I prefer group initiative. Though might try perhaps just after the first and/or surprise rounds since those are the only rounds that initiative actually matters.
Umm, just how much roleplay will this be? So far it is starting to look like we'll be playing a boardgame with the rp laid on top. Not a problem really, but it certainly requires a vastly different way of playing.
I.E. don't bother attempting diplomacy with gargoyles. In game, Triela has no reason to assume the gargoyles are there for any reason other than to protect those entombed within, therefore, if she presents herself as not a threat to that, then she shoukd be able to avoid a fight. But yet, you roll initiative anyway, and everyone else doesn't bother to even pretend that a fight can be avoided. Also, Triela walked right up there and yet start of encounter has us magically all together again.
If we are playing boardgame with rp filling the gaps instead of rp with combat that kinda seems similar to a boardgame, that'd be good to know up front, as the last time I got into a boardgame with an rp overlay, I didn't realize it until everyone started yelling at me for making decisions in character rather than based on the meta-facts. They apparently expected me to ignore things like the fact that our characters just met, and with reasons to not fully trust each other, and expected me to do things that my character wouldn't do because I wasn't supposed to let rp interfere with meta efficiency.
I don't mind, but I'd like to know before a fight comes from it.
In the original recruitment thread I stated that this is a combat-heavy campaign so most roleplaying will be intra-party. Although, there are some instances where talking can avoid encounters.
I'll post the campaign description to refresh everyone's mind.
I started you with the party just so you wouldn't get mauled in the very first encounter. If you want I can move up forward.
The evil cult, however, had not been destroyed. The surviving priests and their followers instead settled on a hill near the Forest of Hope, a sylvan woodland near the Coast Road. There they found a vast underground complex of caverns and mazes, carving out a volcanic intrusion beneath the hill. There, the priests of Orcus found the perfect lair to continue their vile rituals. For many years, they carried on in secret, hidden from the light and from the knowledge of men.
Many years later, their underground delving completed, the evil priests erected a hideous mausoleum and a sunken graveyard atop the hill. It is believed that these graves are in fact the final resting place of the pursuing army of heroes that had been destroyed to a man. Soon after the mausoleum was erected the peaceful creatures of the wood began to disappear. Though many rangers and druids investigated these happenings, the cause of the creatures’ disappearance was not immediately determined. Some years later a powerful group of adventurers, led by Bofred, a high priest of Thyr, investigated the evil happenings and found the sunken graveyard leading to a labyrinthine complex. Bofred and his companions found great hordes of evil creatures in the complex. Though some of his companions returned from their expedition, telling tales of fantastic treasure and ferocious monsters, Bofred was never seen again—lost in the catacombs beneath the cursed mausoleum. For the last one hundred years, ranks of adventurers have ventured to the newfound dungeon. Many fell prey to bandits and monsters in the surrounding wilderness. Rumors suggest that of those who survived to reach the mausoleum and sunken graveyard, most were slain by guardians of green stone or perished on the very first level. Those rare few who return from deeper treks speak of horrible undead and creatures that cannot be slain. All who have explored Rappan Athuk offer this one universal piece of advice: “Don’t go down the Well.”
but to be fair, in the last three sentences or so it says " Many fell prey to bandits and monsters in the surrounding wilderness. Rumors suggest that of those who survived to reach the mausoleum and sunken graveyard, most were slain by guardians of green stone or perished on the very first level. "
Triela you are up in the gameplay thread.
I was also puzzled about why Triela was next to us when she said she was by the gargoyles. I also thought we were more like 140 feet away from them. :shrug:
Also, Shon'dar's assumption, in character, as well as that of most of the other party members, I imagine, is that everything in Rappun Athuk is 1) evil and 2) trying to kill you.
Nothing in the lore about gargoyles implies to me that we should think these to be an exception to that general assumption (and there may indeed be exceptions).
As for initiative, the GM calls for initiative whenever one or both parties have hostile intent. In this case the gargoyles must have had hostile intent, as we had not acted on our hostile intent yet. So you could have started diplomacy (a 10-round action) but the gargoyles would shred you before you finished.
I also don't think there was anything wrong with your characters choice of actions, other than that from a teamwork perspective the party was strongly leaning towards a different course of action, and you forced our hand a little bit by getting close enough to trigger the gargoyles.
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There is a difference between "combat-heavy campaign" and "you will trust all PCs, identify potions at anytime, do anything required or suggested by others even for a mere +1 damage regardless of what fits your concept of in-character, and you better be capable and willing to everything the fits the gm's concept of what your role is."
The second version is boardgame with rp filling the cracks and acting as the fluff and excuse for fighting the encounters.
I don't mind the second, but I don't consider the second concept to be expected not even in combat heavy games. Certainly, I normally expect to be able to do things unusual and that often require gm fiat.
I also admit to A, knowing nothing of rappan athunk, and B, knowing no reason to think that even the surface with recent is so incredibly evil that we should leave a path of utter destruction in our wake, aka not having a reason to avoid striking first.
I was thinking we were all old friends hence Summer's very familiar attitude and occasional peevishness. I would be pretty shocked if a friend reached for a weapon in an argument.
I think it was pretty clear from the recruitment that this would be a combat heavy game, if you want RP for the most part you will need to generate it through party interaction. Its a meat grinder a part of the fun is trying to keep your character alive, so caution and paranoia are recommended.
There is a difference being being combat heavy yet still acting completely in character, versus handling combat (and anything that might affect combat) primarily from a metagame perspective.
As for knowing each other, I did get the idea we all jnow each other from somewhere. The strangers bit comes from the other game where differing expectations caused severe issues, so I was just using it as an example of how issues came from differing expectations, and why I wanted to get some clarification.
Yeah I also figured that as 6th level characters we had been adventuring together for a while.
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There should be a mutual level of trust but you don't have to trust the party indefinitely. I don't have a gm's concept for any character, feel free to build however you would like.
I usually accommodate for unusual mechanics or builds.
You don't have to fight everything you encounter. I'm sure you can run away and avoid this encounter.
Hard to justify in character since they are waiting outside, I would not want to come out injured with flying foes around. I don't think we will have much of a problem, but it will be a tough fight.
Didn't we walk up to a different building that didn't have gargoyles and was locked? We could check to see if the key fits. If we wanted to run away. I do understand Summer's point. If this is our exit we may be in bad shape when we get there, and not be able to run away.
We should not have a problem hasted already and with most of the party overcoming magic we ought to carve them up. There attacks do not do a lot of damage, and only our heavily armored types should take full attacks.
Do you want an Enlarge Person Baldhus? -2 AC should still mean they needs 20s to hit and the extra reach and slight damage boosts might be handy?
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Let's get some math!
Enlarge person would lower my AC by 2, up my damage by 4.5 (2 str and damage die from 1d10 to 2d8, thats 5.5 average to 9 average) and give me another 6 HP.
If I drop a fervor'd quicked Bull's Strength I get another 2 to hit and damage.
That averages to 6.5 extra damage with no hit to my tanking capability.
I could ditch the shield and two-hand the axe, losing another 3 AC but going from 6 str to damage to 9, sitting comfortably at 23 AC which is more than enough.
So we get an attack routine of +13/+13, with 2d8+12 damage. Or +11/+11 with 2d8+18 using Power Attack.
That's an average of 21/27 damage per blow per round, with a likely chance of hitting.
Conclusion: Not only do I love maths, I can say... D-D-D-DROP THE BUFF!
Plus reach is likely to throw in a couple of aoos to :) As long as Summer does not need to protect herself I will cast it next round.
Given the number of foes, and that they all have multiple attacks though I would advise against dropping AC much IMO dropping the shield would not be worth it. But that said we ought to have plenty of healing so it should not be a big deal.
We should not have a problem hasted already and with most of the party overcoming magic we ought to carve them up. There attacks do not do a lot of damage, and only our heavily armored types should take full attacks.
Assuming these are book gargoyles. Remember they have strange coloration and are in an unusual environment. Couple those points with the fact that this is Rappan Athuk, they may have some surprises for us. Or not. :)
Quite true, to be honest I don't know much about book gargoyles, but given numbers, etc., I would be surprised if they had more than 50 HP, though it is of course possible.
None of the GM's aliases have posted since the 4th.
Maybe he got in a car wreck or lost internet?
Alas I generally assume burnout, certainly hope that is the case rather than something unfortunate.
Where did our GM go? :-(
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I hope he just lost internet, cause then he might be back to restart when he gets internet again, but who knows for sure.
I hope so too. I was looking forward to this dungeon crawl.
Yeah. I will stay subscribed to this campaign until the boards automatically mark it as inactive in hopes he comes back.
+1 Nothing to loose by keeping an eye on things, here's hoping :)