Themp's terribly out of date... Even my GDrive Sheet is out of date!
I need to do a cross-check between the GDrive and the game...
Mot's sheet should be in order, but Mott's might not be... :P
He's alive!
Heh, sorry. I just caught up reading the boards today. Been super busy these past few months. I moved, got two jobs and am now working 70 hours a week. And THEN there's Destiny... Heh.
I really hope I can start posting soon, but I still only have access to my phone. Which kinda sucks for posting... :/
Welcome back. :)
Heh. No worries, man. Hope you're managing it well.
All right, two things:
If Mot's grudge against Nme'an concerns the killing of helpless creatures, promising to refrain in the future will be a step towards reconciliation.
I don't see how this is going to happen because it is putting every single bit of this disagreement and its resolution on Nme'an which is completely unfair. Nme'an didn't kill the OwlBear because he is cruel, he did it because the OwlBear was still a significant danger. One that according to GM statements and the rules of the game and the urgency of the story could not reasonably be tamed as Mot was completely intent on doing. What Mot wanted to do had a very high chance of putting the group, which had just nearly had two members killed by this creature, back in danger. This is the one instance in the entire story so far that Nme'an fully believes what he did was right and necessary. In the story so far Nme'an has only harmed animals that were a threat to the group (like the wolves) or had a significant chance to again be a threat (the Owlbear) and has twice (with the father who wanted to beat on Themp, and with Greggor) shown restraint and used diplomacy instead of violence.
And the thing is, Mot has not shown one second of understanding this. Nme'an offered to help Mot find an Owlbear cub and even to delay their larger mission to do so. Mot though calls Nme'an evil, steals and throws one of his weapons into the river, and holds a grudge based on killing a "helpless" animal which Mot planed to wake up and make not helpless. It was said that, meaning right now, some two days later, we'd be dragging around a large very dangerous creature that could turn hostile and attack us with a failed check! While dodging traps? And Fighting spiders and Kobold? It just doesn't make any sense...
So, yes, Nme'an beat the DC and understands that Mot wants him to promise to stop killing helpless creatures, but why should Nme'an be willing bend on this issue? Frankly, there can't be reconciliation until both sides show a willingness to compromise or put the past behind them and has not done so at all. :(
2. I don't understand Themp's attitude towards Nme'an. Nme'an has sometimes been grumpy, he's very rarely offered law/moral advice (like advising against the use of the spider poison but he quickly backed down with no held grudge), and has only once gotten angry and taken actions to impose his will on the group with the Owlbear (see above). On the flip side, he used the law and common sense to defend Themp against Dear Old Dad, and has numerous times given praise to the group for their actions. All this talk about Nme'an in relation to purity and being angry all the time just doesn't make any sense to me. Mot said hurtful things, but Mot was angry and (hopefully) doesn't really believe most of what he said. Themp though tries to calm a situation by... siding with Mot and calling Nme'an out on things I don't think Nme'an has done.
Nme'an is never going to be as joking and carefree as the others, but I've specifically tried to make sure he isn't one of the dreaded RPG Paladins constantly making demands, but I feel like that's how Themp (and Mot) treat him... and it's frustrating. I'm at the point where I feel like I can't have Nme'an say anything at all without being accused of either being angry all the time or telling the group what to do... :(
That's understandable, Nme'an/Raga, thank you for being open. I wouldn't want you to think that I (GM Netherfire) believe Mot to be in the right. And you are correct in perceiving that Mot exaggerated with the name-calling (in fact, meeting that Sense Motive DC is enough for Nme'an to figure that out as well). If it helps navigate future posts when interacting with Mott, he's only going to get riled up like that if he's provoked (I can't claim any responsibilities for the real Mot, though). I'm trying to stay true to Chewie's description of Mot until he can regularly post again, and I wanted to clearly explain what Mot would be open to, depending on Nme'an's interest in reconciliation. Admittedly, I didn't take off the Mot-hat before writing that spoiler, so it came out in his point of view rather than the GM's, and for that, I am sorry. I didn't think it likely for Nme'an to apologize, but I didn't want to rule it out just in case. Didn't mean for it to come across as a GM-nudge to "play nice". As for Mot being the one to apologize first, I'm still trying to sort out a scenario where that might take place and still make sense for the character and for the ongoing plot. It might take some time.
And for what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job with Nme'an and his balance between Lawful Good and practicality.
Well, Themp is blowing it out of proportion, partly because of his previous experience with the guard and partly because he truly believes Mot is a lot less prone to rationale and a lot more emotionally unstable than Nme'an. You see, while Nme'an has shown great restraint, imo, Themp latches on to the "bad" things, like the scolding right after the Dad or the time he completely ignored when Themp tried to gain some praise through the conspiracy message.
You see, he might be street-wise, but he is a tad emotionally immature. :)
Mot has an Intelligence of 7.
:D
To Nether:
- You played Mot just fine with the name calling. Nme'an did indeed provoke him so some backlash, especially from Int 7 Mot, was entirely called for.
- The spoiler posted under Mott didn't bother me at all. I figured it was just a chance to look at what Mot was thinking. Certainly no hard feelings there. :)
- I absolutely agree that it is very difficult to find a way to get these two characters to move past where they are now. Nem'an getting angry at Mot doesn't work as we've just seen, but I don't imagine a soft gentle conversation would work better. I just see Mot responding with laughter and condescension. I too think there will need to be some sort of scenario or event to drive these two together and if I had thought of one I'd suggest it. It's a very hard problem to solve without distorting either one's character, unfortunately.
To Themp:
- Right. When I write against Themp I (and Nme'an) do view him more or less as a kid. I figure he is a bit immature but maybe also he sides with Mot because Mot makes an awesome role model that appeals to Themp. Think about it! Mot is unstoppable in battle, accomplishes whatever he sets out to do, and he gets away with disrespecting Nme'an who is the only stand-in for an authority figure around right now. There's a lot for Themp to appreciate there. But there's also some things I'd think Themp doesn't admire so much. I think of Themp as being someone who values finesse and slickness and sly-creativity... things that Mot does not possess. Sure, Mot accomplishes things, but he only does so through brute force. Like at the river, Mot dove in and saved the silver club, but diving into the river at night was a really stupid thing to do while Themp's plan with the rope was much more clever.
I suppose my real problem with Themp this time around is it is hard enough to deal with Mot then when Themp stepped in it basically became a two against one argument with both Mot and Themp saying things about Nme'an that for the most part weren't true. That, and so far Nme'an is the only one of our four characters that constantly gets called names and disrespected.
To Themp:
- Right. When I write against Themp I (and Nme'an) do view him more or less as a kid. I figure he is a bit immature but maybe also he sides with Mot because Mot makes an awesome role model that appeals to Themp. Think about it! Mot is unstoppable in battle, accomplishes whatever he sets out to do, and he gets away with disrespecting Nme'an who is the only stand-in for an authority figure around right now. There's a lot for Themp to appreciate there. But there's also some things I'd think Themp doesn't admire so much. I think of Themp as being someone who values finesse and slickness and sly-creativity... things that Mot does not possess. Sure, Mot accomplishes things, but he only does so through brute force. Like at the river, Mot dove in and saved the silver club, but diving into the river at night was a really stupid thing to do while Themp's plan with the rope was much more clever.
Pretty much, yeah. Themp is slowly realizing Mot might not be exactly a perfect role model, even though he is great fun to have around. A bit more character development and he could even consider having Nme'an as one. ;)
As for Mot being the one to apologize first, I'm still trying to sort out a scenario where that might take place and still make sense for the character and for the ongoing plot. It might take some time.
Yeah, lets work to speed that up. I know these two aren't just going to magically become friends, but I'm getting pretty tired of writing interesting stuff and having Mot respond with insults. It's getting to the point where I delay checking for new posts because I know no matter what I have Nme'an do Mot is going to be a jackass back to him...
Like in my last post, Nme'an is being accusatory, sure, but he's also showing concern for Mot... it's a bit buried under anger, but it's clearly there... but Nme'an gets absolutely nothing for it from Mot. Really that's been true of Mot's interactions towards Nme'an for the entire game. Never once in their dealings (I don't think) has Mot shown anything but ego and rudeness and vile disrespect. Getting a (much) milder version of the same from Themp is just icing on the crappy cake. Ultimately, I'm starting to get fed up having to play the one character that is hated by half the group. :(
That said, I'm still committed to story and character integrity. I'm not looking for Nme'an, Mot, and Themp to become BFFs overnight, I'm just looking for a way out of this cycle that keeps ending with no consequences for Mot while Nme'an gets insulted, loses weapons, etc. Here's a few of ideas of where we could take these characters:
1. It's very hard to get Mot to change his stance on something. He is too dumb to notice subtler points and has too big an ego to be successfully argued with. One thing that would provide a good jumping off point for a change of attitude is to have Mot fail at something. So far Mot has succeeded at pretty much literally everything. Why should he reconsider his actions and attitudes if he continues having perfect luck? One scenario that would work pretty naturally is to have Nme'an warn Mot against some action (as happens :p), have Mot boastfully ignore the warning (as Mot tends to do :p) but have the result blow up in his face for once. The exact mechanics could vary greatly, of course, but the end result would be to drop Mot's ego a couple of pegs and provide Nme'an some leverage to drive home a point or two.
2. It might help if the other characters would notice Mot's consistent, over the top insults towards Nme'an. And then say something. Right now the cycle goes: Mot does something Nme'an disagrees with. Nme'an points that thing out (sometimes calmly, sometimes not), Mot responds and the two get into an argument.... then Beorae walks away (or doesn't post?) and Themp kinda intervenes but really more or less takes Mot's side. Just having something as simple as the two characters Mot isn't accustomed to insulting speak up against his actions might provide a nice hook to break this cycle.
3. At the end of the Owlbear incident, right after his mace was thrown into the river, Nme'an said to Mot: "You have gone too far. What you have done cannot be forgiven... Not by me..." That line is sorta my get out of jail free card with regards to Nme'an being mad at Mot. When we next level up (someday! :p) Nme'an will be gaining a Cleric rank and the healing powers that come with it... but in order to do so he will be forced to offer forgiveness to those who have wronged him, including Mot. I don't know exactly how this will work... probably a vision the night we level up, perhaps a debate between Nme'an and his god, but the end result will be Nme'an wiping his side of the slate clean and giving Mot a fresh chance. Now, leveling up may be a long ways away so I hope we can start moving these two characters on a path to reconciliation long before then, but that's where I'm heading with Nme'an. Also, it won't do much good if the next day Mot starts insulting the heck out of Nme'an again so it'd be really nice if we can have moved them a bit past that by then...
Finally, none of this is me criticizing the way you've played Mott, Nether. You've done an outstanding job NPCing Mot consistent with his character. It's just the way his character seems to have had "Disrespect Nme'an" as a trait right from the start that's starting to bring me down. I'd love to hear your ideas on how to move these two characters away from the feud they're engaged in without breaking either of them. :)
Sure, diplomacy and intimidation are kinda opposite but Nme'an is negotiating from a position of strength against a Kobold who has like 1hp. It's a "if you help you will be rewarded, if you don't help you and many of your people will unfortunately suffer, understand?" kind of thing.
If the choice is between being feared or respected, Nme'an will ask for both. :)
That said, in this case I'm not really shooting for the specific in game benefits of Diplomacy or Intimidate (like the cooperation that a high roll gives)... more I'm emphasizing Nme'an's tone change between parts of his explanation to the Kobold.
Ok, understood. Thanks for the clarification. If I was hard-lining every roll, our poor kobold would be on a roller-coaster of emotion. This instance wasn't far-fetched and it made sense in the direction of Nme'an's words, but I wanted to bring it up just to make sure the difference was understood. Which, I see that it is.
Haha! That's hilarious.
"Do we have a deal?" Nme'an asks with intimidating diplomacy.
:p
Tie Up: If you have your target pinned, otherwise restrained, or unconscious, you can use rope to tie him up. This works like a pin effect, but the DC to escape the bonds is equal to 20 + your Combat Maneuver Bonus (instead of your CMD). The ropes do not need to make a check every round to maintain the pin. If you are grappling the target, you can attempt to tie him up in ropes, but doing so requires a combat maneuver check at a –10 penalty. If the DC to escape from these bindings is higher than 20 + the target's CMB, the target cannot escape from the bonds, even with a natural 20 on the check.
Having Nme'an tie up the kobolds will have a DC too high for them to pass.
I figure there's more than one archer so... how does cover work in this instance? If I had moved Nme'an to the 10 foot rocks at I21 what kind of cover would that have given him vs an archer at A19? What about 5 foot rocks like at K16? Basically, ignoring range issues, are the taller rocks better to hide behind than the shorter ones?
No. For simplicity's sake, every boulder will provide the same amount of cover no matter the boulder height. The only time I could foresee this not being the case is if an archer managed to climb onto a rock someone was hiding behind.
Also, I need Shark to make a Reflex save.
The Paizo-Post Eater strikes again! Lemme try this once more:
Please do not read this spoiler unless/until you are planning to squeeze into the kobold tunnels. Thank you.
The small-sized tunnel starts on the left side of the B19 square, and inclines at a downward in grade, to the north (to B18, B17, and so on). After fifty feet, it meets a T-intersection at B9. The tunnel then goes left or right, but no longer straight.
Maybe Beorn, could you try summoning a giant centipede, to chase him out of the tunnels? We deprive him of one of his advantages and it'll help leveling the field.
That is a very clever idea… forgot they could have darkvision! Would a mite or centipede be better-suited for this, do you think?
Only other concern is that it'll only live 2 rounds at our current level, so I'm not sure how much "chasing" it will be able to do. :-\
Well, some is better than none, no? I think centipede might (heh) be best. I know they're venomous?
I think centipede might (heh) be best.
Missed you, Chewie
I would think chasing through the tunnels is a waste because of the low time limit. My guess is that the tunnel leads to the right had side(s) of the map where the steps and high spaces are. So, we could:
1. Split up and cover both side of the map hopefully without falling into any traps.
2. Form up in the center and wait to be attacked.
3. Move to one side of the map and force the attackers to come to us... If we all moved to the upper left area where Mot and Shark went we'd have high ground and a known tunnel exit we could cover.
4. Try and ignore the enemy and see if we can't just go forward and leave them behind.
I like option 3 a lot...
Valid strategies! I like it!
Though I wouldn't rule the centipede out just yet. If Beorae can start the centipede at a recently used tunnel entrance, that kobold will be contending with a venomous critter with a 40ft move speed. With Olp as a captive for some time now, all of you know that while kobold feet are quick, they are still only as fast as a human (30ft move speed). With any luck, that centi-speed might make up for the 2 round summon duration. Even if centipede isn't around for long, his Dex-damaging poison will matter more than any hp damage he can deal. A mite has better Darkvision than the centipede, but the mite move speed and damage output are downright depressing when fought alone.
Whatever you guys decide to do, I'll wait for Themp and Beorae/Shark's actions before posting. No worries, if your characters decide to not act and see the archer's reaction to Nme'an's words.
Themp is currently waiting for a reaction. Any chance he can position himself defensively with just the bow?
I think Fighting Defensively can only be done with Melee weapons. He could do Total Defense as a full round action, adding plus 4 dodge bonus to his AC, but he doesnt need a bow to do that.
Ah, dodge bonus. That fits exactly what I had in mind. Thanks.
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"Soomeboody recaeled ae wee tale froom tha keengs toornament!"
So, you've heard of the Highlanders, have you? Monsters of men, the Urlghains. Not a one of them shorter than eighteen hands, with muscles that bulge like sacks of melons and a command of the common language rivaling that of a toddler with a mouth full of rocks. My boy, I have seen the Highlanders in action, and the stories don't do them justice.
It was many years ago when the King fell ill, when Wizard Dacius convened a tournament to find men and women fit to be champions of the realm. Your uncle and I joined up to serve the King, though that reward was surely attractive as well. We gave our all, let me tell you, we survived the trials well into the third day. But then we got cocky and rushed through an obstacle course. "Retrieve the iron ring from its plinth," Dacius had commanded us, completely neglecting to mention the pair of boars guarding it.
Now, the only way to fight a boar is to come prepared with a hefty spear to brace against its charge and a crossguard so it doesn't shove down the shaft and gore you out of spite. We had handaxes and no desire to get opened neck-to-groin like your great-uncle Phestivius.
Don't give me that look. There ain't no shame in recognizing a fight you can't win.
The rest of the contestants managed themselves, mostly. The Paladin behind us smote his boars with a longsword, a druid charmed them with a few words of animal tongue, and this one street brat slipped a knife into their haunches and ran around the course until they bled out.
They were absolute pikers compared to the Urlghain.
I'd met this Mott Casns before, can't say that I was impressed. He ate like a dog, had no indoor voice whatsoever, and he seemed simple-minded even by the low standards of the Highlanders. But he had a greatsword as long as he was tall and seemed to be a match for a pair of boars even if his partner had been left behind in the obstacle course. Certainly the crowd thought so. The cheers and the shouts of encouragement were deafening.
There he stood with his brow majestically furrowed, absentmindedly pulling straw from his beard while one hand rested on his sword. Opposed to him were two adult boars that had been summoned from the lowlands of the Greysight Vale that very morning; a breeding pair confused and hostile to anything which walked on two legs.
"Weall naow, that's just a pahr oof wee leettle piggies," he bellowed as he set aside his sword.
That shut some of us up, at least the ones who'd talked with him at length and had developed low opinions of his intelligence. We were all thinking "Oh gods, we've sent a child out to get torn apart by wild beasts."
So, the boars charged him. Mott just stood there with this big stupid grin on his face, arms folded on his hairy chest. And I don't care if it's impossible, I swear on tomorrow's sunrise that I saw him take the first boar by the tusks and shove it aside. The dumb animal ran headfirst into a wooden post with an impact you could feel through your feet. It was still twitching, but even a blind man could see that he'd just turned a bull boar into so many pounds of bacon.
That left the other one. And this wasn't no milky old sow, this was a she-boar in her prime. She came in biting and thrashing and squealing fit to raise demons, but the Highlander danced around her like
a kid around a maypole. Except children don't punch and kick the maypole into submission, so that comparison really doesn't work.
The end came when the she-boar lunged for his leg. She may not have had the full tusks of her mate, but her own set would have crippled the man for life if she connected. Of course, there wouldn't be a legend of Mott Casns if she'd bit him. No, he stepped around her, snaked one hairy arm under her belly and hefted her over his own head. Very few men can lift a dead pig, let alone a live, squirming one. But twist as she might, the she-boar could not break his iron grip.
Oh, the Highlander roared. His howl resounded off the palace walls. It set our teeth on edge and made grown men clasp their ears. The she-boar herself was momentarily frightened into silence. And just as I began to wonder why he hadn't yet passed out, he heaved that pig into the air. It tumbled and writhed like a cat does to land on its feet, but this pig was no housecat. No, it landed shoulder down on an old flagstone with a thud and a crack.
There was still plenty of fight left in the she-boar. It grunted and snorted and glared at Mott with anger as pure as an animal can muster. The spirit was willing, as they say, but the flesh was pulped and bloody and full of broken bones. She tried to stand. Once. Twice. Each time, her foreleg gave out and she collapsed with a grunt of pain. After the third time, she just gave up and lay there keening in pain.
I could hear this because the spectators had gone silent. Every last one. Even Mortimer Dacius, who had contemplated the incomprehensible and taken tea with strange gods, was blinking as if he couldn't believe what his lying eyes had shown him.
Two wild boars killed bare-handed in the time it takes to eat an apple. If that's incredible, it can't hold a candle to what came next. The Highlander quietly sought out a cleric from the spectators, led her by hand into the arena, and beseeched her to "Visit yoor gawd's mercies oopon tha poor beastie." Again and again he asked her, even when the Cleric explained that magical healing would be useless if the bones weren't set, and the she-boar wouldn't let anyone get near enough to do the job.
I'm sure there's more to the story of what happened that day, but I lost my taste for spectating the moment I saw tears running down the berserker's cheeks. But I saw him later that night, with a massive mug of beer in one hand and the other arm around a pair of comely young maidens, a whole roasted ham hock on the plate before him. He was as happy as any man sitting in his chair should be.
That, laddie, is what the Highlanders are. They're a force of nature unto which other forces of nature yield. They are vicious and gentle, steeped in tradition but living entirely in the present, and Mott Casns was a giant among them.
Hopefully this isn't too metagaming, but if Beora wanted to point out the tunnel she thinks Blood Arrow will pop out next, mot might be able to get there in time to kill him as he comes out.
Heh, new page for a new year! Happy 2015, guys!
Seems fine to me. Beorae has been calling out what she sees to us the entire game from the first alpha wolf when we were defending the goat, to the several traps that didn't land on us since we entered Kobold territory.
I don't see that as metagaming either. However, the spot in question is 15ft off the ground, on top of a large boulder. Mot would definitely need some Climb checks to get up there.
DON'T MIND ME
:(
I would prefer your roll...
Was just wondering about two weapon fighting...
1. Aranna, as of my latest tweak, now uses a rapier and a throwing axe along with Two Weapon Fighting to make the penalties bearable. But when do those penalties come in? When she grabs her second weapon? Only when she chooses to attack with both? Can she be holding both her weapons but get a higher attack roll if she only use one of them in a round?
2. What does a complete round look like for her now and in the future? I'd assume that at level 2 it goes something like:
*Move into position*
But at level 6 she gets two attacks? One set at +6 and one at +1? Does that mean she does this?
*Move*
All in a single turn?! And is it just a never ending flurry of slashes and stabs at level 20?
1. The two-weapon fighting penalties kick in only when Aranna uses both weapons. If she wanted to, she could only use one weapon (while still holding the other) for the higher (unpenalized) attack bonus.
2. Full-round two-weapon attacks at higher levels can get a little weird with actions available in one turn. Let's start with the first attack example, when Aranna is low level. Making more than one attack roll in a single turn is called a Full-Round Attack, whether you get the extra attack from TWF or leveling up to BAB +6, or subject to a Haste spell. As with other Full-Round actions (such as summoning spells or loading a heavy crossbow), your movement is limited to a 5ft step. The reasoning there, is the time it takes to move and hit once is the same as shifting in one direction and hitting multiple times. So, unless Aranna merely takes a 5ft step, she could only make one attack at the end of any further movement. Barring the movement restriction, the rest looks right to me. Remember that damage with your secondary weapon only adds half your Str modifier to the damage dice (but there's a feat to improve it to the full Str mod, called Two-Weapon Rend).
2. No, but you were close. With a BAB +6, her full attack should look like this:
Rapier ATK 1: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
DMG: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Throwing Axe ATK 1: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
DMG: 1d6 ⇒ 2
Rapier ATK 2: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
DMG: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
The TWF feat allows one extra attack in a Full Round attack, rather than doubling the amount of attacks with each +6 increase to BAB. TWF is a prerequisite for Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, and Greater Two-Weapon Fighting. If you take those feats as they are available, then yes, Aranna can endlessly flurry at level 20.
Still unclear about Shark's grappling/rake abilities and how they interact with various bonuses:
1) In a situation like this (link to pic), where Shark is grappling something and a friendly PC is on the opposite square, does Shark get a +2 flanking bonus, or do you lose the flanking bonus when in Grapple? If he loses it, does Mot lose it as well because the square is no longer "threatened"?
2) When Shark is controlling a Grapple, does he still take a grapple penalty against his target? If so, does it apply to the attack rolls, or is it a Dex thing?
I forgot the "cramped in a tight place" penalty to ATK, didn't I?
Shark and any flanking ally continue to benefit from the flanking bonus, even when grappling. Both Shark and Blood Arrow take a -2 to attack rolls and CMB checks, except for making or escaping a grapple (this only comes up when grappled and still facing multiple attackers). Shark and BA do not have penalties against each other (unless one of the grappled is using Weapon Finesse*). Because BA could attack Mot right now (albeit at a -2), he is still threatening, as is Shark. Also remember that the grappled condition doesn't allow attacks of opportunity. Short answer: you did it right.
*The -4 to Dexterity still applies to Reflex, AC, Dex-based skills (save for Escape Artist to escape, whoops), and any attack rolls that use Dexterity in place of Strength (such as with the Weapon Finesse feat).
"Those flat coins are kobold in make. I've... seen a few back home. Merchants don't really care where the money is from, as long as it holds its weight."
It's like the Good Book says, "Money has no provenance."
-"Good Book... you mean the Black Company series?"
Yes.
I forgot to add to the loots: one masterwork greataxe. DMG 1d12 /x3 crit range. 12 lbs. Two-handed weapons add 1.5 Str to damage.
I'd like me to know what Nme'an would have to do to jump down. Most notably, can he jump down in a controlled fashion so as to avoid the spikes?
Let's start with the jump itself:
When you deliberately fall any distance, even as a result of a missed jump, a DC 15 Acrobatics skill check allows you to ignore the first 10 feet fallen, although you still end up prone if you take damage from a fall.
Creatures that take lethal damage from a fall land in a prone position.
If a character deliberately jumps instead of merely slipping or falling, the damage is the same but the first 1d6 is nonlethal damage.
And if the character leaps down with a successful Acrobatics check, he takes only 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 1d6 points of lethal damage from the plunge.
Due to game mechanics, the pit spikes actually make an attack roll against your AC. Since you are now aware of the spikes, it will not be against your flat-footed AC.
There aren't any rules for willingly jumping into a hazard, so how's this: if Nme'an can pass the Acrobatics DC 15 avoid some of the fall damage, then he gains +2 dodge bonus to AC against the spike "attack". This dodge bonus doesn't apply to attacks from other sources.
Welp, here goes...
dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit!
Those hp dice rolls are not your friend, Chewie.