between the bar patrons, embarrassedly avoids the bouncer's gaze through the doorway, and walks back across the plaza to the bank.

Do I need to roll anything to be as inconspicuous as possible while also avoiding contact with people?

Actually, what are the laws/norms about wildshape? I'm thinking she might want to just fly over the plaza as a bird. Is there a good taking off/landing point by the flibt/bank? Given that the plaza is apparently super safe, is it worth caring?

[Rizban]

After finishing your leisurely meal, you note that the sun has not moved in the sky at all, nor has there been any movement whatsoever in the Plaza below. This is very, very strange. Upon closer examination of the "window", you discover that there is a small knob on the bottom of the window. Turning the knob adjusts the position of the sun in the sky from early morning all the way through sunset and into the darkness of night. Turning it a bit further disabled the contraption completely, making the room completely dark. It seems that this is not a window at all!

As she exits her room, she notices that there is an open door leading to a common lavatory at the end of the hall shared by all the patrons in the nearby rooms. The room looks clean from here, and she spies a wash basin and mirror there if she wishes to use them.

Unless actively trying to hide from sight and able to do so while people are potentially watching you, simply keeping to yourself is about the best you can do.

To your knowledge, there are no laws against wildshaping. However, based on your experiences, it seems that running around town as an animal is considered rude, particularly when you walk into someone's place of business. It seems that while in the shape of an animal, you have only the right and expectations granted to that type of animal... which seems rather natural, given that there's very little chance the average observer could tell the difference. You suspect, however, that turning into a bear and lumbering down the street would cause some sort of commotion, which would likely find you guilty of disturbing the peace.

[AdamSmasher]

Minor rewind.

And speaking of legal systems, what kind does aldhaven have? Is there a prison or is it the flogging, hand chopping, and hanging kind?

Also, take 10 for 22 on Know: Local to judge whether she could have gotten similar/better accommodations for a better price elsewhere.

Before leaving her room, Sam also puts her sling and bullets in the chest with her everlasting rations and her change of clothes into the drawer.

After leaving the room, she goes to check out the lavatory to see if it has any similar interesting magic features or properties. Is the wash basin for hands, or is there something big enough for a whole person? Does the door lock? How many rooms appear to use this same chamber? And is it as clean as it looked?

Roughly how big and how crowded is the plaza, anyway? On a scale from Arabian bazaar to my decrepit local mall?

[Rizban]

Aldhaven is a Lawful Neutral city with most punishments taking the form of fines or hard labor. Imprisonment without hard labor is seem as a waste of the city's resources. The hard labor is usually very dangerous and can result in death. More severe crimes tend to result in banishment, which almost inevitably end promptly in death due to most banishment taking place out of Dockside Gate at sunset.

You are certain to find similar accommodations for a lower price elsewhere, but the Sad Flint has the reputation and the location to charge a premium. Still, it's not too far out of the norm.The wash basin is apparently just for your hands. A minor create water magic ensures fresh water, and there is also a bar of soap.

The door does not lock, and there are no baths. However, there are 4 individual closets with toiletries that do indeed lock securely.

The Plaza is about the size of a city block. The main flow of traffic moves right through the middle of it. Smaller merchant stalls and carts setup on the southern side of it nearish the Flint but tear down at night and jockey for position each morning.

Kind of like this: http://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-2047172-stock-footage-lisbon-city-plaza.html

[AdamSmasher]

I was picturing a sea of people, that's way more manageable.

Sam does not look forward to sharing a bathroom with smelly adventurers.

***

Back on the Plaza, Sam stuffs her hands in her pockets and makes her way back to the bank, keeping a bubble of personal space between her and anyone else. She tries to look natural, like she's on her way to some boring mundane task like opening a bank account, instead of breaking out in a cold, nervous sweat.

[Rizban]

She arrives at the bank unmolested, though she does get a few dirty leers and a gap-toothed grin from one old man.

[AdamSmasher]

Entering the bank, Sam says hello to the receptionist at the entrance and requests the employee she spoke to before.

[Rizban]

You wait almost an hour before he's available. Once he is, he welcomes you back into his "office".

[AdamSmasher]

Sam waits in the chairs provided for the time it takes him to become available. She leaves her quarterstaff resting against the wall beside her and fidgets a bit to make sure she could still feel the notes under her clothes. Her thoughts roam back and forth from scrutinizing every visitor and employee in the bank to planning what she'll do with her new nest egg to panicking over the sheer enormity of being free of her parent's control for the first time. She can't help but be suspicious.

When she is called up to the agent's office, she slinks down the hall between the cubicles and peaks her head into the entryway. "Hi," she says. "My name is Sam."

[Rizban]

"Welcome back, Sam. Have you secured a place of residence?"

[AdamSmasher]

Sam smiles and takes her place in the seat across from him. "I did. I asked for a receipt and they said that my hand was the receipt. I didn't know they used such fancy magic in taverns." In case it's necessary, she holds her hand out for inspection.

[Rizban]

He waves a small metal rod over your upturned palm, causing an incredibly intricate arcane mark to glow briefly. He nods, sets up your account, handles the deposit of your funds, and provides you with a written receipt of your balance.

[AdamSmasher]

Before leaving, Sam inquires as to the details of her new account. Are there fees? How does she access her money? Does she get interest? And do they do loans? Satisfied, she thanks the man again and departs the way she came collecting her staff from its place on the wall.

Immediate crisis seemingly over, she takes a walk around the Plaza to clear her head, spending a few minutes by the fountain and a few more listening to the cryer while taking care to avoid the leerers from before, should she see them.

She had a place to sleep for a month, 'food' to last a lifetime, and more money than she had ever seen. But she was also alone, and suddenly the city seemed so empty. She had always longed for free time, but now that she had it it seemed pointless.

A job, then, was what she needed. And she'd always had a dream.

Knowledge take 10 for 22 to know about the watch. Do they have a good reputation? Do they investigate crimes or just stand around and discourage them? How do you join?

[Rizban]

The banker seems confused. "Why would we charge you interest on your own money?"

There are no fees or interest. The money is invested while stored, yes, but the bank keeps all the profits. It seems that simply having a safe place to keep their money is the only important matter to most clients in Aldhaven.

Loans are available, yes. Terms depend largely on your risk factors and collateral.

Money is generally transferred through the use of bank notes, which spend in the city just as well as gold, but each note can only be cashed in by the named individual. Blank notes can be just as dangerous to lose as coin...

The City Watch has a fairly good reputation overall. Though they've proven a bit ineffective of late in several situations, they've also had a few impressive victories. To join, one must be free of criminal records and apply at The Fortress. However, to your knowledge, the entire Watch consists solely of males.

[AdamSmasher]

Sam had never seen a woman in the watch, probably for a good reason, but it was worth investigating. She didn't know of a lot of things that she would both enjoy and be good at.

Flicking a small pebble into the fountain for luck, Sam tucks her hands in to her jacket pockets and sets off North(?) towards the Fortress.

Along the way, she mulls over her situation.

10 for 22 on some other things. I really intended for her to join the watch, but do other similar professions exist? Like private investigator, maybe?

Are there clocks around or do people tell time by the sun? What time is it, roughly? And does Aldhaven have a noteworthy climate?

Is Sam eligible for the Five Year Anniversary feat? Congratulations, by the way.

[planswalker]

yes, your character does indeed qualify for the bonus feat. Congratulations on that.

As for telling time, anything beyond rough estimates of "Morning", "Noon", or "Evening" require a knowledge (nature) check. It seems that most people don't worry about time very precisely.

While the Watch does not seem to hire females into their ranks, they are much less particular about job assignments they might hand out to bounty hunters they hire. Aldhaven has a tradition of hiring out to mercenary adventurers and bounty hunters particularly difficult or dangerous tasks while the Watch focuses on maintaining peace and order in the city. There are also rumors that the city's many underground organizations are much less particular about the muscle they hire to help themselves keep order. There are also adventuring guilds in the city that are always looking to hire skilled persons who prove their worth. Private investigators that are not part of the Watch don't explicitly have any overarching organization behind them, but there is absolutely nothing in Aldhaven's city regulations preventing someone from starting their own business as a private investigator if they so wish.

[AdamSmasher]

Thanks for the fill-in!

Do I take the feat now or whenever I want?

[roll0] to know about bounty hunters in Aldhaven.

Specifically: are there a bunch of weird bounty hunter politics? A lot of competition/backstabbing? Do any of them have household names? Where do they congregate? Is there, like, a bounty board?

Take 10 for 22 to know if there's a place watchmen congregate off duty.

And, if I go the bounty-hunter route, Sam would want to tap her old weapon master for assistance/guidance. Are we able to just call on background NPCs like that?

And are people generally armed in Aldhaven? Is it weird to carry a weapon around?

Sam continues towards the Fortress.

[planswalker]

You enter King's Causeway, the bridge spanning the river separating the Docks from Aldhaven proper. An island in the middle of the river serves as the checkpoint for people entering or leaving the city. Gatehouses sit on either side of the river while the island itself supports a large fortress on its northern end.

Upon stepping foot on the island, one of the watchmen on duty says, "Halt! What business brings you to the Fortress?"

edit:
please take the feat now.

Apparently, there are no large, cohesive organizations of bounty hunters in Aldhaven, as such would be seen as too close to being an organized military outside the city's control. However, numerous people in the city offer bounties for all sorts of things both legal and illegal. The Watch also has a running list of bounties for wanted criminals in the Fortress they offer as open contracts to anyone who can fulfill them. They keep the most dangerous bounties private however until a bounty hunter has proven themselves capable.

You also know rumors of what are known as "agents of marque", free agents who work for a noble house outside the bounds of the law and protected by that house's authority. The specifics of such a thing, however, are not public knowledge.

[AdamSmasher]

To pick now, I've got to know: Does Iron Heart Surge affect antimagic fields? Could she, one day, use the maneuver to resume her wildshape and get her magic items back while inside of one?

And there's something I ALMOST FORGOT.

***
As Sam is heading towards the Fortress, she idly reaches up and pat's the pocket of her coat before stopping dead in her tracks. In all the excitement she had completely forgotten!

She turns on her toe and scurries her way back to mid-town, watching the street names until she finds a very particular intersection. Turning down it, she finds the alleyway she remembers and searches for the box she left behind. Finding it right where she left it, she tips it up and looks underneath.

A ball of cloth begins to twitch like a beating heart as she lefts the crate. After a moment, it bursts open to expunge a very drowsy but very excited little mouse.

"Squeaks!" She chirps. "Right where I left you. Did you have a nice nap?" The little mouse races a figure eight around her ankles, grumbling and chattering all the while, before hopping on to her shoe to be scooped up in her hands.

"Did that cat come back?" Sam holds the mouse up to eye level, where it sits on its haunches in her palm and nods its head pitifully. "Well don't worry, we're moving out of here. I got us a place to live for a while." It squeaks a reply and turns a circle in her hand. "Now it's time to get a job, so let's go, Squeaks."

She opens one wing of her coat and lets the little mouse scamper in to one of the interior pockets to settle in before she resumes her journey back to the Fortress

***

At the Fortress, Sam takes a few minutes to watch the river from the bridge and clear her head before going inside. The watchman stops her and she replies. "I'm here to see if the Watch is hiring."

[planswalker]

no. The wizards FAQ is both stupid and wrong about that. Besides, no character in avb has ever gotten anywhere close to the kinds of levels where antimagic fields were a concern.

"Not women. Some crazy lady tried defying that recently. She got herself and several good men killed."

[AdamSmasher]

Does the Persona Immersion feat fool something like Mindsight?

Sam's shoulders slump at the news despite her resignation to be stoic, but her disappointment is quickly replaced by curiosity. "What happened?"

[planswalker]

"I don't know. If I had been there, I wouldn't be here to tell you about it."

[AdamSmasher]

Sam nods her head. "Alright, thank you. Who would I talk to about bounties, then?"

[planswalker]

"Oh, you're a hunter? Best of luck with that. You'll find our master of bounties inthe Fortress on the east wing.

[AdamSmasher]

"Thanks!" She enters the Fortress and heads towards the east wing, looking for any sign of the Master of Bounties' office. If it's not obvious, she'll ask directions from someone who doesn't look terribly busy.

[planswalker]

In the east wing, you find a door labeled "Bounty Assessor." upon stepping inside, you find a half-orc man sitting behind a desk. On the three walls of the room from which you did not enter, wanted posters offering rewards for various criminals can be displayed. Some have been crossed through while others have not. It appears that more have been crossed through than not recently.

"Can I help you?" the orc asks.

[AdamSmasher]

Sam doesn't smile this time, she just glances around the room at the posters. "I want to help the watch. I know how to find people. Is this how I do it?" She looks around the posters to get an idea of what kind of rewards are offered and what kind of people are wanted.

Are there any helpful instructions on the posters, like 'Dead or Alive'?

[planswalker]

There are about a dozen wanted posters that you can see in the room which are not crossed out. The bounties range from one 100 gp bounty for a man who owes back-taxes to 2,000 gp for one individual who is wanted for arson, murder, and jaywalking. Then you spot one bounty in the bottom left corner of the room whose award reads "Barony" for "the live capture of Jean Claude, bane of the Quarter". His crimes include: impersonating a clergyman, fraud, soiling the honor of House Rosen, espionage, and grand theft. The wanted picture is a sketch of a half-dozen different faces of varying races.

All of these posters seem to be for live capture only.

The orc says, "Yep, this would be the place. Do keep in mind that all these bounties are for live capture only. The watch isn't in the business of playing executioner and certainly won't condone random strangers doing so either."

[AdamSmasher]

Sam bends down to look at Jean Claude's wanted poster, wondering if this person was a Doppelganger and wondering still if it was her parent. Had she ever seen any of the faces before?

"What if I can find them, but I can't bring them in myself?" She asks, glancing down at her petite frame. "Can I call the watch and get a finder's fee?" She pays particular attention to the poster of the tax evader, that seemed like the easiest warm up.

[planswalker]

"Well, the idea of bounty hunting is that it's not for those who cannot do the jobs themselves. The rewards are offered because these bounties saves the Watch time and manpower. That being said, generally there is a small reward granted to citizens of Aldhaven who make a citizen's arrest on someone with a bounty. If you can't figure out how you could bring in the targets yourself, perhaps bounty hunting is not for you. Even these targets here are not without danger and this is not a task for those afraid of possibly getting hurt."

do keep in mind that no one's requiring you to drag them here unconscious. clapping someone in manacles and marching them here in chains under their own power is a perfectly valid way to collect a bounty. In fact, the Watch prefers it if the targets are conscious when they're processed.

[AdamSmasher]

"Well," she thinks for a moment. "Do you know of any hunters looking for an apprentice? Or even any that you'd trust?" It was probably best if she didn't do this alone; a veteran would be a huge help in both staying safe and deciding whether she wanted to do this at all.

While they talk, she scans the wanted posters for whichever bounty looks least dangerous, preferably some white collar pencil pusher. "Do you hand out copies of these posters, or should I just memorize them?"

That makes sense, I'm just not sure if her diplomacy or grappling is high enough to count on a nonviolent solution. If they don't hand out copies, she'll use autohypnosis to memorize the least dangerous looking bounty. [roll0]

[planswalker]

"We can give you copies of any of these public bounties you'd like. As for an apprenticeship, well, few bounty hunters are willing to split the reward with another, but perhaps Jango might be willing to show you the ropes. Just don't expect him to be very nice. This profession doesn't lend itself to kindness."

The fellow wanted for tax evasion is definitely the least dangerous-looking of the bunch. He appears to be a businessman from South Market.

[AdamSmasher]

"Jango? Who is he?" She cheers up, not having expected a possible lead so soon. She could deal with an abrasive personality for as long as it took to learn what she needed.

"And I'd like a copy of this hundred gold bounty." She sorts through the rest in her head. "And this one, too." She picks whichever bounty appears to be the second least dangerous, preferably a human wanted for something nonaggressive or opportunistic rather than violent.

[planswalker]

"Jango's a human bounty hunter that seems to be doing this for the justice as much as for the money. I don't know much about his story as no one bothers to open up to me, but he regularly makes a donation from his bounties to go to the Watch's equipment fund. He seems the most likely to split the bounty with a junior partner."

The orc takes the bounty for the tax evader and a 250 gp bounty for a man wanted for indecent exposure, disturbing the peace, and impersonating a city official. He places them in a wooden frame on his desk and traces a pattern over them. A moment later, he opens a drawer directly under his desk and pulls out two sheets of paper which appear to be identical copies of the wanted posters.

"Most of the rest of the Watch makes do with manual transcriptions, but Captain Hermann wants to be able to be able to make a lot of copies of wanted criminals quickly."

[AdamSmasher]

Sense Motive take 10 for 23, just in case he's hiding anything?

And now that I think about it, are we allowed to pick our Familiar's feats?

"Thank you, for your help." She says sincerely, taking the wanted posters. She gives them a fold and puts them in her jacket, in a different pocket from her mouse. "My name is Sam. Is there anything else I should know before I go?"

***Provided not***

Sam bids her farewell to the bounty assessor, heading back the way she came in. As she walks through the Fortress, she takes a good look at her two wanted posters to see exactly who she was looking for and where she might find them. Should she go straight for Jango or try her hand at catching a bounty alone to build a better resume? She decides she'll look for all three and see what falls in to her lap.

As she exits the Fortress, she talks to one of the watchmen outside when they have a free moment. "Excuse me, would you happen to know where I might find a bounty hunter named Jango?"

[planswalker]

you don't roll sense motive checks. I do those secretly.

"Well, did you want me to tell you how to actually find Jango?" The assessor says.

[AdamSmasher]

Cool, as long as you remember to abuse my favored enemy bonuses.

"Yes, if you know how to contact him that would be a huge help." What luck!

[planswalker]

sure thing. What are your favored enemy bonuses, btw?

"Well, yes, of course. How do you think they get paid for large bounties? I don't keep tens of thousands of gold on hand." He gives you Jango's address, which is located in the southern part of North Market.

[AdamSmasher]

Humans +4, Arcanists +2. Do you have access to my sheet?

"I'm new to this whole banking thing." She takes the address and puts it in her pocket with the wanted posters. "I'll look for him. Thanks again, Mr..."

***

As she leaves the Fortress, she pulls the two wanted posters back out of her pocket and examines them for their full details.

[planswalker]

it'd be best if you pm me a link

"Bounty Assessor. I don't share my personal information with random strangers. I am the one who hands out the payment for capturing some of the most dangerous people n the city."

The tax evader is a human merchant, named Viggo Eichter. The address of his home and business office are the same two-story building in South Market. He was last seen leaving it a week ago and hasn't been heard from since.

The public nuisance is an elven male with no name given but a detailed sketch is done. He performed his acts which earned him this bounty at the courthouse in northeastern Old Town.

[AdamSmasher]

It looks like the map is down. What's closer, the tax evader, the nuisance, Jango's residence, or a town crier? And how long does it take to get around/how long do I have left in the day?

[planswalker]

the nuisance's shenanigans in Old Town are the closest, though the town crier is almost equal distance but in a different direction. It'll take you about a quarter of a day to reach the farther two locations and an hour or so to get to the nearer two. By my understanding, it's shortly after noon in your thread.

[Rizban]

The maps are back up in the recruiting thread.

[AdamSmasher]

How do Gather Information checks work from a rollplay/roleplay perspective? Do I say she just wanders off and asks questions for a roll, or should I roleplay the actual search and questioning?

Sam decides that, since the tax evader and this Jango character are so close to each other, she should head in that direction. As she walks, however, the thought of almost ten thousand gold pieces sitting in her account begins to burn a metaphorical hole in her metaphorical pocket. She decides she'll pass through The Plaza on the way and have a look at the shop with the new customer discount.

[planswalker]

Erbauer's Enchanted Devices and Dynamos sits on the north-west side of the Plaza on Mastiff's Road. A stout wooden door with elegant etching work opens onto the Plaza. The sign hanging on the corner of the building has a picture of a bag of holding with rings, swords, and other magical items protruding from it.

Inside is a small workshop, about twenty feet by forty feet. On entering, one does not find a true proper shop area, and there is often at least one apprentice noisily working on some magical contraption within.

Near the front are two comfortably upholstered chairs and a small counter which separates the entryway from the workshop. Behind the counter stands a woman of shocking beauty, a nearly perfect face, and shimmering golden hair with trace highlights of blue. Her diaphanous clothing is only just on this side of modest and is really quite distracting. Once you notice her, you find it physically difficult to look anywhere else in the shop... The name tag she wears reads "Clearwater".

"Welcome to Erbauer's! How might I be of assistance to you today?"a simple gather information roll will suffice

[AdamSmasher]

Cool

Know Local take 10 for 22 to know about this place and its competitors. And do people generally own magic items in Aldhaven?

Before entering, Sam takes a moment to look at the shop and ponder over actually going I before she decides that just taking a look can't hurt.

Once inside, her eyes are almost immediately locked on the saleswoman behind the counter. She's so pretty! How is she so pretty? I can't do that on purpose!

"Hi," she says, embarrassedly trying to look elsewhere. "There's was a sign outside saying there's a new customer special?"

[planswalker]

Erbauer's is a relatively new shop in town. It by far offers the consistently lowest prices in town. In fact, you've heard rumors that his shop has boasted selling for profit some items at below the cost of creation, though these rumors are hard to substantiate. Nonetheless, it is clear that if you're looking for the merchant with the cheapest magic items in town, he's your guy. Though this shop has caused a few waves among the merchant guilds, the owner is a registered member of the Guild of Starlight and Shadow of good standing. For now, the rather strict limit on the shop's volume of traffic has kept it small enough to avoid any direct action by its political rivals.

In Aldhaven, magic items are a common sight among anyone affluent enough to acquire them. In particular, hats of disguise are items you can find in large supply at almost every secondhand magic item shop in town.

"Yes, indeed. We offer first-time customers 30% off their first purchase."

[AdamSmasher]

Sense Motive! Did she sound like there was any wiggle room on that?

At a thirty percent discount, she'd be a fool not to put at least a little of her inheritance in to some sort of investment for the future... After all, magic made everything easier, it was only people's inability to save up that kept things out of their reach.

"Well..." She rolls her eyes and smiles coyly. "What do you recommend, strictly as an investment in the future?"

I probably have a better idea of what magic items can do than my character does, so instead of playing out a bunch of questions and window shopping, should I just pitch some item ideas at you for price checks?

[planswalker]

btw, Riz and I have discussed it, and I would love to take over dm'ing your character long-term. I'm enjoying this and would love to make this a long-term thing if you don't mind.

"Our single most popular item is a magical device of Mr Erbauer's own personal design called a TeleCom Crystal. A standard Telecom Crystal has a market price of 7,000 with a recurring monthly service charge of 50 gold. However, we offer several discount and service packages as well. I must inform you, however, that this one product is outside of the scope of normal discounts, and the new customer discount does not apply. You may still use accumulated store credit as payment, both for the system and the service.

However, if you're looking to sink some money in on a purchase to take advantage of the new customer discount, might I recommend a magical ring?"

of course we can do that. However, we don't really object to using player knowledge to streamline the buying process for your character if you want. We also have no objection to you deliberately not using player knowledge for your character. Our only real goal is the player experience, so anything that enhances that works for us.

as far as price checks go, if the item has an established price in the DMG or MiC, you can safely go with that market price for Aldhaven. The merchant and mage guilds establish a very uniform market average price in the city. Erbaur's discount prices directly correspond to market average.

As for custom items, if they can be achieved with the item creation rules layed out in MiC, run it by me and/or Riz first to check the math, but that's likely to be good as well.

[AdamSmasher]

I'm glad you like DMing my character! I have no problem switching from Rizban to you.

I mean, as long as you're not some serial PC killer. :smallannoyed:

That crystal sounded just like the thing she had never heard of at the bank. "What does the TelCom crystal do?"

Some of what I want is a little in the grey area, but here's a list of questions before I decide what she buys:

-I want a Ring of Sustenance for her, but Changelings are a little on the hedonistic side and she wouldn't give up all the worldly comforts, so I was hoping to get basically the same effect through an Everlasting Ration, an Everful Mug, and some custom bedroll/bedding that lets her only sleep two hours a night. If item locations are a concern, I'd be fine with a ring that attunes her to the items so they'll function. That should be 2500 (for the ring), minus 350 for the ration I already have, minus 200 for the Everfull Mug, for ~1950 for the bedroll?

-Then toss three Prestidigitations on them for superficial enhancements for another 540.

-I also want a regular 1/Day item of Prestidigitation, which probably comes out to another 180.

-Then, I know she'll need Wilding Clasps eventually, but she probably won't have a lot of important items to put them on. I was hoping that, instead of paying 4,000 for a dedicated clasp with no space limitation that can be moved around to any item, we could do a modified single-item version and make a Wilding vest instead of a vest with a Wilding Clasp on it. Theoretically that'd be half price.

-Also, is it possible to sew a Handy Haversack into some clothing? Like, turn three pockets into the three pouches of the Haversack? And would it work with her Vestment of Many Styles? What would the price be?

[planswalker]

Not really. I think his body count is higher than mine, but then again, he also has taken on more characters over the years

"TeleCom crystals allow one to communicate telepathically with anyone else who has a crystal, provided you know to whom specifically you are sending the message."

those are some seriously CUSTOM magic item effects. I'm afraid that you'll want to pm your thoughts to Rizban and get his feedback. He's the one who does all the number crunching for magic item rules. I'm more of a story guy myself. None of your ideas sound unreasonable to me, but I'm loathe to approve anything that I'm not 100% sure on rules-wise, and Rizban is the master when it comes to magic item creation rules.

[Rizban]

Some of what I want is a little in the grey area, but here's a list of questions before I decide what she buys:

-I want a Ring of Sustenance for her, but Changelings are a little on the hedonistic side and she wouldn't give up all the worldly comforts, so I was hoping to get basically the same effect through an Everlasting Ration, an Everful Mug, and some custom bedroll/bedding that lets her only sleep two hours a night. If item locations are a concern, I'd be fine with a ring that attunes her to the items so they'll function. That should be 2500 (for the ring), minus 350 for the ration I already have, minus 200 for the Everfull Mug, for ~1950 for the bedroll?

-Then toss three Prestidigitations on them for superficial enhancements for another 540.

-I also want a regular 1/Day item of Prestidigitation, which probably comes out to another 180.

-Then, I know she'll need Wilding Clasps eventually, but she probably won't have a lot of important items to put them on. I was hoping that, instead of paying 4,000 for a dedicated clasp with no space limitation that can be moved around to any item, we could do a modified single-item version and make a Wilding vest instead of a vest with a Wilding Clasp on it. Theoretically that'd be half price.

-Also, is it possible to sew a Handy Haversack into some clothing? Like, turn three pockets into the three pouches of the Haversack? And would it work with her Vestment of Many Styles? What would the price be?
Hey Rizban,

I pitched a few items at Planswalker to see what he thought of them. He told me to contact you for a final ruling. The full description is in Sam's thread, but here's a rundown:

-I asked about breaking a Ring of Sustenance out in to three items that had the same cumulative effect, but that a hedonist would enjoy. An everlasting ration and an everfull mug can cover the food and water, but there's no extant item that can provide the sleep benefits. I asks for one that could, preferably some kind of bedding, and suggested it be priced to match the difference between the mug+ration and the ring.

-I asked about pitching in a little more (I figured a 1/day cantrip like prestidigitation each) to make them luxurious, putting out better tasting/more varied food and drink/more comfortable. Pure fluff.

-I asked about a slotted version of the Wilding Clasp, so I could have a Wilding Vest instead of a Vest with a Wilding Clasp. Theoretically it would be half price due to the lack of movability/sellability.

-I asked about sewing a Handy Haversack into some clothing pockets instead of making it a backpack. Theoretically that would be less expensive because it takes up a slot, but that doesn't sound right.

Also, like I told Plansealkee, I have no problem with him taking over my thread!

Bedroll: Heward's Fortifying Bedroll does exactly what you're asking for in a magic bedroll but does it in 1 hour of rest. It's in Complete Mage p132-133.

Prestidigitation, Add On: Adding a 3/day casting of prestidigitation to an existing item will be 1800gp (market price), if the item slot is reasonable for the effect, more if it's not the right slot affinity. If you just want an improved food/drink effect, then adding a flat 1,000gp would be enough to get an actual mechanical change to the quality of the foodstuffs.

Prestidigitation, Stand Alone: 1/day prestidigitation, unless you can find a cheaper printed object, is 400gp. 800gp if unslotted. [1*1*2000*(1/5)]

Wildling Clasp: I'm not sure exactly what it is you're asking for here. If you could elaborate more, I'll answer the question.

Sewn in Haversack: There is the Belt of Many Pockets from Complete Arcane or the Belt of Hidden Pouches from Races of the Wild. Similar concept, except that you have multiple tiny bags of holding. Use a different pouch for each type of item, and you can get a similar effect. Both have a haversack-like ability to pull items without AoOs.

[AdamSmasher]

Thanks for the response, but wouldn't prestidigitation cost half that for being a cantrip? Aren't they a .5 in those equations?

As for the Wilding Clasp, it's from MIC 190 and when you attach it to an item it prevents that item from melding when you wild shape. What would it cost to make a wonderous item that never melds as if it had a wilding clasp on it? So you'd lose the ability to move the effect around to different items or remove it completely, but hopefully it'd be less than 4k gp.

[planswalker]

Rizban and I are both very aware of wilding clasps from MiC. What we're unsure on is exactly what variant of a wildling clasp you're asking about and why exactly it would be cheaper than the base item.

[AdamSmasher]

I was thinking since it was already an unslotted item, it'd have a hidden x2 modifier bringing it to 4k from some unseen 'base' price for the effect. So by removing the unslotted feature, it'd limit the effect to one item and make it unremovable.

I'm really just trying to squeeze every ounce of utility I can out of this dough. I've had a DM with some very liberal interpretations of item pricing, I guess.

[planswalker]

no, you're misunderstanding how the item pricing guide works. In order to get it half off, you wouldn't be talking about having the clasp only keyed to one particular item slot, you'd be talking about having it take up an item slot, which doesn't make sense at all with what its function is. Also, they very clearly are not priced using the guidelines given for creating custom magic item effects and therefore you can't try to deconstruct their pricing that way.

In short, stop trying to get a cheesy discount on an already cheesy (imo) item that Wizards really shouldn't have printed to begin with. No, I'm not banning them from AVB, but just be aware that you're going to pay full price for all the wildling clasps you want to get.

[AdamSmasher]

I asked once, and just because I've only had a couple DMs before and they were all for that kind of thing. It's worth seeing where the boundary is so I know I won't get jumped by someone with a gauntlet of continuous Wraithstrike while unprepared. But I'll try to keep it more conservative.

Here's a different shopping list, provided that the 30% is for an entire order and not for a single item:

-1 Ring of Sustenance [2500]
-1 Amulet of Tears [2300]
-1 Ring of Command Word Prestidigitation 1/Day [.5*1*1800*.2=180?]
-1 Wilding Clasp [4000]
-1 Continuous Protection from Evil enhancement to her Vestment of Many Styles [1*1*2000*2+500*.5=4250?] (Is the torso a good slot for that? MIC has saving throws, energy resistance, and natural armor as common effects there)

If my math is right, it might not be, that's 13,230 gp before discount, which comes to 9,261 gp post-discount (I just multiplied by .7).

Is that a working list?

[planswalker]

all those sound reasonable to me, provided that Mr Erbauer can craft them. I'm afraid Rizban is the one who keeps up with what all the npc can and can't do (he is a former pc and Riz kept the sheet). I don't know for sure, but I'm not sure he can do the wildling clasps.

I apologize if I came off hostile. I wasn't meaning to be, but tone of voice doesn't convey intent well over the internet.

[AdamSmasher]

Cool, I'm glad. I was just thinking 'Dang, got a new DM and immediately soured him.' I can wait for Rizban. Does the shop not have a stock? Will I need to wait for crafting? Also, since I'm going with the Ring will they buy her Everlasting Ration?

And, just for reference, can Sam identify Clearwater's race?

[Rizban]

planswalker can come across overly hostile at times on the forum (and sometimes in real life). He never means it. I've always just assumed it's his attempt to cut out sarcasm and humor to be emphatic about something and ends up coming across as overly serious and blunt. Also, you're not going to offend him that easily. He's got a pretty thick skin. :smallwink:So, I'm going to make an assumption here about your wilding clasp inquiry.

I'm assuming what you're really asking for is the ability to permanently add the clasp's ability to an existing item for a discount and have it apply to just the one item.
I'm also assuming you're not asking for a slotted wilding clasp that applies to all other items worn. If you're requesting the second, it's not going to happen.

Even assuming the wilding clasp could be deconstructed in that way, adding an ability onto an existing item adds 50% to the cost. So, if I choose to allow this at all, you would end up with an MSRP of 3,000 gp (4000/2*1.5). Also, if the body slot doesn't match the affinity properly, that's another +50%, bringing it right back up to 4,000gp (or more, depending on how you figure it), not to mention making your item just that much more expensive to improve otherwise at a later date and losing the ability entirely if you ever switch it out for a different item.

It's probably best to just buy the clasps and be done with it.My mistake. I was thinking it was a 1st-level spell. I've been playing a psion most recently, and it is a 1st-level power, what with there not being any psionic cantrips...In the future, it's MUCH easier on me if you list the source book at the bare minimum. Page numbers help too. It's puts me in a better mood to not have to search for extended periods to find every item on a list...

The three existing items you've requested are fine.
The prestidigitation ring is fine too. Do note that it is a 1/day command word item with a standard action activation and 1 hour duration.

The continuous protection from evil is a no go. The formulas are guidelines only. Breaking down the individual bonuses you get from it (+2 AC, +2 saves, etc.), as is recommended, you get a market price somewhere between 19,000 and 26,000, possibly more. When you add in the +50% for multiple ability in a single item, you'll end up with an even higher price.
Book of Exalted Deeds (which is on the ban list) has it as a +3 armor property. On +1 armor, you're looking at a minimum of 16,000gp+armor.

However, I did find a continuous protection from chaos amulet in a 3.0 book for the price of 12,100gp, though it also has some other 1 use only abilities. I also feel it's a little under priced as printed. Stripping out those two 1 time abilities leaves a MSRP of about 8,500gp. I think that I'll allow a continuous protection from evil amulet at 10,000gp MSRP. The amulet slot is most appropriate based on the DMG body slot affinities table (p288), though a cloak could also work, I suppose. Moving it to the vest would up it to 15,000gp for an unaffiliated slot.

[planswalker]

And, just for reference, can Sam identify Clearwater's race?

knowledge (local) checks help identify the race of humanoids.

[AdamSmasher]

I actually wrote down the book and page number, then took it back out because obviously if I knew where it was so would you. :smallsigh:

I'll give it my best.

I'll keep that amulet in mind, because I think it might be very useful. I agree that the amulet fits the best with the descriptors on that list. I don't see rings on there, though. Are they a catch-all?

I'm going to stew on my shopping list for a little bit. I don't actually know, are items of odd numbered stat bonuses legal? Like, for instance, a vest of +1 Constitution.

In the meantime, Sam rolls a [roll0] to know what Clearwater is.

[Rizban]

Rings are a catch all, yes. You could also put it into a ring if you so wished.

Even stat numbers only, please.

[planswalker]

As you stare at the beautiful form before you, you realize that she is not, in fact, humanoid. The unearthly grace about her goes beyond what any humanoid could muster. In fact, it would seem that Clearwater is one of the Fey, a nymph. You're sure that the tale of how a nymph went from living in her body of water in the wilderness somewhere to being a clerk at a magic item shop in Aldhaven must be quite an adventure.

[AdamSmasher]

I think Sam is going to walk away with two rings: one Ring of Sustenance and Prestidigitation 1/Day [2500+180*1.5=2770?] and one Ring of Protection from Evil [10000], which will cost around 8,939 gp, if I've done my math right.

Also, I've been thinking about that bonus feat I haven't taken yet. If I took Leadership, how would that work in a game where everyone's level 6? Would Sam only be able to recruit children? How much influence would I have over cohort identities/builds/actions? Do followers need to be organized, or could they just be helpful contacts around town?

[planswalker]

um... what gave you the idea that everyone in the city is level 6? Just because pc's start at level 6 doesn't mean everyone you meet in the city is level 6+. As for the nature of what exactly you do with your followers, that all depends on how things rp out.

also, it'd be nice if you actually did something IC in your next post.

[AdamSmasher]

Rizban said in the recruiting thread that your average basic adult NPC was level 6 and that levels 1-5 were generally reserved for children and apprentices.

Thinking about it, Sam couldn't imagine why people would pay so much money to talk to each other remotely when they could just walk over and meet in person or write a letter. This fad would never catch on.

"What kind of rings do you have?" She wanted to ask how a Nymph found herself in the heart of a city. She didn't think the Fey liked urban areas. Was that racist? Should she ask? What if it was a sore spot?

[planswalker]

hm... that is strange since that's not at all what the Aldhaven setting is really like. Your typical people in important positions, yeah, but there's all sorts of people in the city who aren't lvl 6+. Those beggars on the streetcorners are not secretly lvl 6 adventurers. At least, most of them are not.

I'm pretty sure you misunderstood him.

"We actually do not keep any items "in stock". Each item ordered here is a custom-crafted that Mr Erbauer creates himself. We can create nearly any item you can conceive of, including nearly any ring in existence."

[AdamSmasher]

I've never tried linking to an actual post, but I was going by what Rizban said here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18719825&postcount=19

And here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18720439&postcount=38

What's the real profile of the average Aldhaven citizen?

"Oh, is there a long wait?" She looks over Clearwater's shoulder at the workshop behind her. Sam had just assumed that tucked somewhere back there was a magic bag full of magic goods that they kept out of the way to save limited real estate. Something like what was on the sign.

Sam never actually saw her parent sleeping, something she had always wondered about. She thought it must be amazing to have so much extra time in the day. "Can he make something that let's you go without sleep?"

[Rizban]

average level of a "basic" adult NPC is level 6Essentially, anyone with any importance at all is going to be level 6+.
Random nameless NPCs you meet on the street may be anywhere from 4th to 8th.
Anyone who is a child or still an apprentice is level 1 to 5.

The purpose of wording it that way was to encourage players to not think of themselves as the all powerful heroes in a land of level 1 commoners. You'll almost never come across a level 1 commoner who isn't a child.

[planswalker]

"Mr Erbauer can make several different items in a typical day and thus the wait time is usually two days or less. Most of our customers find that the benefit of getting custom items exactly the way they want to be worth the wait. If you're looking for just some sort of random junk quickly, there are plenty of magic item peddlers out there who might or might not sell you something useful.

As for an item to reduce the need to sleep, yes indeed, we can do such. Nearly any effect you can imagine can be done. For the right price, of course."

[AdamSmasher]

After some exploratory questions and helpful guidance from Clearwater, Sam decides on the two rings she wants. She asks for them to be made as inconspicuous as possible to keep from painting a target on herself. She'll pay out of her account with the Plaza bank, but request a receipt for her order.

"How long do you think those will take to make?"

[planswalker]

"Mr Erbauer should have them finished by tomorrow evening. You can pick them up the day after."

[AdamSmasher]

"Wow, that's fast." This Erbauer guy could make a year's pay worth of goods in just two days. Maybe her parents should have trained her to be an artificer.

Sam will fill out whatever paperwork she needs to to complete the purchase and get some kind of receipt. She'll also read carefully over whatever they give her for any weird loopholes before signing or agreeing.

When they're done, she thanks Clearwater for her time and her help and steps back out on to the plaza and promptly gets shaky knees over all the money she just spent.

[planswalker]

The paperwork is pretty standard and there are no strange loopholes.

You find the plaza a bustling place of activity just like the first time you entered.

[AdamSmasher]

In for a pound and in for a penny, Sam crosses the Plaza to check out the supply shop for mundane goods.

[planswalker]

As you enter Ezekiel's Supplies, you notice that the walls are lined with supplies of all kinds. There are various sets of outfits designed for harsh weather conditions and dangerous climates, flasks and bottles and bags and pouches and all manner of containers, swords and knives and bows, and even a small section entirely devoted to cooking utensils and pots and pans. In the far back is a locked glass case filled with what appear to be various magical potions.

A half-elf woman stands behind a counter near the door and smiles at you as you enter. "Welcome to Ezekiel's Supplies! Please, look around and ask if you have any questions."

[AdamSmasher]

"Hi there!" Sam says. "I'd like to pick up a few things."


-1 Messenger Bag (Backpack), ideally one that could some day be Haversacked. 2gp.
-2 Daggers. 4gp.
-1 Chalk. 1cp.
-1 Sack. 1sp.
-1 Hand Periscope. 50 gp. Dungeonscape p32.
-1 Sparker. 2gp. Arms and Equipment Guide p25.
-1 Marbles. 2sp. Arms and Equipment Guide p24.
-1 Manacles. 15gp. (If I need a lock to use them, add Very Simple Lock. 20gp.
-4 Flour Pouch. 4sp. Dungeonscape p32.
-1 Garlic. 1cp. Arms and Equipment Guide p31.
-1 Insectbane Candle. 1sp. Arms and Equipment Guide p21.
-1 Liquid Sunlight. 20gp. Complete Scoundrel p110.


Do Masterwork Tools for the social skills (Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Gather Info) or knowledges exist?

[planswalker]

no. Tools for the social skills don't exist.

"Of course." You find all the items you're looking for at market average.

[Rizban]

Ezekiel's Supplies doesn't carry generic alchemical goods, so no Liquid Sunlight. They do not have the license for alchemical goods.
You can find it at an alchemist or herbalist shop though.

The magic potions they carry are actually there on consignment, as a small sign on the potion display case informs you.

[planswalker]

good catch, Rizban. I didn't notice the alchemical items.

[AdamSmasher]

I'll add a crowbar (2gp), two vials (2gp), and a signal whistle (8sp), and a cup (3cp, assuming it's basically a flask), then, if they'll fit in the bag.

"Thanks!" Sam says, and departs.

She retires to The Sad Flint to pull lunch out of her Everlasting Ration pouch. She unenthusiastically chokes down the hard-tac it produces and stores the pouch back in her room's chest. Then she gets a drink of water from the Flint's washroom before heading back out.

Feeling as prepared as she ever will, Sam begins walking towards the address of the Tax evader.

[planswalker]

While the neighborhood may not be wealthy, it is certainly well-to-do. You come upon the address of the tax evader, and the house does not appear from the outside to be any different from its neighbors. They are all two-story affairs where the bottom half seems devoted to storefronts and workshops with the top half as living spaces.

[AdamSmasher]

As Sam nears the address, she starts window shopping in outside of nearby shops. Specifically, she's looking for anything that might be a social gathering place. If she finds a particularly interesting store, she'll stop in for a minute to look but won't buy.

When she gets to Eckhart's shop, she'll look in the window just the same as the others. What kind of business do they appear to be running?

[planswalker]

For the most part, the shops seem to be rather pedestrian shops carrying supplies for working people such as dry goods, tools, and item repair. There is one pie shop that seems popular along with a stylist.

Mr Eckhart's shop seems to have been selling saddles, harnesses, and other stablery items. From the looks of things, it's been closed for about a week.

[AdamSmasher]

Knowledge Local, take 10 for 22 to know the legal penalties for having your familiar snoop around on someone else's property and to know if there are any popular taverns around here

[planswalker]

the legal penalty for having your familiar break and enter is identical to committing the crime yourself.

The most popular tavern nearby is the Swug and Chug.

[AdamSmasher]

Sam, being unwilling to commit a crime for the chance of catching a 100gp bounty, decides that the best way to catch a lead on his whereabouts is, as always, to simply ask. She heads to the pie shop, then the nearest tavern she can find, likely the Swug and Chug, to make conversation. If need be, she'll buy a pie and something from the tavern.

Perfectly aware that half the bums in Aldhaven are looking for this tax evader, Sam elects to try the more subtle approach and not make it immediately obvious she's a bounty hunter. Her father sent her to ask about a saddle, but the stablery shop is closed!

[roll0] To track the bastard. Does she get the Favored Enemy bonus for Urban Tracking? You get it for normal tracking.

Do I need a separate check to learn about him, or is it all in one?

[planswalker]

one check to track him another to learn about him. The one to learn about him will take [roll0] hours.

you'll get a +2 to both those checks if you spend 5 gold on pies and drinks and the Swug and Chug

[AdamSmasher]

[roll0] to learn about him. And Sam'll buy the pies and drinks, she's tired of Everlasting Rations already.

Edit: I forgot that Sam can Gather Information in 1d4+1x10 minutes. I don't know if that applies to tracking, too.

And she has a base speed of 40, so she probably saved even more time being a fast walker.

[planswalker]

alrighty then, it takes her d4x10+10 minutes.

As she investigates further, she finds out that Eckhart in fact is a saddlemaker who has fallen on hard times as his business has had to move into the city. There is still just barely enough horse-drawn traffic in this town for him to get by repairing and maintaining equipment, but his coffers last year were shy when it was tax season because someone had broken into his home and robbed him the night before. Unfortunately, Aldhaven tax collectors did not care, and his taxes were still due. When it appeared that he could not pay and was facing imprisonment for a month, he disappeared.

Following up on rumors you gathered about a half-elven man who otherwise matches Eckhart's description to a T living in a hostel just north of his home, you arrive at Marietta's Rest not long after your investigation started.

[AdamSmasher]

[roll0]x10. Your 1 key is slacking.

Does insurance exist in Aldhaven?

And does Marietta's Rest have a lot of windows? Is it the type of place that's so small each room would have one? And did that wanted poster have a picture?

From what Sam knows, would 100gp be in the ballpark of what it would take to get someone in Viggo *Eichter's situation back on their feet post-jail sentence?

I'll take 10 for 22 on knowledge local if necessary.

[planswalker]

insurance does exist in Aldhaven.

You don't have any kind of clue how much it would take. You'd have to ask someone more familiar with his business and financial status.

The wanted poster included a sketch of the man.

and bah, I suck with names

In fact, Marietta's Rest does indeed have a row of small windows on all three floors of the hostel, presumably one per room.

[AdamSmasher]

Provided this is not illegal!

Sam is not at all thrilled about collecting a bounty on someone who's just had a round of bad luck, but she imagines there is always the possibility he had something to do with his own break-in. At the same time, if she was actually able to find this man in less than an hour, someone less kind will surely find him soon enough. She decides, for now, to at least confirm she has the right guy before agonizing over it further. She steps into a more inconspicuous spot, maybe a bench or an alley.

"You awake, Squeeks?" She whispers, to be answered by a writhing in her jacket pocket. "I've got a job for you."

The little mouse, in reply, scurries out of her jacket pocket and into her hand where it sits on its haunches to face her. "You remember what the tax evader looks like?" It nods its head. "Good, go have a peak in those windows over there and see if you see him."

She sets her pet down on the ground and then retires to a nearby spot to rest her feet and watch the door of the hostel as inconspicuously as possible. Meanwhile, Squeeks scurries across the footpath to the side of the hostel, where he uses his claws to climb the side of the building and look for their target.

[planswalker]

hide check to remain inconspicuous in a crowd

It takes Squeeks about 20 minutes to do the reconnaissance necessary. In that time...

[AdamSmasher]

[roll0]I also have darkstalker, if it happens to matter.

Also, Sam will take 10 on this if possible, since she's reasonably sure a merchant won't be vigilantly observant or very farsighted after a week.

[planswalker]

if you roll for a check, you can't decide to take 10 on it instead.

You don't notice anyone noticing you as your familiar commits espionage. Squeeks reports back and indicates that the window on the first floor at the far left side of the building is the one with our target in it.

[AdamSmasher]

So ask beforehand about taking 10 when not sure?

Soon enough, Sam sees a little shape scurrying down the edge of the footpath towards her, huddled up against the wall as mice are want to do. "There you are, I was getting worried. Did you see him?"

She reaches down to the ground and scoops her companion up in her palms, where it excitedly chirps and waves its paws and scampers around to mime out a story that is mostly incomprehensible, but ends with the harrowing tale of how Squeaks definitely looked in the last window on the far left of the first floor and totally saw their guy.

"Awesome!" She says, giving the mouse a back scratch with one finger. "Good work, Squeaks. I've got a surprise for you."

Sam reaches into her bag and pulls out a small piece of wadded up paper, the center of which still contains a mouse-sized portion of pie from her search. She hands it to her familiar, who gleefully carries it up to her shoulder to start eating.

As it scarfs down the morsel, Sam weighs her options.

What did Squeaks see him doing?

Also, if I remember right, this should be really close to Jango's address. How far is it?

[planswalker]

yeah, ask before rolling if you're not sure. I'm always going to go with a roll if you rolled one.

Yes, Jango's is about a 10 minute walk from here.

Squeeks saw him counting coins into a bag.

As you are weighing your options, you notice a man in brightly colored armor walking to the door of the hostel and knocking. From his gear and mannerisms, it is clear that he is both too wealthy and too foreign to be a native to this part of town. Odds are, he is an adventurer like yourself.

[AdamSmasher]

Sam's going to roll a Sense Motive check to size up that adventurer using the Complete Adventurer rules. Does he look like the fighter-y type or the rogue-y type? If he's fighter-y, Sam will take 10. If he's rogue-y, I'll roll.

And what race is he?

"Suspicious~" She whispers. "Did you see what kind?" A man on the run for tax evasion with a bag full of money only a week later? That sure suggested a scam, but maybe it was his last bit of change he was using to get away.

***

As the apparent adventurer approaches the hostel, Sam shifts her shoulder to draw her mouse's attention so he'll follow her gaze. There were three possibilities that Sam saw, here: that was an ordinary adventurer who just happened to be staying at the same hostel as her target, that was a bodyguard her target had hired for protection, or that was someone else here to have a possibly unfriendly chat with her first bounty. If it was the first option, waiting couldn't hurt. If it was either of the other two, Sam really didn't want to get in any adventurer's way; those people tended to have a grievous misunderstanding of the value of sentient life. They were always killing or getting killed around the city, she heard.

Sam'll wait at least until he goes inside to do anything, but I'd like to see how tough he looks, what his race was, and whether he fits Jango's description before continuing.

[planswalker]

Your mouse didn't get a clear view.

The man appears to be a human in medium armor with a well-muscled build. A long sword is visible in a scabbard at his side. The door opens to a thin elf who talks with the man for several minutes before closing the door in his face. The man looks around with a scowl on his face, and then proceeds to start creeping up to the windows and trying to sneak a peek inside just like your mouse did.

[AdamSmasher]

Sense Motive take 10 for 27 against a human to see how tough he appears to be.

Did Sam learn anything about Viggo's family while she was asking around?

Bounty hunter for sure! She thinks. All the while they converse, Sam's mind is an absolute storm of ideas.

[planswalker]

strangely enough, nothing about his family came up in your investigations.

that's the funny thing about gather info. The more meaningless and obscure someone is, the harder it is to learn about them.

The man very clearly is an inexperienced adventurer. You doubt very seriously that any bounty hunter that's actually trying to catch anyone by surprise would paint his armor so brightly. This man also carries himself with a rather unsure presence. And you're pretty damn sure that skulking around the front of the hostel in broad daylight does not constitute good espionage tactics.

[AdamSmasher]

Are the windows on the front or on the sides? I'm assuming they're only on the front here. I have better ideas if they're on the sides.

Also, is it cool if that signal whistle I bought has a little leather cord so she can put it around her neck?

"C'mere." Sam scoops up her pet and puts him back in her pocket. She walks up to the front door of the hostel and gives it a knock, hopefully getting getting at least a glance from her rival. As she does, she stares directly at him with a look of mild fear and revulsion, as if he were some pervert trying to catch people getting dressed. It should also helpfully remind him that it's the middle of the afternoon and everyone can see what he's doing.

"Hi!" She says, if the elf answers. "Do you have any rooms available?"

[planswalker]

they're on the front, and yeah, that's cool.

The man gives a start as he realizes that you're staring at him, then turns away with a look of disgust.

The same man from before answers the door. "Yes, we do. Room and board are 4 silver a night, breakfast included but not other meals."

[AdamSmasher]

Consider the whistle warn, and preferably tucked out of sight under her collar.

Is ol'Peeping Tom getting closer to Viggo's window?

Sense Motive 10 for 27 to get a read on whether he seems to be phased by the embarrassment or not and to look for signs of defeat in his face/posture.

"Oh, good!" She says, kicking herself internally for what she paid for The Sad Flint in a fit of mad paranoia. "What kind of rooms are there?"

**Provided the adventurer is leaving**

Sam looks over her shoulder at the adventurer as he walks away. "Do you have any on the second floor? That guy was trying to look in peoples' windows."

**Provided he just turned his back and is still creeping**

As Sam speaks, she keeps passing nervous glances at the human man. "And... um... do you have any on the second floor?" She keeps her head still but signals with her eyes that the elf should take a look to their side.

[planswalker]

by "turn away", I meant "he turns away from the hostel and leaves", not that he just turned his face away from you.

and yeah, the Sad Flint is very expensive. People staying there are doing it as much for the prestige as they are for the accommodations (which honestly, you can find better for half the price, just without all the magical bells and whistles.)

"Well, they're plain and simple rooms for plain and simple folk. They're just a bed and a small dresser. You'll have to supply your own lighting if you want light after it gets dark. There's a small washroom common to four other rooms for you to use, and there's no silly magical accommodations. Other than breakfast, which we serve for two hours after dawn, we don't supply any other meals or such. We're a simple establishment for simple folk."

In regards to your question about the peeping tom, "Yes, we do have second- and third-floor rooms available. Rest assured that if that gentleman comes back, I will be calling the Watch on him."

[AdamSmasher]

There's no escaping the tourist traps.

"What did he want?" Sam concernedly watches the adventurer walk away, trying to judge whether he's just looking for a place to stake out or whether he's actually leaving. "And... could I see one of the rooms first? What do you serve for breakfast?" Now that the heat of the moment was over, Sam suddenly regretted asking for higher-floor rooms. A rented room on the first floor could be a great way to keep track of her target's movements.

Sam's goal here is to get inside and 'case the joint', getting an idea of the floor plan, meeting places, and escape routes. I imagine it's not a large place and it's all pretty simple.

[planswalker]

"He was asking if anyone had seen a lost dog in the neighborhood. His story was kinda shaky and I didn't believe him for one minute. Then he started traipsing around and peeking into people's windows. If he comes back, I'll call the watch on him, don't you worry. But yes, we do indeed have second story rooms available."

"As to a tour, we don't do tours of our rooms. There's basic, no-frills accommodations for simple working folk. No one but residents and my staff are allowed inside. If, after the first night, you feel that our facility is not worth the cost, we'll refund you all but that night's fee and you can find somewhere else to sleep. Breakfast is normally some sort of gruel or stewed oats and a piece of fruit. We sweeten them with a touch of honey on Wednesdays when the cook's in a good mood."

[AdamSmasher]

Welcome back!

Sam lets herself deflate just a bit when the elf refuses a tour. "Well, alright." She says. "Thanks for your time, I'm going to look around a bit more but I might come back."

She takes one more concerned look over her shoulder in the direction the adventurer left before the elf closes the door. Did she see which way the adventurer left?

And are there any businesses or vantage points around that would make a good stake out location for her to watch the front of the hostel?

Also, Rizban said in the recruiting thread that retraining options were available, but he didn't say which ones. Would I be able to retrain my 4th level stat bonus assignment? I put it in intelligence assuming that odd-numbered stat bonus items were legal.

Also, do I have any options for putting Track onto my familiar instead of Stealthy? Maybe take him to an animal trainer?

[planswalker]

Your personal retraining can work just fine, provided you rp your character retraining herself. As for retraining your familiar, I'm a bit sketchy on that point. Ask Rizban.

He has either turned down a side street while your back was turned or else has somehow managed to blend into the crowd despite his gaudy armor. You cannot see him.

This hostel is the tallest building in its immediate vicinity, being a 3-story affair in a block that features mostly 2-story buildings.

[AdamSmasher]

Cool, I'll figure out a way to retrain that makes sense. Maybe she'll hit her head and lose a point of Int. Thanks!

As Sam takes a few steps back from the door of the hostel, she realizes that the adventurer has disappeared completely. Though he probably ducked into an alleyway, there was also a chance that Sam just wasn't seeing him in the traffic. There was also a chance he used some fancy adventurer loot to turn invisible or teleport away! His armor was magic for sure, it was only mages that made items so trashy.

She likely hadn't seen the last of him, and certainly didn't feel comfortable enough to depart for Jango's residence yet.

She takes a look at the nearby businesses, hoping one of them is a restaurant or some other place where she could sit and keep an eye on the front of the hostel. As she does, she starts to meander down the road in the direction the adventurer turned away, perching her mouse on her shoulder to alert her if someone approaches or leaves Marietta's Rest.

[planswalker]

In fact, there are two pubs and a restaurant on this street, one of the pubs sits directly across from Marietta's Rest and even features large windows.

[AdamSmasher]

Sam walks across the street to the pub and finds herself a seat with a view of the hostel, preferably hidden from Viggo's window if such a layout exists. She doesn't stress out about it, and she'll order something to be a polite customer if they ask.


From there, she will sit and wait for something interesting to happen. If that blockhead with the 'lost dog' could find Viggo, she was sure others could, too.

But it turns out that staking out is quite boring, and she wishes she had brought something to idly occupy herself with beyond pigeon watching.

That gives me an idea. How about she finds and reads a book, maybe on going with your gut instead of overanalyzing things, and when she finishes it after an appropriate amount of in-game time, she switches her level 4 bonus from intelligence to wisdom? It could just take a while to sink in if we wait for a level up.

[planswalker]

I'm okay with you doing that and it happening upon level-up, but that's hardly the kind of drastic measure that would explain a mid-level retraining.

You find yourself ordering a meal and a drink for 2 silver in order to be polite.

You observe the place for several hours before you catch sight of your quarry leaving the place in a cloak and hood.

[AdamSmasher]

I agree, if I think of something more dramatic I'll pose it to you.

The instant Sam lays eyes on Viggo, she sizes him up.

Take 10 for 23 on Sense Motive to judge his CR (C-Adv) and get a feel for his mood. +4 if the bounty was right about him being human.

Give me a feel for the current situation. I'm guessing there's only a few hours of sun left. How crowded are the streets? Is that definitely the face from the poster, as Squeeks saw? Is he visibly armed? I take it Sam hasn't noticed any other bounty hunter looking types?

[planswalker]

Viggo doesn't appear to be armed, and in fact he doesn't appear to be all that dangerous at all. He looks like an honest-to-goodness civilian in every sense of the word. You get a flash of a face from underneath the hood, and there can be no doubt in your mind that it's him.

You mark him as either a pushover or quite easy to beat. He's clearly no threat in combat.

You've seen no one else that looks like a bounty hunter come by since you set up your watch.

[AdamSmasher]

"Coat Pocket." Sam stands up from her table, leaving her two silver pieces with her dishes, as her mouse scrambles up her shirt sleeve and into the pocket of her jacket. "Thanks!" She waves at the barmaid and heads out into the street.

Stepping out onto the street and seeing no pursuers, Sam elects for the bold approach, not giving him a chance to escape. She walks up behind him, trying not to get his attention, and takes one more look behind them for a rival hunter before grabbing Viggo's arm as if she knew him. "Act natural, they're after you. Let's talk, Mr. Eichter." She says with a smile.

Think this for the grabbing: http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x4518590/portrait-of-young-girl-hugging-fathers-arm.jpg

What checks would be appropriate here? I want Sam to have a hold on him so he can't just bolt, but for it to still look natural. That'd probably be a grapple check, but only if he resists?

Should I roll diplomacy to keep him from panicking?

And I'd like Squeaks to poke his head out of her pocket and make his own spot/listen/sense motive checks in the rounds to come.

[planswalker]

well, first of all a hide check to sneak up on him without arousing suspicion, and then an intimidate check to scare him into obeying you.

[AdamSmasher]

[roll0]
[roll1] I was aiming for more persuasive than intimidating, like she's helping. +8 instead of +4 if I can use diplomacy.

[planswalker]

He sees you following him, and gets rather nervous as you approach. When you grab his arm, he lets out a squeal of fear. Upon your words, he tries to break your grip and run for it.

grapple check

you were still using the threat of others following to get him to comply.

[AdamSmasher]

Shoot, shoot! "Mr. Eichter you're making a mistake." She hisses at him as she plants her feet.

[roll0]

[AdamSmasher]

Unfortunately, he breaks right out of her grasp.

[roll0]

[AdamSmasher]

Is there a limit on how fast you can post rolls?

[planswalker]

question marks inside the [roll=] tag causes the forum to not process it properly. The roll happened, but the forum didn't report it accurately. go back and edit the post with [roll0] in place of the roll script, and it'll report properly.

The man breaks free from your grasp and begins to run away...

[AdamSmasher]

Sam, seeing the man bolt, uses her vastly superior speed and slightly superior combat prowess to chase after him and jump on his back. "Mr. Eichter I am much faster than you. Calm down or you will be talking to a dinosaur!"

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]+4 if I get favored enemy bonus to that.
[roll3]

[planswalker]

he runs, but not very far before you chase him down and drag him to the ground, where you proceed to rough him up just enough to let him know that he should listen to you.

"You're here to turn me in, aren't you?" he asks dejectedly, all fight gone from him.

[AdamSmasher]

The two of them go tumbling to the ground, where Sam promptly scrambles on top of him and puts her knee on his chest. Her mouse comes whirling angrily out of her coat pocket, chattering and grunting as it takes a new perch on her shoulder. "Probably, yeah." She replies. "But maybe not. Right now, though, there's another hunter looking for you who will definitely turn you in. And they'll be a lot less nice about it."

She stands up, no longer pinning him down, and holds out a hand to help him up. She looks over her shoulder and scans the crowd, looking for any potential rivals. "So let's go talk. And remember, dinosaur."

Sam was trying to put on a gruff facade, but it was hard to hear herself talk over the pounding heartbeat in her ears.

Squeaks will bark if he sees anyone suspicious

[planswalker]

"Yeah, okay." He says dejectedly as he waits for you to get off him and lend him a hand up. "Lead the way." he says. He seems to have fallen into a sense of calm, almost as if he's happy to have been caught so he can stop hiding.

[AdamSmasher]

"Alright." She says, helping him to his feet and taking his arm so he can 'escort' her. "So, tell me your story. Why are you wanted for tax evasion?" She guides him down the road in the direction he ran, away from Marietta's rest. As they begin to talk, she reaches into her bag and pulls out the manacles, attaching one link to her wrist and the other to his.

As they walk, and start going through intersections, she changes their direction to start walking towards the Fortress.

Take 10 for 22 on Knowledge Local to know the best route to take back to the Fortress, something definitely safe but unlikely to have them bothered by other hunters.

Sam will take 10 on Sense Motive as she listens to his story. Either 23 or 27 depending on whether this guy is half-elf or human. Squeaks will roll.

Shortly after helping him up, while he's still all zen, she'll take 10 for 11 on Sleight of Hand to be subtle about shackling his wrist to hers. If she's sly enough that he doesn't notice, great, but mostly to keep from making a scene.

[planswalker]

The two of you are manacled together and walk in the general direction of the Fortress. "Well, I'm a businessman who fell on hard times. My place was robbed just the week before taxes were due, and so I didn't have the money for my taxes. I panicked and ran, and I've been on the run ever since."

[AdamSmasher]

"That's terrible, I'm sorry it happened to you." Aldhaven's laws were too rigid and inflexible, she thought. "You didn't have insurance? Couldn't get a loan?" She wanted to know whether he truly had no option or whether he was just negligent. "Did you have a plan or did you intend to hide forever?" A hostel two blocks north of home probably wasn't the best hiding spot.

If there was nothing left for him in Aldhaven, but he had something like family in another city, she would probably let him go. Part of her hoped he didn't, so she could collect his bounty and he could clean his slate.

[planswalker]

"I'm already up to my ears in business debt I can barely pay back as it is. I just simply didn't have the 500 gold for taxes and I sure as hell couldn't afford to take out another loan for it. All the mounting pressures, and then I got robbed, I just couldn't take it. So I fled. I didn't really have any sort of plan in mind, though I'd heard that there's a church of some sorts in Old Town that would take in beggars. I had been planning to hide with them for a while until the activity died down and then see if I couldn't start over somewhere else under a new name."

[AdamSmasher]

Does Aldhaven have any bankruptcy equivalent?

And would it be illegal for her to let him go? Like, aiding and abetting?

"Do you know who it was that robbed you? Do you have any friends or family in the city?" Sam was liking less and less the idea of handing him over to the Fortress.

On the other hand, Viggo was the one that chose to start a business, neglected to use a bank account or buy insurance, and refused to take a loan to avoid jail. He was dumb and unlucky, but did he deserve punishment?

[planswalker]

nothing like bankruptcy.

yep, aiding and abetting a fugitive. You'd probably be slapped with a fine. But hey, you'd get story xp for it.

"I was asleep at the time, I've no clue who did it. Marietta is my sister-in-law, the only family I have left in the city. She'd been letting me stay in her hostel so far in an unused room, on account of her husband. I'd just about worn out her welcome when I left."

[AdamSmasher]

So, as far as Sam knows, this guy will probably just end up in a life of debt slavery trying to pay off the interest on his loans/taxes once he finishes his sentence?

Also, Sam and Squeaks haven't detected a lie?

And, now that I think about it, do PCs have to pay taxes?

"How did you plan on getting out of the city without the watch noticing? If I let you go, where will you go and what will you do for a living?" Sam wasn't a fan of taxes or interest, but she also knew they were at least partly necessary. If he didn't pay off his debts, the rest of Aldhaven would foot the bill when the rates increased so the nobles and merchants could continue to magically wall themselves off from the common folk.

[planswalker]

I cannot say as to what your character believes his fate would be. All I can tell you is the facts as your character has learned them.

you have detected no lies

PC's don't get any special exemptions from taxes. If your character lives long enough to get into a position where taxes are expected of her, you'll have to end up paying them just like everyone else. Aldhaven's tax laws don't include anything like a general income tax, however. Most of the city's revenue comes from fees and taxes assessed at businesses.

"I hope you'll forgive me for not feeling like divulging what my plans are should I escape, but I'm not willing to tell you precisely how to foil my plans to start a new life should I manage to escape from you."

[AdamSmasher]

Cool, thanks

"No offense taken, but don't count on getting away." She says. "If I can't trust you not to make the same mistakes, I can't trust you to let you go. You're not facing a long sentence, you'll be starting anew before you know it."

Unless he wants to plead his case further, Sam will walk him the rest of the way to the Fortress. As they walk, she'll talk to him to try and keep him calm, but will be on guard for any rival hunters or escape attempts.

[planswalker]

strangely enough, I'm not trying to make you work too hard for a 100gp bounty

You arrive at the Bounty Assessor's office without further trouble.

[AdamSmasher]

Keep this up and I might start considering that this setting isn't quite the meat grinder I've been lead to believe it is.

Once they're safely through the gate of the Fortress, but before they get to the Bounty Assessor's office, Sam poses a question to Viggo. "Got anything on you you don't want them to confiscate? Something you'd like me to deliver to Marietta? I'm going back that way." Maybe a bag of coins?

***Either way***

"Hello there, Mister Assessor. I have someone for you." She reaches into her bag and pulls out the key to the manacles, unclasping it from Viggo's wrist.

[planswalker]

He does not.

At the office, he says, "Well, congratulations. Your first bounty." He takes a pair of manacles from behind his desk, places them on the man, and steps outside to signal a Watchman from the hallway. The man is taken away to be processed.

"Now then, you are owed 100 gold. Do you have a bank account or other credit source the Watch could credit it to you with?"

[AdamSmasher]

"Good luck, Mr. Eichter."

Sam solemnly watches her first bounty get taken away. After a few moments of very mixed feelings about what she had done, her whirling emotions are totally quashed by a rush of excitement at having just totally hunted a bounty.

"Yes I do!" She says, trying to keep from sounding like an overexcited schoolgirl. "I have an account with the Plaza bank."

[planswalker]

"Very well. Just sign this paper, please, and 100 gold will be credited to your account from the Watch." He slides a piece of paper your way verifying that you are indeed the person who captured the bounty and delivered it to the Watch, and that you broke no major laws of Aldhaven and no minor laws not directly necessary for the acquisition of the fugitive. There is a note specifying that participation in Aldhaven bounty hunting does not grant one immunity from prosecution for any laws broken, even minor ones necessary for the fugitive's capture.

"Now then, aren't you the woman who was by here earlier asking about apprenticeship to a bounty hunter? Did you ever go see Jango?"

[AdamSmasher]

Sam picks up the paper and reads it through before signing it. She was almost certain she didn't break any laws, with the exception of jumping on a man's back. "Can I get a copy of this?" She slides the paper back over to him. It would be nice to have a souvenir from her first catch, if this was the route she took in life.

"That's me." She says. "I haven't seen him yet. I thought it'd be better to prove I'm serious and I've got the potential, first." Both to him and to myself.

[planswalker]

"Of course." He places the paper in the same contraption he had to create a copy of the bounty posters. "Here you go. While it was no big catch, I do believe you can certainly say to Jango you truly are serious about this."

[AdamSmasher]

"Thanks," she says, sliding the poster into her bag. "I think so to. Can I get a copy of another poster?" She scans the wall, looking for another low-end human bounty, preferably one that hadn't simply committed a victimless crime. She was good at reading humans. "That one."

Should I mark my sheet to reflect another 100g in the bank?

[planswalker]

indeed. Also add 1,000 xp for a successful first hunt. The man himself was only cr3, but this is a pretty significant story moment for your character.

The poster who seems the most likely candidate for your criteria is a 500 gp bounty for a "Flinn Ryder", wanted for petty theft, mugging, and defacing public property. The Assessor copies his poster for you as well.

[AdamSmasher]

Woop woop! Sheet updated. Thanks!

Sam takes the poster and slides it into her bag. "Thanks. I'll be back."

She leaves the Bounty Assessor's office with a new pep in her step. I just made a hundred gold pieces! That's so much money! With that kind of money I could... buy one percent of the ring I ordered earlier this afternoon.

Maybe I went a little overboard with that.

On the bridge outside the Fortress, she takes a moment to breath in the river air, look up at the sky, and read Flinn's poster for it's full details. She had a new lease on life.

[roll0] to tell what time it is

[planswalker]

It's early afternoon.

There is no known address for Flinn Ryder, and the sketch provided is a bit... imprecise. Especially the nose and lips. Most of his transgressions happen within a three block square in South Market near the city wall.

[AdamSmasher]

Sam puts the wanted poster away and starts walking south. She had a few more errands to run before looking for this serial mugger. She needed to replace her citizenship papers, pass by her room at the Flint, and and visit Jango.

First order of business, citizenship papers.

where would that be? The Courthouse?

[planswalker]

essentially, yes.

The magistrate's office you'll need to see is the one closest to where your parents live.

[AdamSmasher]

Sam didn't know where she was born, but she hoped that her documents would be in Midtown, where she had lived for the past year.

Before she does, though, she inquires around the courthouse about that elf who exposed himself. Maybe she'll get lucky.

[roll0]
][roll1]x10

[planswalker]

In about an hour of snooping, you learn that he had come out of an alley fall-down drunk, struggling to take his pants off. He'd just gotten them off when a Watchman came by to tell him to get lost. That's when he threw his underwear in the face of a passing baroness. He then apparently ran off singing "You'll never take me alive, said he!" in a loud, off-key voice as he ran back into the alley. The baroness had been so distraught by the whole affair that by the time the Watchman had calmed her down, the elf had disappeared.

[AdamSmasher]

Sam, finding the story far too comical to be criminal, tosses the elf's wanted poster in the nearest waste bin and continues on to the midtown magistrate.

[planswalker]

You find that the Midtown magistrate's office also doubles as the local City Watch center. Tax and legal records are kept in a large storage area in the back while a magistrate's aide serves as both clerk and receptionist. The man filling this role greets you as you enter the small lobby, saying "Welcome to the Midtown magistrate's office. How can I help you?"

[AdamSmasher]

"Hi," she says, "I don't have a copy of my residency papers, how would I replace them?"

[planswalker]

"Name?" The clerk asks.

[AdamSmasher]

She winces at the question. "Just Sam?"

[planswalker]

The receptionist raises an eye at this. "Your full name?"

[AdamSmasher]

Sam thinks back on all the dozens of surnames they had used over the years. Were any of them actually legal? "Samantha Tamlin." She says, using the alias she had stuck to when her parents gave it to her a few years back. "But... it might just be Sam."

[planswalker]

The clerk pulls out a record book from behind his desk and begins to rifle through it. "Hm... I see no record of anyone by that name in here. When were you born in Aldhaven, or when was your citizenship awarded by the City Council?"

[AdamSmasher]

Sam starts shaking, but suppresses it. A decade and a half of conditioning taught her to keep her identity a secret. "I was born here sixteen years ago yesterday. What would I need to know to get a copy if my papers?". It was entirely possible, even likely, that her clinically insane parent had used a name she had never even heard to register her. In that case, she might have to start all over.

[planswalker]

"Well, normally a name is all that's needed to look up a record and find it. I'll look in the back for birth records from the day you specified to see if any of them simply failed to get added to the index up front. If you will wait a moment, I'll check in the back."

[AdamSmasher]

"Thank you."

Sam waits nervously as the clerk searches the back, biting her fingernails and pacing around the office. What if she didn't have records at all? What if her parent used an identity she had never heard to register her? What if the clerk found out she was half doppelganger from her birth records and told everyone?

[planswalker]

Coming back to the front about 10 minutes later, the clerk says, "Hm... this is odd. I have here records of three boys and two girls born on that date, but none of them have that name. Are you sure you are at the correct office?"

[AdamSmasher]

"I'm... Not. Is there something like a master archive for the whole city?" It occurs to her that she doesn't even know if she was born in the city or brought to it as an infant. Of course! Why would her parent take her documents if they were going to be easy to replace? She'd probably have to hire a bloody diviner.

[planswalker]

"This and its equivalents in each city district are the centralized archives. There is no central repository for the whole city."

[AdamSmasher]

"Oh, okay. Well, thank you. I'll try a different office." Sam scampers out of the office and, upon reaching the street, throws her head back and groans. If she was going to get her papers replaced, it was probably going to be a whole thing.

Deciding that papers were future Sam's problem, she builds up her nerve and continues south to Jango's address. Once she gets to the neighborhood, she stops in at the local social spot to ask about him.

[roll0]
[roll1]x10 minutes.

[planswalker]

Apparently, "Jango" is an alias he uses when hunting down bounties. His real name is Wolfgang Veiss. He's a friendly fellow known for volunteering at the Sisters of Salvation to feed the homeless. Apparently, the source of the man's income isn't something that he shares freely.

[AdamSmasher]

An Alias! She thinks, What an incredibly obvious idea. Why didn't I think of it?

Really, that's square one stuff. Even the Bounty Assessor was doing it.

But Wolfgang Veiss? The Sisters of Salvation? This didn't sound like the maneater the assessor had alluded to.

Given this knowledge, Sam continues to the address the assessor had given her. If she finds anything more than a mailbox, she'll be surprised.

Know Local for 22 to know about the Sisters of Salvation

[planswalker]

The Sisters of Salvation do not follow any particular deity, they espouse Good for its own intrinsic value and are an altruistic order dedicated to alleviating the suffering of the poor. It is led by Sister Margarete, a human female in her early thirties. The two next ranking members of the order are Sister Abigail and Sister Ivonne.

The Sisters of Salvation know the secrets of Meldshaping but hold this skill secret. While true that there are other meldshapers within the city, the largest number can be found amongst the Sisters. They will not teach this skill to anyone not of their order, and they jealously guard knowledge of it.

When you get to the address, you find a small, two-story house that looks rather unremarkable and matches the appearance of his neighbors.

[AdamSmasher]

You know, I was going to have Sam join some kind of charitable organization in her off-time. She might end up following this Jango guy around more than I thought.

Sam finds it worrisome that the bounty assessor appears to hand out home addresses to whatever teenager comes by and asks, but having come this far already she reaches out and knocks on the front door.

[planswalker]

well, he figures that if some random teenagers are going to try to cause trouble with a veteran bounty hunter, they'll get what they deserve.

You knock, and you hear a rustling on the other side. Less than a minute later, a tall human male in tight-fitting leather clothes answers. "Yes?" He asks calmly.

[AdamSmasher]

"Hello!" She says, her heart suddenly jumping into her throat under the pressure of this 'application'. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but are you..." She takes a quick look to both sides to make sure no one is listening, then whispers, "Jango?"

[planswalker]

He laughs heartily and says in a normal tone of voice, "Yes, I am Jango. The bounty hunter. It's no secret. While some hunters like to try and hide themselves, I let my reputation for success defend me from unwanted attention. 'Jango' is catchy and strikes a lot more fear in people's hearts than 'Wolfgang'. While a determined investigator can find me quite easily, the common street thug is hardly going to look up all the known bounty hunters in the city before robbing a store."

He pauses and smiles. "Now then, how can I help you, miss?"

[AdamSmasher]

Sam relaxes significantly as he talks, but she's still waiting for the other shoe to drop. If he wasn't keeping his profession a secret, then she was a lot more comfortable with the ease with which she got so much information about him. She didn't think she'd be so open about it to the public.

Straightening her posture and steeling her resolve, she replies. "My name is Sam. I want to be a bounty hunter, but I need a teacher."

Should I be proactive with diplomacy rolls or wait for you to prompt them?

[planswalker]

Be proactive. While I will call for mandatory diplomacy rolls, feel free to roll them when you think appropriate. I can always just ignore extraneous rolls.

He pauses and laughs for a few seconds before regaining his composure. "Apologies for laughter, my lady, but you're hardly typical bounty hunter material. What makes you think you're suited for this profession?"

[AdamSmasher]

As he laughs, Sam reaches into her bag and retrieves the note about her capture of Viggo, which she offers to Jango.

"He's not much, but I found him in less than an hour. I grabbed his poster after breakfast and handed him to the assessor just now. I can read people, find people, and catch them off guard because I'm inconspicuous. And I'm a better fighter than I look."

[roll0]

[planswalker]

"So then, what do you need me for?" he asks.

[AdamSmasher]

That wasn't a no!

"I don't know the laws, the techniques, or the tactics. I'll get myself killed or arrested. I asked around about you, they say you're a good person; if I had to learn from anyone, I'd want to learn from you. And everyone needs someone watching their back."

She pauses to take a breath, then asks what she came to ask. "Will you take me on as your apprentice?

[planswalker]

He pauses for a moment with a smirk on his face, takes in a breath, and says, "Sure, kid. Most people who get into this business either learn fast or die quickly, but you seem like a decent sort. The town could use more people who don't bring an unsavory name to the profession. Now then, since you've concocted this idea of an "apprentice bounty hunter", I assume you have some idea what the terms of this relationship would be?"

[AdamSmasher]

Sense Motive for 27 to get a read on Jango's impression of the situation and to size him up for CR.
Sam grins from ear to ear and almost (almost) bounces with excitement when Jango agrees.

"I get twenty percent in any bounty I help you with, at least until I prove I'm worth more. And we're both free to take jobs without the other, if they're too big or too small. You can set meeting times and places."

I don't know how to handle this, but if Sam gets the impression she could ask for a higher rate than 20%, or that Jango's looking to haggle, she'll try. She's probably a much better negotiator than I am. She'll take 10 on any social roles required, so maybe 27 for sense motive and 18 for diplomacy?

[planswalker]

"You'll get 10% of the bounties you help me with, and you'll keep me apprised of any jobs you take. That way, I can make sure you don't get yourself killed. Since you know where I live, I do hope you'll return the favor so I can know where to leave messages for you." Is his counteroffer.

I'm going to ignore the rules and just tell you that he's level 8 and has the leadership feat. Congratulations, you're his cohort.

as for taking 10 on the checks, do please try to roleplay, and these checks are actively opposed btw, and I don't allow taking 10 on checks that are being actively opposed (as opposed to checks that are passively opposed). He's using his own diplomacy and sense motive checks on you as well.

don't worry if you're not very good at negotiating, we'll let your die rolls determine the outcome but I'd appreciate it if you at least try. Your character's skills at this (versus the player's skills) will be factored in, I promise.

[AdamSmasher]

Just what every PC aspires to be!

I can't take 10 even with the Changeling rogue substitution level? That's exactly what it's for and almost all of those rolls are opposed. It was a huge selling point for me that Sam would be able to take 10 and avoid totally bombing in important moments or leverage her higher bonuses against the untrained.

And here, she thought twenty was a perfectly reasonable offer. Going from twenty to ten only increased his take slightly, but cut hers in half.

"You can screen my jobs and I'll tell you where I live, but I can guarantee that I'm worth more than ten percent. I'll take twenty, but I'll give a quarter of it to The Sisters or The Watch, your choice."

That would leave her with fifteen percent, and hopefully Jango would like the idea of his favorite charities benefiting from their arrangement.

[planswalker]

grumble grumble snarfle...

As a DM, I don't overly like changeling rogue substitution levels, as they essentially take out all difficulty from social challenges under normal circumstances. But that's a personal thing with me. Yes, your features work and I'm not going to fiat that they don't work just because I dislike them.

He chuckles. "Fine. I see you've done your homework on me, studied up on my 'weakness'. Fine, you get 15% and we'll give 5% to the Sisters of Salvation."

He extends his hand forward.

[AdamSmasher]

For what it's worth, there's still a dice's worth of randomness just like any normal skill check. The option to take 10 just leverages a higher modifier and prevents your own bombed roll from causing you to lose a roll you 'should' have won. Thanks.

Sam smiles and shakes his hand.

"Thank you, Mr. 'Jango.' So, when can I start?" If he is working on anything she could be an asset to that, but if he isn't she will ask his opinion on the 500g miscreant whose poster she has recently collected.

[planswalker]

He grins. "You already have." He pulls out a wanted poster you don't recognize from the Assessor's office. The reward on this poster is 10,000 gold. "I was just about to start investigating this man. Six months ago, a criminal organization known as the Jacks was wiped out by a coalition of other gangs. This man, known as 'Tanner the Toe', is one of the few surviving members of the Jacks. He was a low-ranking officer, just one step above the lowest-level street thugs. That was how he managed to avoid the massacre. Since then, he's re-surfaced as an up-and-coming name in the criminal underworld. He's been trying to re-start the Jacks' criminal empire. The City Watch does not want another gang to form. Especially not one with such a dangerous legacy."

[AdamSmasher]

Knowledge for 22 to know about the Jacks!

Wow! Sam thinks. 10,000 gold for one man. Even with her paltry cut, that was still 1,500g if they brought him in. And 500 more for The Sisters.

"Someone like this," she begins, "is going to have friends and bodyguards; we'll need to be careful. Any word on his progress? If he's this valuable I'd imagine he's got at least a few dozen men scattered around. They'd have a hard time doing business without controlling a safe-house. Street chatter should lead us to where they're operating, but we might have to use a goon to find Tanner himself." She hoped that sounded right, she wanted to make a good impression.

Finding Tanner would be one thing, isolating and capturing him would be another entirely.

[planswalker]

The Jacks were the criminal organization in Aldhaven for decades, layers of secrecy and a strict hierarchy keeping them powerful. At the very top, their leadership was shrouded in mystery and almost no one knew how it worked. However, below that level, there was the "head" of the organization, each of whom were assigned titles based on sensory organs, such as "the Eye", "the Nose", etc. They served as specialized operatives to handle high-level missions. Below them, the Jacks were divided into two branches: the "Arms" who handled covert operations such as smuggling, espionage, and assassinations and the "Legs" who executed the more overt operations such as extortion, bribery, and theft. The further up the limb your title was, the higher your rank. A "Toe" was the lowest rank that actually lead people, which were simply titles "Nails" regardless of which branch they served.

"I see you have the basics of investigation down. You find out where the base is, and I'll handle the rest."

[AdamSmasher]

Loaded post inc.

With that roll, would Sam know anything about where they operated or had the largest presence? Are any of the Districts particularly prone to organized crime?

Find the base and he'll do the rest? He doesn't actually look like he's that much better in a fight than I am! "Alright, I'll see what I can find. But, when you 'handle' it, I want to watch."

She was certain he knew what he was doing, but this absolutely did not seem like the kind of thing a relatively normal man would want to do alone. This was a solo job only for one of those Adventurers with their 'plus five' spiked chains and their 'dee em em' persistent spells.

"I have a room at the Sad Flint," she rolls her eyes as if to convey that it is a long story, "where you can leave me a message if things change. If I find anything, I'll come here looking for you.

She thinks about it, then reaches into her pack for Flynn's wanted poster to show to Jango. "I don't want to stick my neck out too far asking a lot of questions, so if I don't find anything after a sweep or two tonight I'd like to switch to this guy. One in a hundred chance he's an aspiring Nail. Think he could outfight a dinosaur?"

In all the excitement I forgot to pick that anniversary bonus feat. I'd like to pick Knowledge Devotion (CChamp 60), but I want to double check that Sam's Collector of Stories (CScoundrel 85) skill trick applies to Knowledge Devotion checks. The prevailing sentiment on the forums seems to be pretty solidly in favor.

If it doesn't, I'll go with Combat Intellect.

[planswalker]

Apparently, the Jacks operated in almost every district of the city, and the secret locations where illegal clandestine operations took out their leadership are not known, either commonly or uncommonly. You'd likely have to find someone who had been involved in this affair to find out specifics.

by my understanding of RAW, I don't think Collector of Stories technically does, but it seems well within RAI for me. I declare that it works.

"Hm? He just might indeed be a Nail for Tanner. If not, you might still be able to squeeze him for information about someone who knows before taking him off the streets. Good work, cross-referencing one bounty with another. As to a dinosaur, no, I doubt he could." For his part, Jango doesn't seem surprised by your 'dinosaur' comment.

[AdamSmasher]

Cool! Thanks. Sam just got a little more scrappy. I'll update her sheet when I get home.

"Alright, in that case I'll tell you what I've got either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks... Boss." Sam smiles and takes a step back from his door before turning to head out into the streets. She had a teacher now! He was an expert who would hopefully help keep her from getting in over her head. And they were going to track down real bad guys who actually hurt people and made the city a worse place! It was too exciting.

"Did you hear any of that, Squeaks?" She opens her vest and peers down into the interior pocket where the mouse is napping. "Of course you didn't. But when you wake up, boy do I have news."

***


First order of business! [roll0] for [roll1]x10 to learn where the Jacks might be resurfacing. For instance, have recruiters been turning up in any particular district? Have any crimes attributed to them occurred yet? The purpose is to get an idea of where her real search should begin.

[planswalker]

As your appearance doesn't exactly shout "I'm a criminal" or "I'm a cop", most people you ask seem confused why you'd want to go looking for trouble. All you can find out for certain is that their activity seems confined to South Market.

[AdamSmasher]

When people question Sam's curiosity, she tells them that she's worried about the Jacks coming back. She was just a little girl, but she remembers the Jacks terrorizing her family and their business before they were wiped out.

To Sam, it made sense that one of the markets would end up being the spot. There were plenty of businesses to use as fronts and plenty more to squeeze. But it being South Market just increased the odds that her Flynn target would know something about where to find the Jacks.

But this was honestly getting too big for her too quickly. She wasn't just going to be putting away robbers and rapers, she'd be getting in the way of organized crime. That kind of thing came with potential backlash.

Heading to South Market, she finds a secluded place where no one sees her enter to change her appearance and her clothes. Because of the magical nature of both, it only takes a few seconds.

***

Out from the opposite end of that secluded spaces comes a scrawny, ruddy haired boy of not more than fourteen. His face is covered in freckles, his hands are calloused from working for his father, and his simple clothes are soiled from sweat and dust. His name is Edward, and he has a kind face, but he's worried.

He has a brother, you see. His brother is tired of working the family business and he's gone looking for trouble. They heard The Jacks were coming back and his brother ran off to be a thug. Edward just wants to bring him home, can't anyone point him in the right direction?

[roll0] to find their base.
[roll1]x10

[planswalker]

you know, the last pc I dm'd for who quick-changed disguises like this and investigated organized crime went far... very far. Right up until he became possessed by an omnicidal horror and now is one of the high-level plot threads left looming in Aldhaven.

Your line of questioning arouses more than a little suspicion, but you do find your answer. Apparently, there's a storefront near the edge of the city wall in South Market that serves as both a rather mediocre pie shop and a recruiting ground for the Jacks... or at least, so the rumor goes. No one you've talked with seems to know exactly how one gets recruited there.

[AdamSmasher]

Oh boy. Am I going to be able to see this kind of thing coming? Or is it a mercy of the dice kind of thing? The OOC thread says one group just randomly started the apocalypse a while ago, is that normal?

I mean, like, what's the chance this Flynn guy is secretly a vampire demigod that just drinks a little too much and smashes up a shopfront every now and then? I'd rather be killed by a screw up than bad luck.

Edward thanks every single person who gives him the time of day, even the ones that sneer at him and suggest he's just looking to join up himself. When he finally thinks he's narrowed things down, he checks his mental map. How close is that pie shop to Flynn's stomping ground?

Either way, he decides to head to the wall and at least pass by the front of it, if only to go to whatever shop happens to be next door.

[planswalker]

In fact, Mr Lovett's Pie Shop is within three blocks of where Flynn likes to cause his trouble. It's a well-maintained two-story front, much like its neighbors, a tailor's shop and a dry goods store.

[AdamSmasher]

As Edward nears the shop, he decides to continue on passed it, for now, but he mentally notes the address. An organization like the Jacks might have some fancy telepath inside who could sniff out a snooping kid or an unusually intelligent doormouse without even trying.

Instead, he walks ahead to Flynn's territory. It's late afternoon, now, time for vagabonds like that to be awake and drinking. At first, he meanders around the streets looking for someone of the likeness in alleys and local pubs. If anyone asks, he's still looking for his brother.

[planswalker]

the problem isn't locating someone who might match Flynn's general description, it's that just about every third human male you meet is an approximate match for Flynn's poster.

[AdamSmasher]

Realizing for the first time that the face on her poster is extremely generic, Edward ducks back into another secluded spot and alters himself once more.

***

It's Char Kelram that emerges, six feet and two inches of clenched teeth and sandpaper. He pays a little visit to the shopfronts and watering holes around Flinn's part of the district. If Flinn was trouble enough to catch a bounty, he'd have plenty of enemies. The story is simple:

Flinn Ryder owes his daughter an apology; Char's going to wring it out of him.

Someone said he makes trouble around here.

Anyone seen him?

[roll0] to track Flinn.
[roll1]x10

If you missed it, Char is what she entered the Streets thread disguised as.

[planswalker]

thanks for the reminder

No one looking to cause you any trouble, you're quickly told that Flinn Ryder likes to hang out at a tavern called the Snuggly Gosling after a successful heist. He's normally seen there drinking too much and boasting about his latest caper.

[AdamSmasher]

With a nod of his head and a stern 'thanks,' Char heads out to find this Snuggly Gosling place. He takes the straightest route there, hoping to find his quarry starting on his daily suds.

If he's not, well, Char could use a drink himself.

"But that's a ridiculous name for a bar." He growls to no one.

Sam might try to get Flinn drunk and kidnap him, but I need to know the alcohol mechanics first to see if it's a good idea. Did they ever actually make rules for drinking?.

[planswalker]

not to my knowledge, but since ethanol is toxic, using poison rules seems most common

You find that the place is rather seedy. You guess this is where most of the low-lifes in the neighborhood come to unwind. Once again, you can see about 3 men in the place that could be a match for Flinn Ryder.

[AdamSmasher]

Maybe a poison that damages dexterity and wisdom? Making people less coordinated and deteriorating judgement?

Seeing the state of the bar, Char manages to curl one corner of his mouth into something resembling a grin.

He scans the room, seeing three potential Flinns. Since none of them catch his eye as particularly boisterous right off the bat, he taps his bag to wake up his mouse and walks inside.

He picks a seat where he can see and hear all three, then orders a strong brew.

He sits and listens, mostly staring at the drink in his hands and putting off the aura that he wants to be left alone.

Sense Motive for 27 on all three of them, which is the seediest?

He's going to listen for the name Flinn and for any of them bragging about illegal activities. Squeaks will also be making checks from a hiding spot in his pocket.

[planswalker]

we're going to go with being able to have one "drink" per hour per point of con mod before getting "drunk", after which case, further drinks are treated as poisons which have initial and secondary damages of 1d2 dex and wisdom penalties. If either reaches 0, you pass out.

seem reasonable for game mechanics? We're of course seeking to be no more realistic in this than the effects of wounds in combat are realistic.

Your ordered ale costs you 4 copper and its alcohol content is rather thin, though it has a surprisingly full body and a not unpleasant flavor. You doubt that you have truly been served a "strong" drink by the house.

its alcohol content only counts as one-half a "drink", should you actually drink most of it over the course of an hour

You sense that all three are either a fair fight or an easy fight. Two of them seem to be quite rough characters, while the third seems to be cleaner and more present of mind.

As you observe them, all three get to drinking and the clean one and one of the rougher ones get to boasting to the bartender about their recent exploits. You can tell that the clean one is lying about having wooed a young widow and stolen her silver from her home after a night of "fun" with her. He seems to be drinking the same cheap brew you are holding. The rough one seems to be telling the truth about having swiped a Watchman's magic blade and selling it for hundreds of gold, which you suspect he plans on drinking away, as he's throwing down 5 gold each drink he's ordering, a strong, foul-smelling brew that probably makes a better solvent than it does a libation.

[AdamSmasher]

That makes perfect sense to me! Though I might amend it to something like: become 'drunk' when number of drinks drank (:smalltongue:) equals 1+Con Mod+#hours since you started drinking, to reflect that 'better' drinkers have a larger capacity but don't necessarily sober more quickly.

But, like you said, this is DnD.

Char downs this first brew within a few minutes and immediately puts four more coppers down for another. As he listens to the two of them talk, he becomes more aware that in all of his excitement he did not do his due diligence in researching this man for identifying details ahead of time. His second bounty in and he's already gotten sloppy.

He thinks that the surly one throwing away gold pieces for rust remover is mostly likely his man, but he still doesn't know. Stealing a watchman's magic sword certainly seemed like the kind of thing that would get the watch riled up enough to issue a 500 gold bounty.

He continues to listen, waiting for any of them to say a name. Maybe, just maybe, he'll overhear one of them mention something related to The Jacks, as well.

Would Sam know with a 22 on Know (Local) whether making a citizen's arrest is legal, if the perp has admitted to a crime?

Also, it looks like she has a +17 modifier to listen to humans, so if hopefully I won't have any problem hearing them even if they start whispering.

[planswalker]

hm... you're right. Let's say that you only lose one "drink" from your count per hour. So, while some people can tolerate more before getting drunk, a 16 con thug can't chug 3 drinks once an hour for six hours in an evening without getting sloshed.

and yes, it is perfectly legal for Aldhaven citizens to make a citizen's arrest of known criminals or those who openly admit to committing a crime. Bounties, however, are paid to those who can turn in such criminals after arresting them.

Just as you hear Drinks Rust Remover refer to himself in the third person as "Johan the Knave", yet another man fitting your far too vague description bursts into the tavern and declares, "Listen up, you rogues, for I've just committed the crime of the century!"

The room gives this man their attention and falls silent as everyone awaits this man's story.

[AdamSmasher]

How many people are in this tavern and how big is it?

With the entrance of Flinn Ryder lookalike number four, Char lifts his head to hear the newcomer's story as all the others have. He is becoming less comfortable with the number of lowlifes in this tavern.

[planswalker]

Including yourself, this newcomer makes patron eleven, plus the bartender and a waitress.

He goes on in detail to describe how he won the heart of a wealthy merchant's widow and is slated to marry her next week, giving him instant access to her fortune. All while serving as the private lover to a countess who is dreading the arranged marriage she is about to be forced into.

"So where's the 'crime of the century' in all that?" one of the men asks.

"Simple." He says. "I've gotten the two of them to help me steal one million gold."

[AdamSmasher]

Take 27 on Sense Motive to call BS on that one!

[planswalker]

In fact, his whole story is indeed fabricated, although he's saying it with such sincerity that you almost believe him yourself.

"Damn, Flinn. You're going to be able to retire after this one!" one of the patrons says with a grin.

[AdamSmasher]

Bingo.

"Heh." Char grunts out a single chuckle, his expression softening, before before punctuating it with a drink from his tankard. The whole time, the gears in his head are spinning as fast as they can.

He's found his quarry. He knows Flinn's face, his real face, now. He also knows that he's surrounded by twelve potentially hostile people: two admitted criminals, one poser, two staff, and seven patrons who might not like their drinking buddy being hauled off.

"I'll hear that story. Beer on me."

He had two ideas: get him too drunk to resist and abduct him, or let him inebriate himself and ambush him outside. Either could come with their own complications.

[AdamSmasher]

[roll0]To see how diplomatic Sam can be, here. Is Squeaks able to Aid Another on that?

[planswalker]

Flinn turns to you and says, "Well, damn man. I never turn down free drinks. And who might you be? Don't recognize you from around here."

[AdamSmasher]

"Name's Char." He says. "New job. 's better than the docks. You?" He nods towards the seat across from him as an invitation to sit.

He was fairly confident he could drink this man under the table if he needed to, but what he wanted to do was get him talking and drinking let Flinn do it to himself.

Sense Motive 27 on him, but I'm assuming he's equal or weak.

[planswalker]

"I'm Flinn Ryder, notorious thief, outlaw, and all-around dashingly good looking scoundrel." he says as he signals for the bartender. "Let's have some of last spring's flagon, my good sir. We celebrate!"

For this brew, you are charged 2 silver a mug.

and this brew is worth 1 "drink" each round of drinking.

"round" here is the drinking term, not the dnd term.

[AdamSmasher]

I'm having trouble keeping track of the tab in real time, so I'm just going to update the sheet when we get a final tally.

For future reference, roughly how much does Flinn appear to weigh? And does Sam think, from a life living in Aldhaven, that a clearly domesticated animal would be able to carry a shackled drunk to the fortress relatively unmolested?

"I'll get your first, at least." He waves to the server to order their drinks, a round of the last spring's for both. "'Never liked those nobles and merchants. How do y'do it?"

As they talk, Char makes sure to keep an eye on the other patrons of the bar to see if they're being watched. If anyone starts passing shifty looks their way, he'll try and tune in on whatever they're saying or whispering if he can.

Within a round or two, he's also going to switch back to the weaker beer himself, with the cover that he's paying too much in rent as is without spending two gorram silver a beer.

[planswalker]

"With my wit and my charm!" He says cheerfully. Two rounds in, he is beginning to look tipsy. He is regaling the room with a tale of how he stole the Archduke's silver moustache comb once. The more tales he tells, the less you believe any of them.

you've so far run up 8 silver, 4 copper. and have had 2.5 "drinks" yourself

[AdamSmasher]

Char loosens up as he gets a few drinks in him, laughing at and encouraging these tall tales of sticking it to the upper crust. He was definitely starting to like this guy, but it couldn't be forgotten that he was a legitimate public menace. He thinks he can certainly out drink the rogue, but he wants to be certain.

He orders another round, but this time he orders himself a pint of the weaker brew for himself. He thinks that's all he can take before it starts to affect him.