Cain... |
We moving on the bridge house or the warden first?
I'd love to clear out the warden's tower, leaving no one at our back. Only trick is doing it quickly and quietly. Him being a caster means we could be walking over an Alarm on the first or second level -- or maybe in the stairwell or on his own door. No way of knowing until we get in there. And since it's night-time and raining, trying to go in through the window is dicey at best. Which (from what I can tell) leaves us at entering through the first floor or getting up on the walls and using the veil's window token to get through the wall. It could bypass some first-floor traps/spells (if they exist), but we don't know that for sure, either.
Any other thoughts?
Xanos |
The only reason I think id would be a good idea to waste the bridgehouse first is because fights with wizards can get flashy and loud. I'd rather not have bridgehouse guards deciding that they want to run away for reinforcements because they saw flashing lights from the tower windows.
Also, big boss fights go last.
King Markadian V |
I received a PM from Gwyn that she will be dropping out of the game for now. Whether this is permanent or temporary it's not certain, but for now she won't be with us. I told him that he is welcome to come back if he chooses as well.
This does drop the group down to three players now. We can continue it with only three players, or recruit a fourth. I'm open to either path and will look for your preferences on this as a group.
Price |
Jeez. I'm bummed about Gwyn. :(
I think recruiting makes sense at this point. Xz, feel free to be HIGHLY selective in choosing someone.
As to who we whack first... I can see arguments either way. Staying away from any meta-gamey aspects in the decision, hitting the Warden first makes sense in that we can secure the Gatehouse from the Bridge crew if they happen to get alerted. I figure GJ will have to stay down below in any case - he isn't stealthy and it seems prudent to guard the gate and catch the Warden if he manages to Feather Fall out the window.
Having said that, the advantage of hitting the Bridge first is they are along our exit route. Also, the longer we take with them, the more likely it will be that any defenses the Warden has set will expire. If he has an Alarm spell, it only lasts 2 hours per level and it is nearly dawn. Unless this guy is high level, it should be running out.
In either case, a protracted battle could allow one party or another to come to the rescue or - in the case of the bridge guards - send someone for reinforcements. Having a Wizard at our back and a long causeway to cross makes me a bit nervous.
If we are lucky, the Warden will be a quicker kill since he is on his own. For that reason, I'm leaning towards the risk of going after him first.
Cain... |
Oh, man. Sucks about Gwyn! I'm about to start taking it personally. :(
: sniffs armpits for foulness :
Plus, with the warden having an airborne familiar, he's just as likely to successfully send for help as the bridge house crew. And at least we have a decent chance of tracking any guardsman they send for help… whereas we don't have a shot in hell of tracking an airborne owl.
I say we hit the warden first.
Check out the ground floor from the outside. Scan it with Detect Magic. Then decide fi we think a first-floor entrance or a second-floor, wall-top (veil-window using) approach is best.
Price, good call on leaving GJ below as a contingency plan.
King Markadian V |
If we do recruit, I'll probably hold off bringing them in until after the prison break.
What I'll probably do is open up the recruitment (if Xanos agrees as well), get some applicants and let you all pick who you want, with me having final veto power. I'll make sure to post that it may take some time to get them integrated into the group of course. Plus it opens up some RP possibilities (begin evil laughter).
It does be the question of how many. Just 1 more person, or would you all prefer 5 or 6 players? I'm fine with whatever on this front personally. More players means placing more treasure (and monsters) is all.
Price |
What? What? We get to kill good guys AND get treasure too!? Christmas time! :claps hands with glee:
Recruiting-wise... You might want to give yourself some wiggle-room and advertise for 1 or 2 players. That way if we get a couple of really great applicants - you can take them both.
EDIT: The other possible option is to look for players we know might be a good fit and see if they are interested.
King Markadian V |
Here's the original recruitment thread.
If you want to take a look and see if anyone from there looks good, I can PM 'em and see what they think. I'll probably do the same tonight. If no one from there looks good, I'll start up recruitment then.
Once again, as long as Xanos has no issues (want to get his input first).
Xanos |
Agreed. We need a 4th at the least.
Sad about Gwyn. I really liked the character dynamic.
As for the new person, I'd prefer to focus on replacing what we've lost, which means a roguish-type or a melee-type, and we're definitely looking for someone with the ability to bring the same level of grit and creativity to the table that we have. Looking over the submissions, the pickings are slim. Lots of mustache-twirlers.
I'd also like to avoid anyone with an animal or demon/angel niche. Cain and Price have those already. (I doubt anyone could step on Xanos' toes in terms of concept, so I'm not too concerned for myself)
Xanos |
Want to ask Gary McBride if he's interested in joining us?
How cool would that be? If we got him to play an Oracle or someone with a knack for Prophecy we could even have an in-game reason why he had a pretty good idea of what might happen next. :)
King Markadian V |
My first reaction to asking gary is spoilered below....
NERDGASM!!!!
On that subject though, I wish to give my honest opinion on it. While I think it would be wonderful to have the creator of the Adventure in the group, I would prefer not to for the same reason I wouldn't for pretty much any adventure.
Start by imagining how it feels to have someone who has already played in an adventure (or read it) in the group. It can cause a certain amount of friction, especially if two people have differing views on how certain events play out. Now in this case it's easy, as a GM, to simply state that is how they interpert the adventure, or this is how they choose to play it out. The reason is their is little to no investment in the adventure.
This changes when the person didn't read or play it, but instead wrote it. This is a HUGE investment in that adventure, one that I do not have the same feeling for. The adventure may not necessarily play out the way it felt when writing it.
Now don't get me wrong, I dont' feel that is how Gary would feel for sure. But that's the feeling I myself would be contending with all the time. Am I living up to Gary's standards, portraying it the way he imagined. I'd pour over the books, making sure I didn't miss anything, second guess myself for every little change I make. As it stands now, I can just go post in books forums if I have any questions/comments/concerns, but if he's IN the game, I also lose access to that resource.
So basically, I'm not sure that I could do a sufficient job running the game under that circumstance. I'd say the same way with any adventure and the creator was to play in the group I ran. Now if I startup another adventure, Gary, please feel free to apply for it! I do bet you would be a blast at the table.
Fire Mountain Games |
Guys,
While I appreciate the offer and do occassionally check up on this board (See! Proof!) I'm afraid I have to turn it down.
First, I don't have the time. I'm a dad, a husband, a small businessman, a writer, run a weekly campaign, play in a Jade Regent campaign and every two weeks run a game for some autistic kids.
Second, I am totally spoiled. But you knew that. :)
Third, oh, sure I sign up for your group and that's fine. But then all the other pbps get jealous and soon all I'm doing is playing characters in "Way of the Wicked" campaigns.
But I wish you luck in recruiting more players and will keep tabs on this campaign from time to time.
Game on, my friends!
Gary McBride
Fire Mountain Games
Xanos |
Totally understandable Gary. Maybe we can rope you into another game down the road.
So, back to square one, how do we want to advertise?
My thought is to let the three of us handle the recruitment to free up Mark to keep focus on the games he's running.
What do the rest of you think?
Cain... |
What do you guys think about this?
Title: Way of the Wicked Recruitment: Evil Crew looking for 1 or 2 replacements
WANTED
One or two self-motivated, results-oriented individuals dedicated to planting a boot firmly between the cheeks of the Crown and Church of Talingarde. Close combat experience is a plus. Healing capacity is a plus. Collaboration and team-work are musts. We set our own hours, and we set our own pay. It's dangerous work, but the good guys aren't gonna kill themselves.
The Low-down:
We are three players in the first leg of the Way of the Wicked AP by Fire Mountain Games looking to replace two players who have dropped out. HERE is the game thread, run by the DM Xzaral (aka King Markadian V). We're in the middle of a prison escape and have so far had a strong focus on good scouting, effective subterfuge, strong intel-based planning, and guerrilla combat -- which has served us well despite being out-numbered and out-gunned (at least in the beginning). We love us some fighting, but we like to fight on our terms, always keeping our long-term goals in mind.
What we're looking for:
We want players looking to play evil characters who are three-dimensional, interesting, and gritty. We're not looking for 'mustache-twirlers', grand-standers, or monologuers. Our lost members were a two-weapon Fighter and a two-weapon Rogue, and we've been playing so far with only an Inquisitor for healing (lucky for us we've had a combination of good strategies and good luck and haven't had any problems… though more than a few close scrapes).
We don't have a true close-combat specialist (tank/meatshield/whatever). We don't have someone with the ability to pump out heals on demand (though we're not asking someone play a "healbot"). We don't have a traditional skill-monkey (though our team covers many of those abilities through archetype and skill selection).
We all try to post at least once or twice a day (with the understanding that life happens). Weekends are a crap-shoot.
Here is the original recruitment thread (for a brief overview plus the creation guidelines).
Xanos -- Man of mystery. Man of magic. Man who needs no introduction and has yet to use a question mark. Tall, dark, and wickedly-wizardly. He demands your cooperation, though honestly you're just as useful to him dead. (Just don't get on his list.) Necromancer Wizard.
Price -- Seamstress by day. Clinically-calculating, murderous, heartless, inquisitor of the Dark Lord by night. She fights, she heals, and she's manipulating you into surrendering your soul even as she makes you tea and fits you for some evening-wear. Inquisitor of Asmodeus.
Cain -- A hunter with the body of a man, the heart (and blood) of a wolf, and the soul of a killer. A patient, powerful predator. Good with a bow. Good with a blade. And absolutely itching to reclaim his urban hunting grounds. Just don't ask him to solve math problems. Switch-hitting Urban Ranger with some splashed-in lycan traits.
Price |
Assuming Mark is good with that recruiting poster, I'm down with it. I very much like the tone you set in it, Cain.
As for Evritt - we flank him, head up to level 2, across to 3b, and down to the ground floor. Then Price puts a nice sleeper hold on him and knocks him out cold. Then we tie him up and leave him there until our business with the Warden is completed. Also, we should drop into the central room (3a?) and make sure that the gate to the Bridgehouse is locked tight.
Xanos |
I just realized I could actually move myself on the map. It's interactive
Mark, you seriously win awesomest GM award.
King Markadian V |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Thank you, thank you /bow
Though in all honesty I stole the idea from someone else. Just had to figure out how to make it work.
I copy the map from the PDF, place it into Maptools and match the image size to the grid (clicking grid and coordinates on). Then I copy a screenshot of that into Paint, and load the drawing into Google Docs as a drawing.
For the minis, I just use Token Tool to take images of your avatars. I do the same for other things (like the ladders, the sword, and a window in the other game). I then load them into the drawing.
When I share the document, I set it so anyone with the link can see it, then give edit permissions to everyone. Presto, online editable battlemap!
Xanos |
Mark, I have a character issue I just realized-
I chose Bonded Item, which means I should have been making concentration checks for every spell (since I haven't been able to bond with any item yet). I like the weakness of it as it relates to my character concept, but mechanically we haven't been implementing it at all.
Since we've established that I cast Cantrips as a sorcerer, it's reasonable to assume they aren't subject to the usual Bonded Item rules. (which let's us ignore all those Daze spells I very well might have failed to cast), but the earlier Sleep spell definitely should have been rolled for.
As we go into this next fight, I'm going to be making those rolls for my 1st level spells (and probably failing them given the DCs).
Sorry I didn't catch this earlier.
King Markadian V |
I actually had realized that and was going off the 'casting like a sorcerer' aspect of things. So no concentration checks needed while in Branderscar for now. When it comes time later, we'll change things up abit so you will start to need it. So don't worry about it for now.
Xanos |
Mark, can I do an idea retcon?
My thought was to cut one of the tapestries into strips, tie them in a cross hatch pattern and make a net.
With a 4x4 net with ropes spaced every 6 inches, that's 64 knots, which is about 5 minutes worth of work. We've definitely taken that much time since the ground floor, and Xanos knew he was going to be sent after the owl, so it's a pretty reasonable idea for a guy as smart as Xanos.
What do you think?
Xanos |
I don't remember the exact rules, but when the master dies, doesn't the familiar revert back to a normal creature?
In case I need to roll
knowledge arcana: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18