I don't like to direct anything, which is why I decided not to add a GMNPC as a sixth party member. I almost had to, though, with your sister group. They're a bit behind, and are currently in the planning stages of the ambush you're currently...ummm...springing. For awhile, it looked like their plan was going to be for the elf wizard to stand in the middle of the street shouting, "I have the fragment." as soon as they saw the Shoanti approaching the shop, and get the man to chase him through the streets. As you can see, that plan probably wasn't going to go so well...for the elf wizard.
Fortunately, they just got at least three votes out of five for a plan similar to yours...so far, nobody has mentioned light in their group either.
They'll learn like we did :D
By the way sorry for the poor tactical choices on my part.
Well, one way or another we have to stop the building from coming down. Right? At least that would be the ideal outcome...
I am going o check the front and then proceed upstairs.
Did anybody make a point of walking through the storefront earlier in the day when you first arrived, to get a feel for the layout? I can't recall and can't find any mention of such a thing, but I don't want to assume that I haven't just missed it.
I walked the store with the gnome to get a feel of the layout when my companions were talking with the owners of the front store. He gave me a crystal to call reinforcements from guards and wards if needed.
Possible, I really have no idea who the Hellknights are, so I will defer to you on that point. Of course that would mean the summoner (or the snake) saw right through it, and the snake may of had the fragment which means it may be at the bottom of the cliff.
The Hellknights are a draconian order of knights out of infernal Vheliax. Despite the name, they aren't all evil, though they are ruthless in the pursuit of order.
There's a good article on them on www.pathfinderwiki.com
By ignoring you, I mean that they aren't attacking you. They are still aware of you and not lowering their guard, so no attacks of opportunity, anymore than an enemy who threatens two PCS provokes from PC A when he attacks PC B.
One of the interesting things from the Stealth rules (in addition to allowing rogues to use sneakiness to get sneak attacks without a two feat tax), is the Create a Diversion to Hide part. You use a swift to create the diversion, Stealth to move somewhere that ends with concealment or cover, then an attack that gets sneak attack. This is different from feinting in combat, which requires you to use a standard to Bluff, and then attack next round (unless you burn two feats for Improved Feint). The downside to the diversion tactic is that you have to move someplace, which may provoke an AoO if your Stealth fails, but you can get a sneak attack every round if your rolls are good.
Or just flank, snk atk dmg applies when flanking. The above is still good for when fighting alone, though.
They are immune to flanking.
Elementals are a rogues worst nightmare in so many ways. Sorry Trace.
Also, Dublaine and Eudonius poking around outside will take more time than limited combat rounds, so I'm just going to exclude them from the initiative order. You can post some actions, you two, and discussion, but try not to get very far ahead of those down under, as fractured time lines are one of the biggest problems in split party PBP games.
By the rules, immune to snk atk dmg still applies when flanking but the flanking still gives the flanking bonuses, and only swarms or high level characters with uncanny dodge are immune to flanking unless the GM calls otherwise due to the flanking coming from having to focus in opposite directions
They made huge changes to precision damage in pf, most of them I like.
edit; contradictory info found about whether elementals are immune to flanking.
It's right in the creature description that they are not subject to flanking, which means no +2 bonus. I hadn't realized that myself till I went looking.
You can hurt these things. They don't have DR, just a good AC.
Yep that's the contradictory info I was talking about. There is also a list of types that are immune to crits, immune to precision damage, and immune to flanking. That list says elementals are immune only to crits and precision dmg (which makes more sense to me).
Personally I think they copy and pasted most of that info from 3.5 then updated to PF, which I think resulted in a lot of text that references old 3.5 rules instead of the new PF rules.
In this case, I think the exclusion of elementals from the list of things immune to flanking was the omission. Elementals don't actually have eyes, the see all around themselves. Earth elementals have a humanoid shape more out of convention than necessity.
I wouldn't worry too much. There will be opportunities for flanking and sneak attacking before this game night is through.
Yep that's the contradictory info I was talking about. There is also a list of types that are immune to crits, immune to precision damage, and immune to flanking. That list says elementals are immune only to crits and precision dmg (which makes more sense to me).
Personally I think they copy and pasted most of that info from 3.5 then updated to PF, which I think resulted in a lot of text that references old 3.5 rules instead of the new PF rules.
Where is this list?
It is a sidebar addition next to sneak attack, since it seems that such sidebars are added to the SRD specifically, it could be easily argued either way for which is the typo. I plan to look on the boards then report it, tonight.
It's not the posting out of order that messed things up, it's that some people posted a round's worth of actions, while others posted several minutes' worth. That's how things got off. I'm trying to subtly point out that neither course of action is going to reveal anything of note, so I'm trying to keep Eudonius from running off someplace that will put him out of action for the encounter.
I too have ben trying to keep Eudonius in the combat rounds. Sorry for the mess. To make things simpler in the future I would ask DM Nazard that if I post something that would take more than one round to be done you point that out to me on the spot. No reason to be subtle, let me know that it cant be done in one round and I will rectify my action to stay in combat rounds.
With everything that happened I am a little lost about where Eudonius is now and here he have been. When the time for my next action arrive please let me know where I am and what I have been doing.
While Lady Trace and Grigory we dealing with the illusion of the Hellknight, listening down into the cellar, and preparing to make their way down, Eudonius went through the dividing door into the storefront to look around. After a very brief look see, during which he saw nobody, he used the borrowed keys to head out the front, locking the door behind him, finding no signs of tampering there, and nobody in the street. He then circled around behind the shop, searching the alley in between to arrive back on the back step, just in time to come in and see the trap door has been closed.
He passed Dublaine at one point, who was also looking around for the summoner. As Eudonius was heading in, he saw Dublaine heading back towards the street, muttering something about getting a better view from up high.
Does that help? I had no problem with the amount of stuff Eudonius was wanting to do at the time. It was Trace deciding to expedite matters and jump down into the cellar (which there is also nothing wrong with), that started the time split. Now we have resolved it, however; everybody is back in rounds and no harm done.
Equally DM Nazard I in my enthusiasm posted probably a lot more than I should. I hate to hold things up, but also my unfamiliarity with the game and the way things work means I am trying to compensate for bad decisions. Like the whole Lantern thing. (I come from a 4e & 1e background, never played 3.5 etc).
Equally I don't mind you letting me know if I need to pipe down ;-)
Hi all.
I meant to give you a heads up earlier. I'm away from now to Saturday evening. I'd still be able post, but not update maps. If folks would like to press on, I can try keeping the combat going from my phone, otherwise, we'll need to take a break for the week.
I don't mind going sans map, giving descriptions should be just fine, most my other PBPs do that. Of course if you want the week off that's alright too.
Sorry folks, my away week went a bit longer than expected. Tomorrow, I'll be back. Thanks all for your patience.
No worries mate, I myself am going to be away for four days from Friday PM, back Monday PM. I will have internet but not sure how often I'll have chance to update, so if you see me delay you now know why.
Hope your break went well.
I got a bit lost on my way to the keyboard in the last week, sorry for not checking in.
Re: AoO...
I don't know if it's RAW, but what with the summoner coming out of invisibility like that, combined with the fact that Eudonius was running about opening and locking doors which would be hard to do with a falchion in your hands and no mention that I could find that he had drawn a weapon, I'm going to have to say no to the AoO.
However, if someone would like to argue the point, I would listen.
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AoO doesn't have to be with a weapon, does it? I was thinking his AoO in that situation could just be a grapple attempt, i.e. trying to grab on to the summoner while the summoner was trying to run through his square. If grapples aren't allowed as AoOs for whatever reason, he would still be able to make a natural or unarmed AoO I would think.
But you have to threaten an area to make an AoO, and if you aren't wielding a weapon (or have Improved Unarmed Strike, a natural attack, or one of the other exceptions), you can't make AoO's.