Aubrey's Eberron campaign.
Game Master Aubrey the Malformed

Hey just wanted to drop in here and say how much I have enjoyed reading this RP and hope it continues for a long time for lurkers like me to me enjoy. You guys rock and such. Also if ithuriel is going to run a new pbp and has room for two people we would be much interested unless you want more well known people I understand that and will still follow along.

:end of signal hack:

Thanks havoc. Hoping we'll be able to kick off this train fight soon, RL permitting.

I'm doing pathfinder society as pbp so they are comparatively very short games- about 3 months. I'll save you guys a spot but I won't be ready for about another three weeks. Maybe put up a recruitment / ooc in about two weeks.

Vacation again next week guys. I'll be in Greece this time so I should be able to check in and make short posts. Shouldn't disrupt anything.

I'm doing pathfinder society as pbp so they are comparatively very short games- about 3 months. I'll save you guys a spot but I won't be ready for about another three weeks. Maybe put up a recruitment / ooc in about two weeks.

Vacation again next week guys. I'll be in Greece this time so I should be able to check in and make short posts. Shouldn't disrupt anything.

Ohh, I'll keep an eye out for that too ;)

Vacation again next week guys.

And that is why the Greek economy is in the state it is.

haha. I think the vacation thing is a trade off. Everyone gets paid lower wages than they would elsewhere, but they get around 20 days paid vacation. I thought a lot of the EU had similar vacation standards. Not the UK?

Athens is empty in August. It is nice except for the fact that the reason it is empty is the sweltering heat. Places that take an hour to drive to because of traffic now take 20 minutes. Mrs. Ithuriel's dad is coming over in a while and he want to hang out on the balcony around sunset on a 100+ Fahrenheit day. He's pre-AC generation. We are about to sweat. The south is sticky-nasty-hot, but my parents are young and they ran the AC even more than I can stand. So 90 degree sunsets are not comfortable lounging in my book ;)

Hey; my pbp thread and discussion thread aren't showing the last page of posts; I told gary; just telling you guys.

Yeah, I noticed that. I think the last whole page is gone (or at least inaccessible) on both of them.

worx now...

dot

Aubrey - sorry about hogging your map bandwidth. Won't happen again.

No worries - actually I wasn't logged on to Google Docs and didn't notice at first. After that, other people looking at the map made no difference, I could update at will. So linger over my spreadsheet masterpiece all you desire.

The joys of late night feeds (or changes or just crying) eh Aubrey?

Thanks for the map by the way, makes things very clear.

Well, I gave him a feed and them he grizzled for about two hours. But now I'm wide awake (ironically, given the sleep deprivation, I'm finding it hard to sleep even when he is quiet, probably because he's comprehensively f#&#ed my body clock with his nocturnal habits).

I did the map because it was so big I reckoned it couldn't really be accomodated on a piece of paper. Glad you like it.

My first kid was like that. Little f!&@er....he slept in a swing. He wouldn't sleep in a damn crib hardly.
He wouldn't go to sleep without a 5 mile drive, or in the swing just so.
Daughters were out like lights mostly.

Gil knows Giant and shares, "Valenar, she says you killed her 'Borok'. I think she wants to dance with you specifically."

Something that just struck me - I guess Borok would be Wartyman from our fight in the trainyard. If he was Shaak's son, that could explain my confusion of what the hell he was - he coulda been a troll with the 'young' template, making him smaller and weaker.

That would also explain why the Dassk is so royally pissed.

aah well...

That would also explain why the Dassk is so royally pissed.

But how would she know? None of the witnesses of who actually dropped Wartyman survived - the medusa was already running for her life, Bor was on the other side of the carriage.

Besides, they were already upset -- Borok might have been a victim of a prior skirmish. Or it might be mistaken identity and a grieving mother.

Maybe somebody scryed us.
Or a quasit was watching or something.

An alternative explanation could be that Gil misheard and Shaak was really talking about börek, which is a very tasty Turkish meat dish. Perhaps Runzyl unwittingly stole Shaak's dinner recently?

It's all a misunderstanding, due to translation errors.

Or somebody cast speak with dead. Occam's Razor and all that...

I lean towards the meatball rage theory myself.

I was thinking Borok might be the troll from our assault on the Daask base way back when (if there was a troll ... I think there was ... and very likely Runzyl played a big part in killing him).

Yeah; there was one back then.

Could be. I don't remember much of that, but, in my defence, I spent most of that fight bleeding and unconscious...

Vattnisse wrote:

That would also explain why the Dassk is so royally pissed.

But how would she know? None of the witnesses of who actually dropped Wartyman survived - the medusa was already running for her life, Bor was on the other side of the carriage.

Besides, they were already upset -- Borok might have been a victim of a prior skirmish. Or it might be mistaken identity and a grieving mother.

Ugh. There's an option so obvious it didn't even occur to me.

One witness survived: the industrious Cornelius Brumptiou Banquat. Runzyl's prowess with the blade and the unfortunate trollish teenager's sad loss of life and limb is probably all over Sharn by now.

We really need to do something about that damned gnome.

Did we establish that wartyman was a half troll, or was that guess work?

I think Aubrey said he "looked trollish". We (mostly me, probably) extrapolated from there.

Yes, half-troll. Shaak spreads the love.

Hey havoc xiii-

I'm trying to avoid having two groups worth of people for the PFS pbp if I can and I saw you and your fiancee got in on nightflier's game. Since you guys were able to find another one I'm going to stick with the smaller group rather than take on more than I can reasonably keep up with. Sorry to tease you like that :)

That leaves me with 5 which I'm happy with. Nevynxxx if you still want the 6th spot, let me know over on the PFS Beggar's Pearl thread where we have been figuring out what was next.

Hey havoc xiii-

I'm trying to avoid having two groups worth of people for the PFS pbp if I can and I saw you and your fiancee got in on nightflier's game. Since you guys were able to find another one I'm going to stick with the smaller group rather than take on more than I can reasonably keep up with. Sorry to tease you like that :)

That leaves me with 5 which I'm happy with. Nevynxxx if you still want the 6th spot, let me know over on the PFS Beggar's Pearl thread where we have been figuring out what was next.

Oh, cool, yes, will do!

Someone should raid the Dining Car for liquor that we can use as impromptu molotov cocktails. Runzyl isn't really clever enough to think of that, but some other smarty-pants characters might be. :)

So am I correct in thinking that Shadow Conjuration-generated Acid Arrows would still be effective against trollish regen?

Good thinking! According to the PRD, I'd say so:

Shadow Conjuration:

... Shadow conjuration can mimic any sorcerer or wizard conjuration (summoning) or conjuration (creation) spell of 3rd level or lower...

...Spells that deal damage have normal effects unless the affected creature succeeds on a Will save. Each disbelieving creature takes only one-fifth (20%) damage from the attack. If the disbelieved attack has a special effect other than damage, that effect is only 20% likely to occur...

My emphasis. Fortunately, Melf's acid arrow is a Conjuration (creation) spell. As the "special effect" of an Acid arrow is ongoing damage, the effect effect of disbelieving it is not that it doesn't happen, but rather that the target only takes 20% of the damage it should have. Of course, the point is just to subject it to ongoing acid damage, so that's not a problem.

Also, doesn't Gil have a scroll or three of Fireball lying around? If LB got out of the way, that could come in quite handy now.

Also, doesn't Gil have a scroll or three of Fireball lying around? If LB got out of the way, that could come in quite handy now.

I believe I have a single fireball, yes.

Good thinking! According to the PRD, I'd say so:

Shadow Conjuration:

... Shadow conjuration can mimic any sorcerer or wizard conjuration (summoning) or conjuration (creation) spell of 3rd level or lower...

...Spells that deal damage have normal effects unless the affected creature succeeds on a Will save. Each disbelieving creature takes only one-fifth (20%) damage from the attack. If the disbelieved attack has a special effect other than damage, that effect is only 20% likely to occur...

My emphasis. Fortunately, Melf's acid arrow is a Conjuration (creation) spell. As the "special effect" of an Acid arrow is ongoing damage, the effect effect of disbelieving it is not that it doesn't happen, but rather that the target only takes 20% of the damage it should have. Of course, the point is just to subject it to ongoing acid damage, so that's not a problem.

Also, doesn't Gil have a scroll or three of Fireball lying around? If LB got out of the way, that could come in quite handy now.

Agreed.

Hey havoc xiii-

I'm trying to avoid having two groups worth of people for the PFS pbp if I can and I saw you and your fiancee got in on nightflier's game. Since you guys were able to find another one I'm going to stick with the smaller group rather than take on more than I can reasonably keep up with. Sorry to tease you like that :)

That leaves me with 5 which I'm happy with. Nevynxxx if you still want the 6th spot, let me know over on the PFS Beggar's Pearl thread where we have been figuring out what was next.

It's cool I have no problem with that.

For Aubrey, RE: Falla Caesenri -

I just noticed that, while the previously flaming end has become frost, the other end is still just ghost touch. I can (hopefully) add flaming to that end in the future and all will be well in the universe.

Ghost touch is not an enchantment I see used much in D&D anymore. Hopefully I'll get a chance to seriously ruin some mage's day when he tries to use blink or etherealness to escape the "melee scary thing" with it. :)

Or Quori... just saying.

You are just about the only one of us equipped to fight things that are not nice enough to step fully into our world and get their asses beat.

For Aubrey, RE: Falla Caesenri -

I just noticed that, while the previously flaming end has become frost, the other end is still just ghost touch. I can (hopefully) add flaming to that end in the future and all will be well in the universe.

Ghost touch is not an enchantment I see used much in D&D anymore. Hopefully I'll get a chance to seriously ruin some mage's day when he tries to use blink or etherealness to escape the "melee scary thing" with it. :)

I think that'll probably be OK. I couldn't remember if I'd been insanely generous and made both ends Frost, but I guess my meanness overcame me.

Or Quori... just saying.

You are just about the only one of us equipped to fight things that are not nice enough to step fully into our world and get their asses beat.

<eyes glitter evilly>

You are standing in front of one of two entrances which are side by side. AS 20 is an entrance, as is AT 20 which you are blocking. He entered the next car of the train at AS 20 then presumably moved into the car with the PCs via the center internal door that trains have allowing you to walk from car to car.

30 by 100 is really crazy though. That is easily a three bedroom house. I think most real trains are about 10' wide or less internally.

Except Runzyl and the portly man are grappling in the center internal door area. Would the gnoll be able to move through them?

ithuriel wrote:

You are standing in front of one of two entrances which are side by side. AS 20 is an entrance, as is AT 20 which you are blocking. He entered the next car of the train at AS 20 then presumably moved into the car with the PCs via the center internal door that trains have allowing you to walk from car to car.

30 by 100 is really crazy though. That is easily a three bedroom house. I think most real trains are about 10' wide or less internally.

Except Runzyl and the portly man are grappling in the center internal door area. Would the gnoll be able to move through them?

Aubrey's map has you in the wrong position, I don't think he accounted for your five foot step at the end of your attack.

However, as I see it, gnoll 1 could still unfortunately get to its current postion by entering through the door at AS 20-21 and stepping diagonally past Runzyl who cannot make an AoO since he is grappling and doesn't have a weapon in hand - assuming that you can make a diagonal move through a doorway, which I think you can. There's nothing in the rules to suggest the gnoll can't move through his ally's square even if the ally is grappled.

Of course that’s going by rules mechanics where each character occupies a separate, five foot square, and stays in their own square even when grappling. Realistically, Runzyl and the fat controller are probably wrestling right in the narrow doorway, and would be all but impossible to slip past - but the rules allow it.

ithuriel wrote:

You are standing in front of one of two entrances which are side by side. AS 20 is an entrance, as is AT 20 which you are blocking. He entered the next car of the train at AS 20 then presumably moved into the car with the PCs via the center internal door that trains have allowing you to walk from car to car.

30 by 100 is really crazy though. That is easily a three bedroom house. I think most real trains are about 10' wide or less internally.

Except Runzyl and the portly man are grappling in the center internal door area. Would the gnoll be able to move through them?

They don't offer AoOs so I'm not too sure how they could stop them. More realisitically, they are lying on the floor too.

30 by 100 is really crazy though. That is easily a three bedroom house. I think most real trains are about 10' wide or less internally.

It is crazy big for a train (even a fantasy train), but it was probably done to facilitate combats using 5 foot squares as much as the maps author being hazy about how big a train carriage should really be. 30 feet wide allows an aisle that’s wide enough for two medium sized creatures to pass each other without squeezing (now anyone who’s been on a train knows that’s not realistic!), or fight two abreast (which allows more than one PC to easily take part in an onboard fight), or for a large character to fight without squeezing. Ten feet on either side of the aisle for seating allows seating for two passengers to sit side by side in their own five foot squares – so if a fight breaks out between two adjacent passengers they aren’t breaking the rules of the game by sharing a space.

Oh yes, definately. But seriously, I simply couldn't conscience having a train that huge as someone who commutes on one every day.

I hadn't realized the conversation had moved over here.

Realistically I get your point and it was the first thing I thought of too. If you can't threaten to make AoO how can you prevent someone moving through your square? But then someone in the chat room pointed out that an unarmed 20th level fighter without the improved unarmed feat also does not threaten and you can't walk through his square either. Apples and oranges I suppose since Runzyl is otherwise engaged where that example is not.

As far as RAW are concerned moving through an enemy square requires the acrobatics check or a combat maneuver unless the enemy is helpless. That's not so much an argument for or against- just throwing it out there. Sometimes RAW are nonsense when applied to specific situations.

Moving Through a Square

Opponent: You can't move through a square occupied by an opponent unless the opponent is helpless. You can move through a square occupied by a helpless opponent without penalty. Some creatures, particularly very large ones, may present an obstacle even when helpless. In such cases, each square you move through counts as 2 squares.

Oh- now I read the rest of MM's post above. Shoulda done that first ;)
I guess the diagonal move through the door negates issue.

But would the gnoll have to move through Runzyl's square (whether or not he is grappling or prone or whatever)? By RAW (forgetting realism of a narrow doorway with two guys wrestling in it), couldn't the gnoll simply move diagonally past?

EDIT - or not I just realised, see below.

Oh- now I read the rest of MM's post above. Shoulda done that first ;)

I guess the diagonal move through the door negates issue.

Actually, I might have been wrong ... you can't move diagonally past a corner, I'm pretty sure moving through a doorway would count as a corner.

I should probably read all the rules before I spout pearls of wisdom!

Of course, in the end I would never question the GM's ruling ... 'cos, no, I've never done that before ;-)