DM Nagging: It's pretty much my job

[Nephrite]

I know this has come up during the IC discussions, but a few questions on Time Stop specifically since I don't remember what was discussed:

From an IC perspective, why was Time Stop allowed to continue to exist?

Was Time Stop originally a Chronomancy spell, and, if so, was it different from its current incarnation then? If so to that, what was different about it?

I swear I had another one, but maybe it will come to me another time haaaaahahaha...

[Anastasia]

I know this has come up during the IC discussions, but a few questions on Time Stop specifically since I don't remember what was discussed:

From an IC perspective, why was Time Stop allowed to continue to exist?

ICwise, the current Time Stop is a kludged together mimicry of a chronomancy based time stop. Some of the quirks of the spell come down to the fact that it's using a burst of super speed rather than actual time manipulation. The Compact doesn't forbid mimicry of forbidden spells that don't use chronomancy, also understanding that the troublesome parts of chronomancy can't be mimicked without chronomancy. You can't manage any temporal manipulation or time travel without it.

Was Time Stop originally a Chronomancy spell, and, if so, was it different from its current incarnation then? If so to that, what was different about it?

Yes, it was originally an actual chronomancy spell. I haven't gone fully into the differences between current Time Stop and an actual Time Stop spell, though chronomancy's Time Stop is more powerful. However, there's more plentiful and easier defenses against it by using chronomancy.

I swear I had another one, but maybe it will come to me another time haaaaahahaha...

* Anastasia groans at the terrible pun.

[Nephrite]

This is mostly curiosity, but assuming there's an IC reason on the banning of the celerity spells, I'm curious what the IC reason for keeping Time Stop is.

This definitely isn't meant to get into a "time stop as a spell is too powerful and we should remove it" it's more of an observational question.

[Anastasia]

This is mostly curiosity, but assuming there's an IC reason on the banning of the celerity spells, I'm curious what the IC reason for keeping Time Stop is.

This definitely isn't meant to get into a "time stop as a spell is too powerful and we should remove it" it's more of an observational question.

OOC I simply won't allow the celerity line since they're terrifically broken. IC someone figured out a way to mimic Time Stop, if roughly. No one ever did for celerity (nor will they).

[Anastasia]

Miranda reaches level 33.

- Valkyrie 33 and Ranger 33.
- 4 on a d8 for a total of 12 hit points and a grand total of 433 hit points.
- +1 BAB for a total of +33.
- +1 spell resistance for a total of 44.
- Gains 33rd level ranger casting. This gives her 8th level ranger access, but she lacks 8th level bonus spells so no joy there yet.
- No change to saves.
- Skills go up as normal.
- Great Ability(Constitution)(33) as her new feat.

Pretty much a dead level besides the Constitution bump.

Miranda's retraining this level into Valkyrie 33 and Focused Hunter 1. I may retrain more levels later, but let's see about this for now.

Changes are...not much. She loses the ranger casting level and gains favored fearlessness.

[Anastasia]

Benyen reaches level 33.

- Fighter 33 and Fist of Raziel 23.
- 5 on a d10 for a total of 19 hit points and a grand total of 651 hit points.
- +1 BAB for a total of +33.
- Another daily use of smite evil. Yay.
- Gains 28th level paladin casting. Gains another 6th level spell which goes into another Heal.
- No change to saves.
- Skills go up as normal.
- Great Ability (Charisma)(33) as his new feat.

[Anastasia]

Intensify Spell: Change the spell level adjustment from seven levels higher to five levels higher.

From the epic levels rules thread. Cor and I had a chat about this awhile ago and it's now enacted.

[Yuthirin]

Tryll reaches level 33.

- Psion 29 and Metamind 4.
- Paragon HP. 4+12=16+9=27 hp gained.
- +1 BAB for a total of +19.
- Power points go up as normal.
- Calleigh is now able to yeet 7 total power points into Tryll's pool on a daily basis due to the effects of 4th level Metamind.
- Gains 33rd level Psion casting. New powers are greater dispel psionics & shadow body.
- No change to saves.
- Skills go up as normal. Twice, because they weren't actually edited at all last level. Whoops.
- Epic Manifesting as his new feat from levels.
- Automatitic Metamagic: Quicken Power as his new Psion bonus feat.
- Tryll will be retraining Overchannel out for Power Penetration
- Calleigh advances as normal.

[Anastasia]

Round 2 of domain analysis.


Latha

Good and Law are automatic for her. She has three others if she gets to DvR1.

Celestial, Charity, Craft, Fire, Forge, Glory, Healing, Inquisition, Purification, Radiance, Summer, Sun, Truth, Zeal.

Celestial: A little tangential but I could see her picking it up as an aspect later on. Maybe even early.
Charity: The sun provides endless charity each day in the form of warmth, so I can see it. A bit tangential, though.
Craft: That or forge represents her crafting side. It would come down to which of the two I prefer.
Fire: Sun and fire are tied but not mandatory. I'd lean towards her getting this later on, though she would get it sooner or later.
Forge: See craft.
Glory: She already has this domain as a cleric and it fits, so obviously she'd have it if she ascended.
Healing: Latha is a healer and the sun's restorative power is a thing. Fits her well.
Inquisition: A little weaker than the others, but the morning sun vanquishes the horrible night combined with her nature. Could be a good later domain for painting in details.
Purification: Certainly something tied to glory and the sun, but more of something she'd get later on to clarify that for herself. Not as obvious as for Antenora.
Radiance: A no brainer for her to pick up, but later since other things cover this same territory.
Summer: An interesting possibility, it's when the sun's warmth is at its peak. But also weaker than others so it's not a strong choice.
Sun: Duh.
Truth: Latha has always served the truth and came dreadfully close to the truth when she stood at the Bridge of Al-Sihal. It feels like something she'd take and take early.
Zeal: A bit weak but she's certainly never lacked for it in her duties.

If she reaches DvR1, her starting load would be Glory, Good, Law, Sun and Truth. She'd also spend an SDA to get Craft or Forge, but I'll not consider that for now since it's not decided. She's a cleric and that's largely formed her domains already.

Mechanically this is +1 CL for good and lawful spells, +2 to the CL of turning, empower turning as a bonus feat, a +32 bonus to Sense Motive checks and a +1 CL divinations. She already has all but the Sense Motive and divination booster from the Truth domain, but it would free up two epic feats from bonus domain. So she makes out pretty good here all told.


Xandra

Good and Law are automatic for her. She gets three others if she makes it to DvR1.

Celestial, Creation, Destiny, Fate, Glory, Humility, Inquisition, Insight, Joy, Knowledge, Mysticism, Oracle, Purification, Truth

Celestial: Obligatory. Actually feels like it could fit better than most who get it by default.
Creation: Considering her work with the WoC and more, this makes a certain amount of sense. A mid range domain.
Destiny: All things considered, this could be a domain for her, though the campaign's focus and needs may make it a secondary one.
Fate: See destiny. I think she prefers destiny based on the slightly different connotations of the word, but its pretty marginal. Marginal enough that it might come down to which domain is better mechanically as a tiebreaker.
Glory: Considering Chronias and all of that, this feels right, even indirectly.
Humility: That is part of her - she's focused on other things than herself.
Inquisition: Comes back to truth for her, though a bit tangential.
Insight: This one's her, alright. Maybe not a first grab, but it fits her.
Joy: Chronias.
Knowledge: See insight and may be a better fit for her? Not sure.
Mysticism: Feels fitting for her for a lot of reasons, very  much a gutshot.
Oracle: Pretty much part of her premise. At some point, yes.
Purification: Tangential but see Chronias.

If she reaches DvR1, her stating load would be Celestial, Good, Humility, Law, Oracle. Maybe Mysticism in place of humility first or use an SDA for an extra domain.

Mechanically this is +1 CL for good and lawful spells, 1/day smite evil, +1 CL divinations, and +2 CL divinations. Not terribly useful to her at all, though she would use the SLAs and get some benefit from the CL boost. Oh wait, all of her spells are good aligned so a free +1 CL isn't the worst.

Miranda

Miranda gets Chaos and Law automatically.

Cold, Competition, Courage, Destruction, Hunt, Retribution, Strength, War, Wrath (SC)

Cold: Miranda has some cold stylings like her armor, so there's a case for it. Tangential.
Competition: Very tangential, but she is also a valkyrie.
Courage: Fearless as a valkyrie and always up for a battle.
Destruction: She's a warrior and a hunter, she destroys for a living. A later domain for her but one I'd support.
Hunt: More of a personal interest for her, but I could see it. Ranger + arrows too, y'know?
Retribution: One barrage of arrows at a time. Probably a core domain for her.
Strength: Playing to the stereotype, admittedly.
War: Ysgard.
Wrath: Ysgard.

If she reaches DvR1, her starting load would be Chaos, Courage. Good, Hunt, War. This could change as she develops further.

Mechanically, this is +1 CL chaotic and good spells, a redundant aura of courage, a redundant bonus feat in track and a free weapon focus in longbow. Isn't the worst layout ever.

Emily

Law and Good are automatic for her. She gets three others if she makes it to DvR1.

Healing, Hope, Liberation, Magic, Protection, Zeal.

I'll preface this that Emily's the hardest one I've had yet. Her story arc's at an awkward place for this, so I'm sticking to easy picks. This'll likely be easier in a few months.

Healing: It's a good base for Emily to touch and she has that sort of power.
Hope: Seira.
Liberation: She's been taking planks of that lately and with all that's going on, it would make a lot of sense.
Magic: Obligatory for a caster like her.
Protection: Tangential, liberation's closer, but I can see it.
Zeal: That's the theory for her, anyway. She's working that back up again.

If she reaches DvR1, her starting domains would Law, Good, Healing, Hope and Zeal. Might vary it a bit but that's the core. Zeal may well be pushed back for Liberation or Magic.

Mechanically, that's +1 CL for good and chaotic spells, +1 CL for healing spells, a 1/day booster and a 1/day quick take 20. Mildly useful all around.


Donald

Chaos and Good are automatic for him. He gets three others if he makes it to DvR1.

Courage, Destruction, Dragon, Endurance, Fey, Hope, Luck, Protection, Renewal, Spell, Strength, Sun, Transformation, War, Zeal

Courage: Donald has his flaws, but cowardice has never been one of them. A good supporting domain in the future.
Destruction: Tangential and weak, but mentioned to contrast with strength.
Dragon: Only if Seira gets it. He might grab it later if so, since he is a half dragon.
Endurance: Thematically fitting, Donald's good at that sort of thing. He may not ever choose the domain, but he could argue for it.
Fey: No. Just noted since he has fey blood.
Hope: Seira. I don't think he'd take it, he'd focus on other things, but Seira.
Luck: Duh.
Protection: He is something of a protector and this would fit him. He'd take it at some point, earlier than later.
Renewal: Being a mortal who died and was reincarnated gives this some symbolism for him.
Spell: Donald prefers actual spells than the theory, he's very much a practical sort of spellcaster.
Strength: Donald strong. Donald hit. Donald smash.
Sun: Due to originally serving Lathander. I doubt he'd take it, though.
Transformation: Oddly fitting due to Donald's series of transformations.
War: He fits that, but he may not take that exact domain since Seira has.
Zeal: Donald.

If he reaches DvR1, his starting domains would be Chaos, Good, Luck, Protection and Strength. Lots of good choices here, though.

Mechanically, this is +1 Cl for good and chaotic spells, a luck domain power that needs houseruling, a 1/day protective ward and a 1/day strength booster. Not terrible.

[Iron Dragoon]

Emily

Law and Good are automatic for her. She gets three others if she makes it to DvR1.

Healing, Hope, Liberation, Magic, Protection, Zeal.

I'll preface this that Emily's the hardest one I've had yet. Her story arc's at an awkward place for this, so I'm sticking to easy picks. This'll likely be easier in a few months.

Healing: It's a good base for Emily to touch and she has that sort of power.
Hope: Seira.
Liberation: She's been taking planks of that lately and with all that's going on, it would make a lot of sense.
Magic: Obligatory for a caster like her.
Protection: Tangential, liberation's closer, but I can see it.
Zeal: That's the theory for her, anyway. She's working that back up again.

If she reaches DvR1, her starting domains would Law, Good, Healing, Hope and Zeal. Might vary it a bit but that's the core. Zeal may well be pushed back for Liberation or Magic.

Mechanically, that's +1 CL for good and chaotic spells, +1 CL for healing spells, a 1/day booster and a 1/day quick take 20. Mildly useful all around.

Only one I know anything about. I'll preface this with I only know about her from my own threads, so there could be tons in backstory and previous stuff that counters this.

Healing: She does healing, yeah, but to me that seems like it's more of a battle endurance form of healing instead of the pious go out and heal others type. I suppose I could see it fitting, but I think it'd need to be coupled with a more combat-y domain, at least, to really fit.

Hope: Eh... I haven't seen her do much to *inspire* hope, really. In fact, Alyssa's had to pep-talk her more than once, and while that doesn't exclude her from it, when coupled with not having seen her inspire hope in others exactly, I can't say it fits. She certainly has the potential to grow into it, I think.

Liberation: I can see this fitting, but she's got some fitting in for it yet. This last fight was a good step for it.

Magic: Sorta the same with healing. I haven't seen much RP of her being in love with magic. It feels more like she views it the same way as a sword. A tool to use.

Protection: I think this is up there with Liberation, but she's got some growing for it. I can see her wanting to protect the down-trodden, but I haven't really seen her go out and campaign or do anything devoted to it, yet. Still, I think it fits her personality, but she does need to dedicate some to it.

Zeal: Toughy. She's got the makings for it, but again, needs some growth. I'd say this one is way more dependent on the rest of her portfolio. She'd have to feel that way about everything in her purview.

Other suggestions...

Courage, I think. She's certainly willing to face things she doesn't want to and keep going.

Glory is a shoe-in, I think. Her whole arc with Alyssa has been about chasing becoming a legend and glory to rival Seira. It's been her primary motivator for the entire time. I think this is almost automatic for her, honestly.

Retribution is a strong maybe, I think. She's vengeful enough, and passionate enough, about crushing slavery. Could be something there.

In conclusion, I'd suggest these, personally:

Good, Law, Glory, Liberation, Courage.

[Anastasia]

Really interesting alternate take there, Iddy. Lemme mull that over.

[Nephrite]

Only comment I have is I feel like Truth over Humility for Xandra is more fitting. I totally see where you're going with that idea, though.

[Anastasia]

Only comment I have is I feel like Truth over Humility for Xandra is more fitting. I totally see where you're going with that idea, though.

That's a fair take. I'll remember that if she gets that far.

[Anastasia]

Moore's loot provoked a conversation I want to cross post.

> Ahnvae: This black cloak grants a +15 competence bonus to Stealth checks. When worn at night and similar conditions of darkness, this bonus rises to +25 and grants several additional benefits. The wearer never leaves tracks or signs of his passing, as if affected by a pass without trace spell (CL20). The wearer is scentless and cannot be tracked by scent.
<Iddy> That's pretty nice.
<Iddy> I might need to copy some of that
<CC> Are you stealthy?
<Iddy> Yeah.
<Iddy> +65 to stealth.
<Iddy> I really like the scent and trackless parts.
> I'm sure y'all have noticed by now, but I deliberately sometimes drop things better for a different node in a node's treasures.
> Usually worth bearing in mind.
<CC> Not bad
<CC> Well yes, though it's not always practical
<Iddy> I sort of haven't. But I've got a wide range of people. Is the witch staff it?
<CC> It's also been ages since I got real loot
<CC> I think in your loot it was probably the elven things?
<CC> And Emily already wanted to give them, since they're cursed?
<Iddy> They were all cursed, yeah.
<CC> I don't think we even have star elves, though uncursing them shouldn't be hard and we do have a bunch of elven deity friends
> That's basically Emily's logic, yeah.
> Moore loot.
<CC> I remember Alicia had something hope-related a while ago
<CC> That I got
<CC> Huh, Moore got nice stuff
<CC> Kormault is very sweet!
<Iddy> I've got that Warhammer. I thought that would be good for someone too.
> Learner was a minor bonus boss.
> He was most likely going to get away or force the party to retreat, but Moore played it well and didn't get complacent.
<CC> The ring is nice, too
<CC> UMD for profit~
<Iddy> I'll note that I'd actually like to trade loot with people because Alyssa has had almost zero contact with the other nodes.
> Yuth.
<Ebiris> Yeah I've got some bracers that'd be good for Ianvasah if we meet up again.
> Iddy.
<CC> I'm cool about trading stuff, sure
> Lemme cross post this in nagging, get a chat going about it with everyone.

[Nephrite]

I admit I usually forget if other nodes can use things when evaluating things, for whatever that's worth.

Also the stuff we get is usually awful and evil anyway, but that's a side point.