Chronicles of Arcania: B/X Homebrew game.

Game Master Peet

Lost in the desert! The party gets separated from a desert caravan during a sandstorm. Parched and starving, they stumble on a ruined city in the middle of the desert. The pyramid at the center of the city seems mostly intact, and they find a secret door leading inside...

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FIRE BEETLE NEST MAP

Initiative: Ana, Brathas.


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Fistep wrote:
Since he's my brother-in-law, I'll bug Zynazyr more... but I know he's been pretty slammed at work at the end of year too.

No worries... I'd just like to hear when we can expect him back, if possible.

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Guys, now that we have only five people, we need a new Marching order.

Currently Fistep and Ana are the hardest hitting in melee (they are about equal), but Ana's AC is rather weak. Wallia and Brathas both have half decent ACs but neither are particularly spectacular in melee. Brathas is best at ranged combat, but also should be close to the front to check for traps. Wallia is about equal with ranged and melee combat.

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XP position:

Wanted to give you guys a quick update on where we stand with XP.

As we have already established, Fistep and Zynazyr

Today you have each earned over 400 XP not counting your prime requisite bonuses. That's a very good day, and it's partly because as you descend into the dungeon the rewards get bigger - of course, so do the risks.

Brathas and Wallia are behind the curve a bit because they started recently, but fortunately thieves and clerics both level up fairly quickly. With his XP bonus, Brathas has earned 520 XP, getting close to the 625 he needs to level.

Since XP is split between party members, that kind of XP is tough to get with monsters alone, but a good supply of food & water, or a hoard of monetary treasure would likely do it.

Wallia is a bit further behind; with his bonus he has earned 473 XP and needs 750 to reach 2nd level. So that's a bit further away, though it may be possible to reach in this adventuring day, particularly if you can find a renewable supply of water (which gives the party 1000 bonus XP).


M Half-Elf CORE Rog 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 18 (T15, FF 13, CMD 19) | F +2 R +7 W +2 | Mv 30' | Per +9 (+10 vs traps), low-light vision | Init +5

I might suggest:
First rank, Fistep and Ana.
Second rank, Brathas and Zynazyr.
Third rank: Walia.
We seem to have been alert enough to not get attacked from behind much, but if we do, Walia has better AC than Zynazyr.

Brathas is ahead of Walia due to his 50 XP from the trap, I guess? How far away is Ana from leveling?

I'm happy pushing on. We still have a fair amount of resources (spells and HP), and our food supply is the clock we are racing against. Between the bats and the lizard we have done well today, even with returning the Magi's rations. 54 half-meals from the bats, and 20 from the lizard. These are fresh meals so they alleviate thirst as well? Plus water from the magi.

How much would Brathas need to eat or drink to get rid of his thirst penalty?

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Brathas wrote:

I might suggest:

First rank, Fistep and Ana.
Second rank, Brathas and Zynazyr.
Third rank: Walia.

OK, done, unless there are any objections. How about for single file?

Brathas wrote:
Brathas is ahead of Walia due to his 50 XP from the trap, I guess?

Wallia earned 25 bonus XP for smashing the unholy symbol of Zargon, but he wasn't present when Brathas disarmed the first trap.

Brathas wrote:
How far away is Ana from leveling?

Still around 600 XP. Elves take twice as long as fighters to get to 2nd level. After that, she should basically stay about a level behind Fistep, as the amount fighters need to get to 4th level is the same as what elves need to get to 3rd, basically.

Note though that each tier is bigger than the one above, so the number of encounters increases significantly from one level to the next. Assuming nobody dies Ana will definitely be 3rd level by the time you have explored the entire 4th tier.


Male Human Fighter 3 hp 16/17, 2NL || AC -1 || F11 A15 C15 D10 H12 W12 || Mv 15'

Might as well me first, since I have the best AC, then Ana, then Brathas, Zynazyr and Walia?

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Guys, I have heard from Ferrous. He is through his crunch at work and will be returning shortly.


Male Human Fighter 3 hp 16/17, 2NL || AC -1 || F11 A15 C15 D10 H12 W12 || Mv 15'

Yay! We need that crotchy old dwarven beard with feet! :)


Alphatian 3 | 15/17 hp | AC 7 | F15 A10 C14 D13 H11 W12 | Mv 40' | Detect/Read Magic 2-6
Spells:
Cantrip (3-6) | Charm Person, Sleep, Binding / Invisibility, Wizard Lock

I survived (I think). Again, I apologize for my absence. Things got a bit crazy. I should be back to normal now.

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Glad to see you are back!

On the subject of absences:

HOLIDAY PLANS!

Christmas is coming up, and I expect at least some of you will be busy over the coming weekend and the days around that.

My pattern will be fairly normal until Thursday night. Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th I may or may not be online, though I will try to be around. The next few days (including the 25th) I should be online and able to post.

But I will understand if people are not around in that period. So I won't get on anyone's case for not being around.

I will assume things should return to normal by the 27th or so unless I hear differently from people.

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Don't really have time to post much now, but... Merry Christmas, to all those of you that celebrate!

If not Christmas, then whatever you might be celebrating, hope it's great!


M Half-Elf CORE Rog 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 18 (T15, FF 13, CMD 19) | F +2 R +7 W +2 | Mv 30' | Per +9 (+10 vs traps), low-light vision | Init +5

Taking this over to discussion.
I think LCDM's Rule of Two is great for this game. If two PCs are in agreement to do something, and there are no objections, that's where the party goes. It's a lot faster than waiting for all six to weigh in.
I've tried to pitch my ideas as Brathas suggesting something and waiting for others to weigh in before going ahead and doing it.
Walia seems to be more impulsive, which is fine as a character flaw, but the Rule of Two still holds. If nobody else concurs with his plan, then nobody else agrees and the party is not doing it and Walia is acting on his own.


Male Human Cleric 3 Prophet Male Cleric 3 | hp 16/16 | AC 1 | F15 A15 C12 D15 H11 W13 | THAC0 Ranged 17, melee 18| Mv 15'

Ugh, I thought Ana agreed by her action. Fair enough, this was more of a misunderstanding than Walia being 'impulsive.' I typically pitch my ideas as well, in this case I was trying to help Ana kill the one snake not personally attack and do the CDG on the other. As much fun as it is to brand Walia a loose cannon, my logic would have been we all attack the snakes simultaneously, whether we hit in on the head or not may have been irrelevant. I agree with the GM on the two idea, it works and keeps the game moving forward. There is this thing about always keeping the game moving forward I read and I like to help him keep it going ahead.


Male Human Fighter 3 hp 16/17, 2NL || AC -1 || F11 A15 C15 D10 H12 W12 || Mv 15'

I've tried to pitch my ideas as Brathas suggesting something and waiting for others to weigh in before going ahead and doing it.

Yes, I try and do the same thing.


Female Elf 2 HP 9/15 || AC 3 || F13 A12 C14 D15 H11 W13 || Mv 15' || Infravision 60' || THAC0 19 (bow or sword)/15 (battleaxe/two-hand sword) || Find secret doors/hear noise/detect magic 2 in 6

FWIW, I understood it as both snakes were intertwined and in a magical sleep. Both had to be attacked simultaneously to avoid one or the other waking. I also understood it to mean that two people could attempt to CDG one snake. I, too, thought that Wallia was assisting Ana.

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I'm sorry I wasn't more clear. But a second person cannot "help" a first person make a coup-de-grace. I might allow it on a much larger creature, like a sleeping ogre. But the snakes are small, and the target area for a coup-de-grace is maybe 3" wide.

So as it is a person "helping" would roll their attack normally and would not get double damage.

Wallia of Winterbourne Stoke wrote:
I wasn't sure how they came out of the basket,

The snakes were still in the basket. The basket is not very big, though big enough that you can attack a snake inside it. However, given that the lid is gone an awake snake can get out pretty easily.

The force of striking one snake would at the very least jar the other snake awake, and given their proximity an attack on one would likely make minor damage to the other. Therefore the two coup-de-grace attacks would have to have been done simultaneously.

Two attempts were rolled, so I resolved them as such.

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BTW I have reviewed the XP earned today. As of resolving the snake encounter, Brathas has earned enough XP to level up the next time you rest. Mainly because of the treasure.

Wallia is not too far behind.

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Happy new year, everybody!

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Guys, I'm feeling pretty under the weather right now and Am trying to rest up. I'm going to put things on hold right now and I'll be back by Sunday night at the latest.

Sorry for the delay, but I really can't concentrate on things right now.


M Half-Elf CORE Rog 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 18 (T15, FF 13, CMD 19) | F +2 R +7 W +2 | Mv 30' | Per +9 (+10 vs traps), low-light vision | Init +5

Feel better! Take your time.


Female Elf 2 HP 9/15 || AC 3 || F13 A12 C14 D15 H11 W13 || Mv 15' || Infravision 60' || THAC0 19 (bow or sword)/15 (battleaxe/two-hand sword) || Find secret doors/hear noise/detect magic 2 in 6

Just so everyone is aware; convention season is upon us again! I serve as the Game Operations Director (that is, the Director of the Game Room) at CoastCon, a local convention in 1.5 months, and this takes up a lot of my already pressed time. So if I am slow to update or respond, please bear with me and bot me as needed.

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No worries.

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BTW guys, I searched through the thread to find out what happened to the flasks of oil from the workroom.

Zynazyr has one of the flasks, but the remainder were picked up by Talikshim. He offered to give any out to whoever asked but nobody did.

So we will assume that they are available in camp if anyone wants them. There were 5 of them.


Male Dwarven Axe-man (Level 3) hp 22/37  || AC 1 || F11 A15 C12 D11 H6 W8 || THAC0 17 || Mv 20' || Infravision 60

HP: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10 Rolling for level 2 hit points.
Woohoo Party Tank got tankier.


M Half-Elf CORE Rog 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 18 (T15, FF 13, CMD 19) | F +2 R +7 W +2 | Mv 30' | Per +9 (+10 vs traps), low-light vision | Init +5

HP: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Nice.
Can he also eat and drink enough to get rid of his thirst count?

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Yes, assuming everyone is liberal with their water your thirst count will go down to zero.

I will be assuming that from now on regular trips will be made to the water trap from now on, unless told otherwise.


Alphatian 3 | 15/17 hp | AC 7 | F15 A10 C14 D13 H11 W12 | Mv 40' | Detect/Read Magic 2-6
Spells:
Cantrip (3-6) | Charm Person, Sleep, Binding / Invisibility, Wizard Lock

Well done everyone. Any thoughts on my new spell? Using LCDM's suggestions:

Charm - could be useful but limited to 5HD or less. Also target must be humanoid. Could turn an enemy into an ally. Especially useful to use on someone out of reach.

Prot from evil - would give 1 person +1 to ac & saves, immune to mental control, and protection from enchanted creature but the person wouldn't be able to attack it either. The reverse spell (binding) could also be useful giving us a potential ally in combat.

I was leaning towards charm for use in some of our interactions with the various people we come across but maybe it would be better to let Ana get that since binding could require full concentration to control the summoned spirit.


M Half-Elf CORE Rog 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 18 (T15, FF 13, CMD 19) | F +2 R +7 W +2 | Mv 30' | Per +9 (+10 vs traps), low-light vision | Init +5

Hopefully we won't have too many hostile foes above 5 HD for now -- and once you are higher level you can prepare Charm in a higher-level slot so it will have a higher cap.

Protection from Evil is also great, and as you note Zynazyr would be free to concentrate on the binding more than Ana would be. So by that logic I think it is a slightly better option. The protection vs enchanted creatures is a life-saver when you need it (things only hit by magical weapons include some pretty tough foes).


Male Human Cleric 3 Prophet Male Cleric 3 | hp 16/16 | AC 1 | F15 A15 C12 D15 H11 W13 | THAC0 Ranged 17, melee 18| Mv 15'

Any suggestions for spell for me?


Male Human Fighter 3 hp 16/17, 2NL || AC -1 || F11 A15 C15 D10 H12 W12 || Mv 15'

Heal? :)


Alphatian 3 | 15/17 hp | AC 7 | F15 A10 C14 D13 H11 W12 | Mv 40' | Detect/Read Magic 2-6
Spells:
Cantrip (3-6) | Charm Person, Sleep, Binding / Invisibility, Wizard Lock

HP: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 nice!

I'll take protection from evil and add binding to my spells list.

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Fistep wrote:
Heal? :)

Wallia will be able to use any 1st level slot as a cure light wounds spell. So he doesn't need that and he gets one other.

Normally I would suggest protection from evil/binding[/b], but if Zynazyr is taking that another one that would be potentially valuable is [i]light. Light can be used to blind an enemy, nullify a darkness spell, illuminate a target, or do damage to a creature made of darkness (like a shadow).


Male Human Cleric 3 Prophet Male Cleric 3 | hp 16/16 | AC 1 | F15 A15 C12 D15 H11 W13 | THAC0 Ranged 17, melee 18| Mv 15'

I will take a light spell

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Zynazyr wrote:

HP: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 nice!

I'll take protection from evil and add binding to my spells list.

Argh!

Just realized that since you are an Alphatian and not simply a Magic-User, your hit die is 1d3, not 1d4. My apologies. Please re-roll.

BTW, when you prepare your spells, indicate which version you are preparing. Casting a spell you have prepared requires concentration, but casting the reverse requires Total Concentration.

See MAGIC AND SPELLS (page 3) for more details.


Alphatian 3 | 15/17 hp | AC 7 | F15 A10 C14 D13 H11 W12 | Mv 40' | Detect/Read Magic 2-6
Spells:
Cantrip (3-6) | Charm Person, Sleep, Binding / Invisibility, Wizard Lock

HP: 1d3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 Well, you knew that was going to happen. :(


Male Human Fighter 3 hp 16/17, 2NL || AC -1 || F11 A15 C15 D10 H12 W12 || Mv 15'

Of course...

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Zynazyr wrote:
[dice=HP]HP: 1d3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 Well, you knew that was going to happen. :(

Oh, well.

For the record, I am keeping track of your raw HP rolls. If you ever lose a level due to level drain, you will lose your lowest HP roll. Takes a bit of the sting out of it.


Male Human Fighter 3 hp 16/17, 2NL || AC -1 || F11 A15 C15 D10 H12 W12 || Mv 15'

So if we kill him and then bring him back he'll lose a level?! :D


Alphatian 3 | 15/17 hp | AC 7 | F15 A10 C14 D13 H11 W12 | Mv 40' | Detect/Read Magic 2-6
Spells:
Cantrip (3-6) | Charm Person, Sleep, Binding / Invisibility, Wizard Lock

I haven't had time to go back and look through the thread but does anyone recognize the symbol on the banner/shield?


Female Elf 2 HP 9/15 || AC 3 || F13 A12 C14 D15 H11 W13 || Mv 15' || Infravision 60' || THAC0 19 (bow or sword)/15 (battleaxe/two-hand sword) || Find secret doors/hear noise/detect magic 2 in 6

We're one week out from the convention. As such, my time is getting crunched pretty badly. I'll try to check in as much as possible until Wednesday, after that, don't expect to hear from me until Monday. Please bot me as necessary. If I'm running your game, I ask for your patience. We will continue!

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Thanks for letting us know.


Male Human Fighter 3 hp 16/17, 2NL || AC -1 || F11 A15 C15 D10 H12 W12 || Mv 15'

I am confused. I don't understand why a 17 Wisdom character is acting so unwise.


Male Human Cleric 3 Prophet Male Cleric 3 | hp 16/16 | AC 1 | F15 A15 C12 D15 H11 W13 | THAC0 Ranged 17, melee 18| Mv 15'

What do you consider unwise? My character trying to retrieve the beetles which are artifacts that are very important or that I dropped my shield to use my sling or that I tried to get out of the room.

I will probably revert to my buckler from here on in, considering the restrictions the shield gives me.


Alphatian 3 | 15/17 hp | AC 7 | F15 A10 C14 D13 H11 W12 | Mv 40' | Detect/Read Magic 2-6
Spells:
Cantrip (3-6) | Charm Person, Sleep, Binding / Invisibility, Wizard Lock

I think the confusion arose since you joined us later in the game. What I threw were glands from fire beetles that we were using as a light source. They were about as valuable as a torch.


Male Human Cleric 3 Prophet Male Cleric 3 | hp 16/16 | AC 1 | F15 A15 C12 D15 H11 W13 | THAC0 Ranged 17, melee 18| Mv 15'

I thought as a player that those glands are very valuable because they don't run out. If those glands are easy to come by, which as a player I didn't know, then maybe wouldn't have run in after them.


M Half-Elf CORE Rog 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 18 (T15, FF 13, CMD 19) | F +2 R +7 W +2 | Mv 30' | Per +9 (+10 vs traps), low-light vision | Init +5

They do run out after a couple of days, and there is also a whole nest of fire beetles we are meaning to hit on our way back (so we aren't lugging the meat around for our whole day's exploration).


Male Dwarven Axe-man (Level 3) hp 22/37  || AC 1 || F11 A15 C12 D11 H6 W8 || THAC0 17 || Mv 20' || Infravision 60

I look at these encounters as necessary steps in order to get stronger to take on what lies below. I don't think we can explore this place and pass up the encounters like this and expect to live through this adventure.


M Half-Elf CORE Rog 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 18 (T15, FF 13, CMD 19) | F +2 R +7 W +2 | Mv 30' | Per +9 (+10 vs traps), low-light vision | Init +5

From a metagaming point of view, you are totally right. That's always been one of the tensions in RPGs, you have to metagame a bit.
There is no way Brathas should be able to understand that fighting carnivorous apes will contribute to building up the skills he needs to take on Zargon. It's not like shooting his bow will directly make him better at sneaking, or picking locks, or resisting spells, except we know it does work that way.
So Walia triggering more fights than Brathas would... Well I suppose Ferrous is right, somebody needs to do it.


Male Human Fighter 3 hp 16/17, 2NL || AC -1 || F11 A15 C15 D10 H12 W12 || Mv 15'
Wallia of Winterbourne Stoke wrote:

What do you consider unwise? My character trying to retrieve the beetles which are artifacts that are very important or that I dropped my shield to use my sling or that I tried to get out of the room.

I will probably revert to my buckler from here on in, considering the restrictions the shield gives me.

The actions in the last two rooms I've seen as unwise for a high wisdom priest, which is why I'm confused. You are acting as barbarian might... I know because my barbarians often do exactly that.

Re: the beetle glands... if you didn't know as a player, how come you didn't ask?

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Wallia of Winterbourne Stoke wrote:
I thought as a player that those glands are very valuable because they don't run out. If those glands are easy to come by, which as a player I didn't know, then maybe wouldn't have run in after them.

The beetle glands are fairly important. Without them you would have run out of torches days ago and would have had to improvise. You do know where more fire beetles can be found but it isn't exactly an ideal spot for a fight.

Brathas wrote:
There is no way Brathas should be able to understand that fighting carnivorous apes will contribute to building up the skills he needs to take on Zargon.

Well, it is fair to assume that Brathas would know that his combat abilities will improve the more he uses those abilities in combat.

Part of the original assumption of D&D is the experience system, and while your character wouldn't understand the actual numbers involved he would know that experience is valuable and worth seeking. Just as you would understand that a +2 sword is better than a +1 sword without knowing the actual numbers.

You don't need to overthink your character's motives - it's OK to seek the rewards that are given out by the game system.

-----

Wallia's actions may have been impulsive, but they have driven the story forwards.

And just as I don't expect a player with average intelligence to somehow get smarter when playing a wizard with an INT of 18, I likewise don't expect someone to get wiser when playing a character with a high wisdom.

Rather, their character will show traits that are reflected by the game mechanics of those abilities. A character with a high WIS will have a strong will and a greater sense of where they are in the cosmos. A character with a high INT will have a really good memory and will be more alert.

Forcing someone to change their actions based on their ability scores is pretty close to playing their character for them, and that's something that I'm not going to do.

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