To save a little time, I posted an entire combat that I think you are all well-equipped to handle. No one took any damage. Just throw me a few quick reactions to that violence (in which I hope I got everyone's instincts right) and we'll get moving onto the final set piece of the island.
I can't wait for you guys to go up against the monster that I custom-built for the climax of the island. It will definitely be a unique fight. For reasons that should become clear, we are going to suspend the normal first-come-first-serve style of Initiative inside the party during this fight. Initiative needs to be carefully followed in this upcoming fight.
Custom-built monster? Sounds fun!
You will be assimilated.
You will be assimilated.
Any Chaotic Good's nightmare ;)
I get the feeling I'm going to be grateful I took the merciful spell feat before this is said and done
How many spells do you have left? You still have mage armor up, and I used jolt earlier in the incutilis fight in the tunnels.
Vrunyar, do you have anything prepped?
Well, I can't run out of Jolt. That's a cantrip...but I did use mage armor, 2 magic missiles so I have 3 slots of first level left I believe.
Mmm actually, I tried to use shocking grasp to ward off the swarm earlier. So 2 first level slots left I guess unless there was a rest period between then and the later fight?
I actually intended you to rest in Ivey's cabin. But I see why you rushed ahead.
Okay! Here. We. Go!
Remember, follow the Initiative closely. Make sure you write who is next in OOC tags at the bottom of your post. Please remember to put a combat header on the post. I'm letting you all roll your own saves (if you want to use Hero Points or other abilities), but please do so on your Initiative count. This is going to be a complex fight with a lot of moving parts. I'm instituting a 24 hour rule; if your Initiative is up and you haven't posted within 24 hours of the previous post, I'll DMPC you for the round.
Doran, we have to post in exact Initiative order. The constant mind-affecting abilities will require it. Wynifrid is currently up.
Oh boy, that's going to slow things down. In my case, I go quite soon after Wyn, so I'll leave it as is unless Crimson and Sandara's actions drastically change the situation.
All four extracts today were CLW. Three have been used. So one is left. Having a true strike coupled with the aiming rules would have been really nice for getting the makaru in one eye. Maybe next time.
You know, it occurs to me that in this fight Aaron would actually be more effective using daggers instead of short swords because according to the rules, daggers can both pierce and slash, while, oddly enough, short swords can only pierce... Heh...
Speaking of which, does Aaron know of the beastie's DR or should I roll an appropriate Knowledge check (what Knowledge skill would be appropriate, by the way)?
Knowledge: Dungeoneering covers aberrations. The DR will become clear quite quickly once anyone makes an attack.
This looks to be a brutal fight. With its reach and combat reflexes, this thing would be tough without its mind control abilities.
On a completely different note: I just realized that a discussion post I put up a few weeks ago, didn't stick - which may be why no one discussed it.
I'm thinking about Doran's path in this game, and am considering leaving his rogue levels as they are and moving full-time into Sea Singer Bard. We have so many melee types, having Doran be less effective in melee wouldn't be a big issue, and he could supply some buffs to the party, which would be helpful. It also fits nicely, character-wise, with the fact that Doran has been talking about music since their days on the Empty Lighthouse.
What do you all think?
One question I'd have, Barcas, has to do with the teamwork feat that Vrunyar and Doran picked. It might still be useful, but if Doran is going to be less melee-focused, it might not. How open are you to a bit of character revision, just to balance things out now that we've ended up with so many characters focused on melee?
There are a lot of you, so I had to make it tough.
Retraining is allowed, so long as it makes sense in the story.
There are a lot of you, so I had to make it tough.
I hope that didn't come across as whining or complaining, just an observation. I actually really enjoy tough fights where I'm not sure if I'm going to make it through. I had a character die a brutal death in another PbP a few months back, and it was a very intense, exciting moment, given that it was just some words on the screen about an imaginary adventurer. And it has added an edge to how I experience that game, which has been fun.
Having said that, I like my characters to be alive, also. ;)
Retraining is allowed, so long as it makes sense in the story.
Okay, cool. I forgot there are actual rules for retraining now, so it doesn't have to just be the DM being willing to erase history.
On a completely different note: I just realized that a discussion post I put up a few weeks ago, didn't stick - which may be why no one discussed it.
I'm thinking about Doran's path in this game, and am considering leaving his rogue levels as they are and moving full-time into Sea Singer Bard. We have so many melee types, having Doran be less effective in melee wouldn't be a big issue, and he could supply some buffs to the party, which would be helpful. It also fits nicely, character-wise, with the fact that Doran has been talking about music since their days on the Empty Lighthouse.
What do you all think?
The important thing is you're happy with your character. Frankly, especially once we take the Man's Promise , I can easily see Doran having a good reason to celebrate and maybe rediscover his love of music if that's what's your going for.
There are a lot of you, so I had to make it tough.
Mission accomplished... yikes!
Here's hoping the thing doesn't have much spell resistance.
The mental influence of the makaru is a good reason that might trigger Doran to gain bard spells. It may also help explain a breakthrough as Ollivor gets level 2 spells.
To give you all some motivation, you will level up once you finish this battle. Start thinking about what you want to pick.
There's a reason to live! :D
My continued plan is to focus on 'dragony' type spells, but he will be changing one first level spell in for another (Dropping Shield since I got Mage Armor recently as a bloodline spell) as well.
Assuming he lives with his free will intact ;)
I was thinking scare as it might better mimic 'Dragon Fear'. Down side is it doesn't work on folks over 6 hit dice but still it might have uses.
Invisibility was also tempting, but less dragony ;)
I am open to requests, but that's the way I'm leaning now.
Doran, if you like your character going Sea Singer, I have no concerns about that. Anything to help with his swim checks would be greatly appreciated. It’d be fun to have a monkey or parrot familiar around the ship too.
Thanks for mentioning the teamwork feat. Not sure what I should do. Anyone getting a new class bonus feat at fourth level that wants to do more melee precision damage? Though with Vrunyar’s speed, I feel like he’s “late to the party” sometimes. Perhaps I should retrain that.
Looks like the tide may be in your favor, eh? Dominate person grants a new save if they are instructed to do something against their nature. Crimson rolled a 1 on his save when he was instructed to attack Wyn, but Sandara rolled well on hers. Now you've got some extra healing.
Great! I don't suppose she can lift the shaken spell on poor Ollie now that she's on our side again? :)
It is not dismissable.
I was 'afraid' of that...
see what I did there? I... err forget it :o
Slightly better damage rolls and John would be knocked out. Boo!
Right, thanks!
Barcas - was I able to get a shot at the tentacle in my last action, as I asked? I was right next to the makaru, aiming to cut it where the tentacle attaches.
Go Thorn go! :)
Ollivor is a bit nervous about getting snagged by a tentacle if he closes on the main body
Doran hit the body. I added in the extra hit points. This thing has so many tentacles that it is nearly impossible to determine which ones are long unless it is stopped by grappling.
Okay, that's reasonable. Thanks.
Here are everyone's current allotment of Hero Points, according to the search function. Remember that you can only hold a maximum of three, get one every level, and will level up after this fight. (That is, if you have three - burn at least one this fight.)
Aaron: 0 (started with 2, used here and here)
Doran: 3
John: 1 (used here and here)
Ollivor: 3
Thorn: 3
Vrunyar: 3
Wyn: 0 (used here, here and here)
Correct me if my count is wrong, please.
For reference, Hero Points can be used in the following ways:
HERO POINTS
All PCs start with 1 Hero point and gain 1 Hero Point each time they level up. The maximum number of Hero Points a PC can have at a time is 3. Hero Point feats and spells are allowed.
You can use 1 Hero Point to do any of the following actions. You can only use 1 Hero Point per turn for these actions.
1. Gain an extra standard action during your turn.
2. Gain a +8 bonus to a d20 roll if spent before or a +4 bonus if spent after. This can also be used to effectively increase the DC of a spell by lowering a single target's saving throw in the same manner.
3. Ready an action at any time. (Must be done before a post is made; no retcons.)
4. Regain a spell or use of a limited special ability.
5. Reroll a d20.You can use 2 Hero Points to do the following, regardless of if you have used a Hero Point this turn.
6. Survive a fatal attack at -10, unconscious, and stable.(2 points)
Guys, I've just sent Barcas a PM. If Wyn dies in this combat--and I have told Barcas to let that happen if it follows the narrative appropriately--I'm taking this as an opportunity to leave the game. Otherwise I want to pull Wyn out as soon as reasonably possible.
I've tried rejiggering interest in the character and the game, and it's just not happening. I'm in four other PBPs, and I am GMing an RL tabletop game, all of which I am thoroughly enjoying, and I would rather focus my time and energy on those games.
I appreciate all of your encouragements and ideas to help me refocus my efforts, and I'm sorry if I've disappointed any of you.
I do NOT want Wyn's leaving (or if she dies) to screw over the party--but let's face it, between some dumbass tactical decisions I've made (for which I apologize--it probably looks like I've been sabotaging myself and I really haven't, I've just not been thinking clearly--last turn--round 3--I should have done something entirely different but I couldn't see the map from my phone and wasn't otherwise going to be able to post for 24 hours and didn't want to hold everybody up) and some bad luck and her general build, she's no real help to the party anyway. She's a combat maneuver specialist who has few options in a fight like this, and she is utterly useless and superfluous in a party that is so heavily melee focused. She has nothing unique to give the party, and is at best a bag of meat good for taking hits meant for other people. I expect you'll actually be able to work better as a team without me.
I will be sticking around of course until Wyn actually dies or leaves, but I wanted to be transparent about my intentions going forward.
I doubt anyone will die in this combat, thanks to Sandara. In a narrative sense, the makaru is actually not trying to kill anyone. It (and its hive mind friends) want followers.
But I appreciate the heads up.
Very sorry to hear you'll be leaving us, Wyn, but it's clear you've thought about it, so I won't try to sway your decision. But I'll see you under the mountain!
Barcas - Doran has a solid chance of dying, given that he's unconscious, far from Sandara, and was standing in water. How deep is the water where he is?
Also - is there any reason why hold person would have caused John to fall into the water, rather than simply being paralyzed where he was? Or did the makaru paralyze him, then drop him?
I appreciate all of your encouragements and ideas to help me refocus my efforts, and I'm sorry if I've disappointed any of you.
Hardly that, you've made attempts and hung in there, but if you're just not enjoying playing her then it is time to put her away and move onto other things. The name of the game is FUN after all, and there's no shame in expecting some for yourself as well as others. Whether Wyn leaves five minutes from now or five days, thanks for some great RP and I wish you well. :)
John was held when he made and failed the save. It happened on the makaru's Initiative. Thus he was already paralyzed when Aaron destroyed the tentacle.
Doran is in about 2.5 feet of water.
Sandara should get close enough to heal him.