Cosmic Hunters (OOC)

[Metastachydium]

For what it's worth, I am.

[watupwithdat]

Yeah, I'm still here. Been a bit busy during easter, but I figured you guys had things covered while Woren was distracted and not an active part of the whole exchange.

If the desire is I write some fluffy 'what's going on in the background with Woren?' IC posts, I can do that.

[Metastachydium]

Yeah, I'm still here. Been a bit busy during easter, but I figured you guys had things covered while Woren was distracted and not an active part of the whole exchange.

If the desire is I write some fluffy 'what's going on in the background with Woren?' IC posts, I can do that.

That would be nice, yes, if you have the time.

[remetagross]

Definitely a good thing to do. The game must keep afloat, we don't want it to end before we've rolled a single combat-related die, do we?

[chaincomplex]

Mmm I tend to be online around the weekends for obvious reasons but that's probably not very healthy for PBP. I'll try to space it more evenly with the weekdays.

[remetagross]

On the other hand, I'm mostly off during the week-ends, though I'll try my best to get a simple post or two during this moment.

Now, how do we proceed? I'll let you have the lead here, you socially-able guys and gals.

[chaincomplex]

I want to clarify something, what exactly do you guys look like with/out true seeing, and what auras are you/your equipment putting out? Annali, for instance, I imagined judged the PCs based on their equipment aura strengths. She's also (spoilers) under true seeing but that's not particularly important for mundane disguises.

[remetagross]

Man, I guess we're appearing brilliant as Christmas trees under any form of aura vision.

Ux Utanar has the same appearance, but his equipment gives off a bazillion auras. We have:

-Abjuration: strong
-Divination: moderate
-Enchantment: moderate
-Necromancy: strong
-Transmutation: moderate
-Conjuration: moderate

[Metastachydium]

Alright, to the naked eye, Delja looks like this perfectly presentable wispling described here. True Seeing would reveal that she's a gaunt little unkempt scaly nixie as described on her sheet (the picture's pretty accurate too), with the exception that she's also wearing a faded, weathered black or dark grey cloak currently covering her right arm entirely (should I make a new Sleight of Hand check or the original one made to conceal her sword still applies?).

Her auras are as follows:
Head: moderate transmutation; faint illusion
Face: 2×moderate transmutation
Throat: faint gtransmutation; moderate transmutation; faint conjuration
Shoulders: 2×moderate transmutation
Body: strong necromancy
Torso: faint transmutation; moderate abjuration
Arms: faint transmutation; moderate conjuration
Rings: faint abjuration, moderate transmutation; moderate abjuration, strong abjuration
Waist: 2×moderate transmutation
Feet (ankles, really): faint transmutation; faint conjuration; moderate conjuration
Back: 3×moderate conjuration
On belt: faint transmutation; moderate transmutation; faint evocation; moderate conjuration
In her right hand: 2×moderate transmutation; moderate evocation; faint evocation

[remetagross]

Ah, you think multiple auras of the same kind do not meld into the strongest of them? I assumed they would, based on a memory of how Detect Magic works. Crap.

[Metastachydium]

Ah, you think multiple auras of the same kind do not meld into the strongest of them? I assumed they would, based on a memory of how Detect Magic works. Crap.

The actual description of the spell goes like

You detect magical auras. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.

1st Round: Presence or absence of magical auras.

2nd Round: Number of different magical auras and the power of the most potent aura.

3rd Round: The strength and location of each aura. If the items or creatures bearing the auras are in line of sight, you can make Spellcraft skill checks to determine the school of magic involved in each. (Make one check per aura; DC 15 + spell level, or 15 + half caster level for a nonspell effect.)

Magical areas, multiple types of magic, or strong local magical emanations may distort or conceal weaker auras.

Emphases mine.
In other words, yes, strong auras and stuff might mask faint ones, but that's not a hard and fast rule. Under optimal circumstances the caster should be able to detect everything that's currently online.

[remetagross]

Okay, okay guys, let's try to at least reach the 2/week post rate that was advertised for in the recruitment thread. We're almost facing the man we're after

[Metastachydium]

Right you are!

[remetagross]

Yeah, I'm not the most diplomatic guy around, that was for the sake of pushing on. Sorry for Delja!

[Metastachydium]

And it should (have) do(ne?) the job just fine, so don't mind Delja. It's not like she had better ideas.

[remetagross]

Ah, I hadn't understood the southern doors were the mage room's entrance and not the way we just came from.

As an aside, this is my first ever Handle Animal check

[Metastachydium]

As an aside, this is my first ever Handle Animal check

An important milestone! My first was an untrained check made by a character who had CHA as his dump stat. He managed to calm down a swarm with it. Twice.

[remetagross]

Wow, nice! I didn't even know swarms were a viable target for that skill!

[Metastachydium]

Wow, nice! I didn't even know swarms were a viable target for that skill!

Animal-based swarms are (or, at the very least, I'm not aware of any rule that would preclude that). I also got lucky; they were the pet swarm of some minor antagonist, trained to guard a door, so they counted as "domestic" critters for the purpose of handling. Man, those were fun times!

[remetagross]

Neat! That's the stuff of legends :)

As an aside, this is going to be my first game playing a mounted character, and I'm going to try and play by RAW the action economy of the mount and the Handle animal skill checks required. Just to see what happens, instead of handwaving it all as I've heard is done sometimes.

[Metastachydium]

As an aside, this is going to be my first game playing a mounted character, and I'm going to try and play by RAW the action economy of the mount and the Handle animal skill checks required. Just to see what happens, instead of handwaving it all as I've heard is done sometimes.

Hm. I never braved those murky waters! I suppose I'll just sit around to take advantage of your scientific curiosity.

[remetagross]

Disco time

[Metastachydium]

Disco

Let's hope this Teru guy is not Deader Than That!

♣

In tangentially related news, a

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: I shall likely be away from the internet on this Saturday and Sunday (the 4^th and 5^th of June, respectively). I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may bring about.

If the need arises, she doesn't see and hear anything alarming and Myriad doesn't point out any obvious trap or effect, feel free to have Delja open the door and enter total defense until the dust settles.

[remetagross]

So what's up with this big shiny ball?

[remetagross]

Hehehe. Maybe Master Teru is one of the 17 people in the Great Wheel that can actually make head or tails out of these tomes...and he bought them all because his scientific publications got cited in each of them. At least, that's what I would do, if my publications got cited somewhere.

[Metastachydium]

Hehehe. Maybe Master Teru is one of the 17 people in the Great Wheel that can actually make head or tails out of these tomes...

But then, maybe he isn't, after all (v. the annexed figure with weird orbs, a lot of wind but no Teru to be seen).

and he bought them all because his scientific publications got cited in each of them. At least, that's what I would do, if my publications got cited somewhere.

Heh. So true, so true.

Edit: Wait a second. Ux has eyebrows?

[remetagross]

...yeah, of course he has eyebrows! Big, scaly, dragon-like eyebrows. Totally not horns, I swear! I mean, look at his profile picture on Myth-Weavers!

[Metastachydium]

Well, eyebrows are hair and hair is horn,¹ so…

---

¹In the sense that it is primarily composed of keratin, you pedants.

[Geeksthenewsexy]

Stand back! I'm about to SCIENCE! Er...um....MAGIC!

[remetagross]

Go for it! I'm glad to see the Silver Key class actually put to good use, it's not a famously powerful PrC so it's nice to see a case where it actually is powerful!

As an aside, how are you liking your game so far @chaincomplex? If I remember the OP for the recruitment thread, you wanted to get back to 3.5 and use this little PbP to tame GMing again. How is that happening so far?