Risen from the Sands PbP (Inactive)

Game Master lucklesshero

The flanking rule states that if you draw a straight line between two threats that goes through opposite sides of the target, then flanking applies...while I thought that applied in this case, I could be wrong...y'all are more experienced with this than I...

Here is the full rule for Flanking in case anyone doesn't have their books handy.

While Myth has the right of the rule, his position is out of alignment for flanking.

I drew a red line from the middle of the Myths's square to the middle of Jamir's square, as the rule suggests for when in doubt, to show that it doesn't go through opposite borders to make it more apparent.

The flanking rule states that if you draw a straight line between two threats that goes through opposite sides of the target, then flanking applies...while I thought that applied in this case, I could be wrong...y'all are more experienced with this than I...

Those sides are not "opposite", they are "adjacent".

Mythryndyr wrote:

The flanking rule states that if you draw a straight line between two threats that goes through opposite sides of the target, then flanking applies...while I thought that applied in this case, I could be wrong...y'all are more experienced with this than I...

Those sides are not "opposite", they are "adjacent".

While I defer as y'all have far more experience at this than I, I took a different tack on reading the example in the core rulebook...

While you are correct that the sides of the squares are not opposite, the sides of the statue Jamir and I face could be considered opposite. As the statue is pictured and following Lia's line, I'm striking its backside (albeit not directly but at an angle) as Jamir is striking its front. The example in the rulebook stated:

Valeros and Kyra are flanking the ogre because they can draw a line to each other that passes through opposite sides of the ogre.

Since it mentioned opposite sides of the ogre, not opposite squares, I thought it conceivable that my position would be considered flanking...that being said, the example shows Valeros and Kyra directly opposite square wise...

But no worries, I'm sure y'all are right...just wanted to let you know what I was thinking when I posted. It probably doesn't help that I have a background in military history where flanking is not as precise...

GM, you need to subtract 3 damage from the statue as I could not have damaged it without flanking...

Myth, for future reference, if you move at more than 1/2 speed, you have to add 10 to the DC for an Acrobatics check.

Sorry to everyone for my lack of posting recently. Life has really ticked up much more than normal; and it really has been impacting my ability to post for the last few days. I should be able to catch up Sunday, but I do still want to apologize. Feel free to bot me as needed so as not to delay the group.

Sorry to have been a little out of it yesterday and this morning - yesterday was the Illinois Science Olympiad State tournament, both kids were competing (our son for his middle school team, our daughter for her high school team). The boy's team took second, so we're going to back to Nationals next month for the first time since 2014, when the Girl was the one on the middle school team! Much screaming and hugging and speeches and partying afterwards. There was cake.

I've got a 2 or 3-hour drive ahead of me to get back to Chicago before I'll be able to post, so please assume I'll go along with the group and bot me in combat if needed.

Sorry to have been a little out of it yesterday and this morning - yesterday was the Illinois Science Olympiad State tournament, both kids were competing (our son for his middle school team, our daughter for her high school team). The boy's team took second, so we're going to back to Nationals next month for the first time since 2014, when the Girl was the one on the middle school team! Much screaming and hugging and speeches and partying afterwards. There was cake.

I've got a 2 or 3-hour drive ahead of me to get back to Chicago before I'll be able to post, so please assume I'll go along with the group and bot me in combat if needed.

Your fine...just a mop-up operation right now....Congrats on the kids doing well at the Science fair! Nice to see a parent taking interest in their kid's activities..

BTW guys I think Analia wanted to rest...so before continuing on ; you might want to consult her.

That's why I was paussing to allow discussion. We have Torvald's vote for resting as well now.

I am ambivalent.

Ok I am back. Sorry for the delays, and grats on the great Science Fair experience with your kids Jamir! That is really cool!

As to game stuff, I did indeed think it would be good to rest, as going in fresh is going to be much easier than trying to deal with whatever else remains mostly on our looks...though there are some fine looking folk here, don't get me wrong. ;)

In character post coming up shortly! I will be switching at least one spell, but I will make that apparent in character.

Meming Hide from Undead, Protection from Evil, Remove Fear, and Shield of Faith today.

I am thinking of casting Hide from Undead on Myth, and maybe Jamir to scout out the big room, then come back so we can complete pre-buffs if it really is the BBEG's room.

Sounds like a plan! Though assuming the BBEG is sentient and a caster/gish it's pretty likely to see through it, right?

DC 14. Depends on its will save and luck...

I actually don't want to bot Analia...because A. 'it seems her best choice to do damage involves using an expendable resource (burning-hands)...B. I don't know if any of her 'innate magic abilities' are area affect or targeted...C. if I do bot her..it's likely I'd move her right it to the path of the swarm and she may object to that... I'll PM her if we don't hear from her by tomorrow...

That makes sense. She mentioned being busy last week - maybe it carried over? And much as I like our usual pace, it isn’t as though we’re an Outpost game rushing to the finish line.

Tedious problems with the boards this morning and a crazy day at work. Getting back to what’s important - PbP! - tonight.

I’m willing to wait for my Lia.

Unfortunate situation, but understandable, whatever the cause. I hope everything turns out ok.

For those eager to start an AP, I am getting more serious about Shattered Star. Once I read through the Game Mastery guide, I am probably going to get started. Several games are winding down, and I don't plan to start new ones, so I should have some bandwidth.

If anyone wants to start thinking about characters for that, just try to keep them a bit on the simple side for me. :)

I'll be hiking to and camping at the bottom of the Grand Canyon in the wee hours of tomorrow morning (Tuesday)...I won't get back up top till Friday afternoon and I'll be incommunicado as phone and internet connections are dead down there. Please bot me as needed and I'll be back with you all at the end of the week...

OK we'll take a Grand Canyon Break.. hopefully Analia will check in by then. Jawhar...would love to play Shattered Star when you have it ready...maybe you could put the link to the discussion thread here..in this discussion thread.

I’m down for it.

Have a great time, Myth!

Jawhar, thanks for the offer, but I have committed to run Shattered Star for my home group as soon as we finish Rise of the Runelords. We still have a little over two books to go, but we’re making a big push to finish before my daughter goes off to college in about 15 months (at which point we will have to switch over to a combination of PbP, Roll20, and face-to-face sessions during her breaks). If I were to play in your game, I’m afraid I would need to start prepping the AP myself before our PbP-only group finishes book 1.

After nearly a dozen games collapsing partway through Book 1, I'm feeling a little bummed and cynical about APs done by PBP. I feel like smaller modules and PFS scenarios are a more manageable commitment. I'm not saying I'm out of a Shattered Star game, just a little hesitant.

After nearly a dozen games collapsing partway through Book 1, I'm feeling a little bummed and cynical about APs done by PBP. I feel like smaller modules and PFS scenarios are a more manageable commitment. I'm not saying I'm out of a Shattered Star game, just a little hesitant.

I totally understand where you are coming from, Torvald. I just had a Rise of the Runelords game fail before ever really getting started (I actually had little faith in that one).

Additionally, my Ruins of Azlant group has been rather slow these last couple of months, and I am beginning to worry, although the people seem engaged.

This group is one that I would have little doubts about continuing.

Jamir, I acknowledge the precarious situation. Again, with this group, the timing might not be an issue, though you certainly know the speed of your home group. I wouldn't worry too much about metagaming Book 1 (based only on my experiences as a player, I haven't read the book yet).

Book 2 would be a vastly different situation. It would take Herculean effort not to metagame that book.

That makes sense. The way I was thinking about it is that based on my experience with Runelords, I’m going to need to read the entire AP before we start - preferably before my players start making characters. I didn’t do that with ROTRL, and missed a lot of the foreshadowing I was supposed to do at the beginning.

That said, if you wouldn’t object to me only committing to book 1, I do like playing with this group and would be happy to join you at the start if you haven’t filled your seats with better prospects.

Completely up to you. I can't say if the foreshadowing will be important in this one or not. It is pretty dungeon crawl-ish.

It shouldn't be difficult to find a replacement or to play with one fewer player as long as you don't end up filling a critical role, so only committing for the first book is fine by me as long as others take that possibility into account.

Playing Grognak, the barely-able-to-talk barbarian, could let you slide around the meta-gaming issues as well.

You'd have to be ok playing that type of character, though.

Playing Grognak, the barely-able-to-talk barbarian, could let you slide around the meta-gaming issues as well.

You'd have to be ok playing that type of character, though.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Yeah, not really my style.

As you have probably guessed from the past 15 months.

dibs on the martial combatant! ie..Tank...(I usually play the skill monkey or healer...just want to swing a sword in this one)

I love this group.

My experience with PbP groups has been similar to you, Torvald. I've carved out a Legacy of Fire campaign from the smouldering ruins of players jumping ship from it after I took over the reins (after the first scene of the first book), and now we've got a decent group. Still in Book 1 though.

One of the key players in my Dead Suns PbP group just announced that he didn't think he was going to be able to continue to post or be bothered to catch up. Really gut-wrenching as I started the Dead Suns group AS SOON AS I WAS ABLE and had sooo many people to weed through - I didn't think anyone was going to drop...

I've had Iron Gods and Rise of the Runelords groups die away. I have a Kingmaker group that we had to recruit a new GM for.

This group?

We fight. We argue. I fume. AND I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU (as roleplayers). Even you, Myth! And when Lia comes back (and she will), we will fall over ourselves welcoming her back and then it will be no big deal and business as usual.

That's why I have faith in this group. This is my Glass Cannon. Jawhar, you could GM the Tomb of Horrors (it's awful; please don't) and I would follow this group in. Half-heartedly. But I would follow.

Point me in a direction; I am a tool. Tell me what role I am to fill; I will fill.

But let me roll dice with this group. I am in.

I discovered the Tinkerer Alchemist a while back, and while I'm not ready to commit to a second alchemist immediately a character with a clockwork connection would be fun and thematic. I typically go for combat-effective bruiser types but have been trying to branch out a little more.

Would an Eldritch Archer magus modified to wield a musket be beyond the pale? I could also see myself doing an Archeologist bard or a psychic class (kineticist and medium are my favorites but I've never played a psychic class). Nothing is leaping out at me the way concepts do for some APs.

As you probably have noticed...(any that have played with me in other PbP games) I am less strict with posting rates than I am with other groups because I feel we've earned some Familiarity respect for one another. I second Craggark's sentiments about the group ..Analia re-joining us the whole bit..and I do look forward to continue play with you guys going forward..

For my game, Ultimate Technology and Occult Adventures will not be on the approved list. Sorry, I don't like them.

I don't think I know Ultimate Technology, but are firearms also disallowed?

Sorry, it is "Technology Guide". Firearms are disallowed.

On the topic of rolling dice together, if any of you are going to Gen Con this year, and you see a middle-aged couple and their two teenaged kids at a 5-6 table during either of the PFS specials, that’s probably us. We have tickets for a 1-2 table for the Starfinder special, but Mrs. Jamir will probably take a pass on that.

Reading through the first book now.

I have to say, the prospect of creating "voices" for all of these characters is quite intimidating. I want to do the adventure justice...

I'll see if I can figure out how to create a discussion thread tomorrow (I'm assuming the GM Starter Kit will provide a good tutorial), so everyone can coordinate characters, etc.

No rush, Jawhar.

Analia is back guys she'll be reading several(catching-up) post and may rejoin us over the weekend.. What I need from the rest of you...is the next area you wish to go...Since you most likely walked Analia out to 'check on the boys' you are in prime position to check out the chamber connected to the mimic/sarcophagi room ( the first room you entered in the pyramid) ...You could continue on from the boat room...you could go back to the Anubis guard/statue room with the large locked ornate door..Or you could by-pass that room and continue down the hallway...(4 choices whichever one you choose...I'll lead off my next post with a description of the next area you visit and assume everyone is there.)

I think continuing on from the Boat Room is good

I second that. Welcome back, Lia!

Agreed. Huzzah!

Boat room, FTW. Welcome back, Lia!

Thank you guys! It has been tough, but it's great to finally be back and to be able to play with you all again. I really missed this. :)

Now, without further delay, on to the gameplay!

Here is the Shattered Star discussion page Discussion Page

You are all welcome to join and start discussing character concepts.

Got back yesterday afternoon but was pretty wiped out from the hike and then the drive back...just posted in the game thread...

So this has nothing to do with anything we're talking about, but in the primaries yesterday the candidate whose campaign I'm managing won! :) :) :)

So this has nothing to do with anything we're talking about, but in the primaries yesterday the candidate whose campaign I'm managing won! :) :) :)

Congratulations, Torvald! That’s terrific!

Congrats! Always good when your hard work pays off!

Where are you located now, and what level of public office are we talking about?

I'm in Nebraska, and it's a local race: Board of Regents for a community college.

Cool. Is managing campaigns a career path you're interested in pursuing?

My long-term goal is diplomacy, but given the current disposition of the State Department...that's not exactly a viable option right now.

I don't know that I'm interested in managing campaigns for a long-term career, but it pays and I enjoy the work, and it gets my name and face out there in an industry where careers live or die by how good you are at networking. I'm considering whether I'm willing to make the commitment to running for office myself in a few cycles.