A Land of Wonder! (Inactive)

Game Master Rickmeister

Incidentally, if no one follows up to join in the recruitment threads, I can modify Anja to be a barb2/oracle6, so we have the healing. Or we just say that Biyu knows how to use wands to heal.

Thanks Anja...I know what you mean, every time I look through those cards I swear I see something completely new. I had gone over them two or three times last night before I noticed the needle.

Now that I'm officially a member of the party, I'll hop in today as soon as I catch up on what happened and where the person I bodyswapped replaced is/was and whatnot.

Edit- After reading, should I assume Shana just took the place of the old member, met them when the party backtracked like Anja suggested, or some other way?

I'm fine with body swapping, but if you want to have a special entrance, I'm fine with that as well. I just think we'll call you Alice so we'll really be in wonderland.

:D

Welcome aboard! As to your entrance...whatever you and our illustrious GM prefer is fine by me. Either we can just now notice that your ears have points to them or perhaps you can be a shadow we rescue from the birds cage or something else completely :)

Welcome aboard! I'd prefer a bodyswap. Honestly, it's easy enough to imagine Shana took out a tengu in one shot in place of Durjaya and asked Anja a question instead of Velera. I think that's been the sum contribution of that position. I think one might've healed Anja, too.

And if there's a new intro, it begs the question: what happened to the one missing now? She was just there a second ago...

Yeah, we're going with body swapping. It doesn't fit the story other wise, so not going to risk ruining the plotline.

So indeed: Shana has killed a tengu, and asked Anja a question. Who knew she was a half-orc/human/half-elf? Must have been the lighting in this place =P

If you can let him keep the shadow and take back the rag replacement, that could be a cool little characteristic.

"The One Who Casts No Shadow" - a tempting title to bring back to the regular world.

Is there anything you could do with that, though, besides flavor? A rogue might like that, but really, I don't think many GMs penalize you for being backlit while sneaking. Maybe if you could fly, people won't think to look up and see you when you fly over them?

Hello folks! I'm the newest addition to the party, Terry Listantabulous! I'm a halfing blaster oracle of Gozreh (the winds) with some support spells thrown into my repetoire. Looking forward to playing with you all, and hopefully me abruptly joining the gameplay thread won't be too jarring. :)

No worries, we were jerked out of our home plane, stuck in a quasi-storyland world and have had our shadows stolen after fighting a talking rabbit. We're pretty unjarable :)

Welcome aboard!

OMG a halfling! *head explosion*

All,

Sorry for any delay, some things came up in my personal life rather unexpectedly which has pulled me away from the PC for the last several days. Should be back to normal posting sometime next week, hopefully Monday.

We have two Oracles, one of them a Life Oracle.

So.
Much.
Healing.

And no combat.

I know it's not a min-maxed build, but I am going to be playing more like a blaster caster than a healbot. :)

Oh, I know both that there hasn't been any combat and that you're set up to be a blaster, Terry. Its just... the recovery potential there boggles my mind. Besides, I'm not min-maxed either. I just took a concept and ran with it.

Blast away, and as I think I said before, if you want Shan-yu to lay off the NOVA so you can see how your characters handle combat I will.

I'm going on orders from tomorrow until the 17th in support of a pretty big event in my state. I have no idea how often I will be able to post while I'm gone (I just found out I was actually going an hour ago. -.-) so if someone wants to move Shana through this fight or some such, feel free.

I'm sorry for the short notice! Like I mentioned above I only just found out I was -required- to go, meaning someone above me couldn't make it. The joys of leadership!

No problem, you'll be "zombie" till you get back :)

All sorry for the delay. Some craziness going on in the real world has kept me away from the PC.

Not to go into too much detail but I got laid off from work and have been scrambling to get everything in order and look for a new job. In addition I got extremely sick and paid a visit to the ER. Today is the first day I'm starting to feel a bit back to normal.

I apologize for the delay and really want to continue things but for the foreseable future my posting may be a bit eradict until I get my life back in order. I will try my best to at least post every other day but I wanted to let you all know what is going on in case I go missing for a little bit longer. If you need to move on without me I understand and will hopefully catch you all in other games in the future.

No problem Khar!
Real life >> roleplay :-)

Take care and best of luck in finding a new job!

Dilemma: does the combat manoeuvre of the grabbing hands also count as an attack for the displacement that was on Anja?

Your two cents, gents?

I'd think so.

I'd say no because they grab at everything in their area, so it isn't "targeted" persay. Also, they don't have eyes to be tricked by the illusion.

Let's see...Black Tentacles says :

Every creature within the area of the spell is the target of a combat maneuver check

And the combat section (Under combat maneuvers) says :

Combat maneuvers are attack rolls, so you must roll for concealment and take any other penalties that would normally apply to an attack roll.

Forums don't say much on the topic. Rules wise it seems to say that displacement would help you but thematically I don't know that it makes sense. BT is kind of weird anyway as it's an area spell that makes "combat maneuver checks" which may be the same as an attack or could just be using that mechanic but be different. All that said lacking anything more definite I'd say the simple reading is best and give the miss chance.

I figured they wouldn't be subject to the miss chance. I imagined them just blindly reaching around, and once they felt something, they'd try to grab it. The check would be to tell if they actually get a good grip. IIRC, displacement is an illusory effect, so they'd feel her where she actually is. Course I know logic doesn't always belong in RPGs... :)

Bit of research for Anja :

Description from the glossary :

Some spells and a number of undead creatures have the ability to drain away life and energy; this dreadful attack results in “negative levels.” These cause a character to take a number of penalties.

For each negative level a creature has, it takes a cumulative –1 penalty on all ability checks, attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, Combat Maneuver Defense, saving throws, and skill checks. In addition, the creature reduces its current and total hit points by 5 for each negative level it possesses. The creature is also treated as one level lower for the purpose of level-dependent variables (such as spellcasting) for each negative level possessed. Spellcasters do not lose any prepared spells or slots as a result of negative levels. If a creature's negative levels equal or exceed its total Hit Dice, it dies.

A creature with temporary negative levels receives a new saving throw to remove the negative level each day. The DC of this save is the same as the effect that caused the negative levels.

Some abilities and spells (such as raise dead) bestow permanent level drain on a creature. These are treated just like temporary negative levels, but they do not allow a new save each day to remove them. Level drain can be removed through spells like restoration. Permanent negative levels remain after a dead creature is restored to life. A creature whose permanent negative levels equal its Hit Dice cannot be brought back to life through spells like raise dead and resurrection without also receiving a restoration spell, cast the round after it is restored to life.

Restoration will fix things but gonna cost a bit:

This spell functions like lesser restoration, except that it also dispels temporary negative levels or one permanent negative level. If this spell is used to dispel a permanent negative level, it has a material component of diamond dust worth 1,000 gp. This spell cannot be used to dispel more than one permanent negative level possessed by a target in a 1-week period.

Lesser Restoration has an odd gap when it comes to temporary negative levels. It says it doesn't cure permanent neg levels but doesn't say it fixes temp ones either.

Lesser restoration dispels any magical effects reducing one of the subject's ability scores or cures 1d4 points of temporary ability damage to one of the subject's ability scores. It also eliminates any fatigue suffered by the character, and improves an exhausted condition to fatigued. It does not restore permanent ability drain.

We need to rest up soon anyway so perhaps our best bet is to see how the overnight saves go and take it from there.

Thanks for collecting all that, Valeeran. I had another character face negative levels a while ago (but he was only lvl 4), and I think we figured it was restoration to do multiple temporary negative levels, and only 100 gp of diamond dust, since it was temporary levels. It sounds like you can wait and try to heal it naturally when you pass a save for each level over however many days it takes, but I thought I'd seen something about temp neg levels becoming permanent. Yep, here it is:

Energy Drain (Su) This attack saps a living opponent's vital energy and happens automatically when a melee or ranged attack hits. Each successful energy drain bestows one or more negative levels (the creature's description specifies how many). If an attack that includes an energy drain scores a critical hit, it bestows twice the listed number of negative levels. Unless otherwise specified in the creature's description, a draining creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows on an opponent. These temporary hit points last for a maximum of 1 hour. Negative levels remain until 24 hours have passed or until they are removed with a spell such as restoration. If a negative level is not removed before 24 hours have passed, the affected creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the draining creature's racial HD + the draining creature's Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). On a success, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. On a failure, the negative level becomes permanent. A separate saving throw is required for each negative level. Format: energy drain (2 levels, DC 18); Location: Special Attacks and individual attacks.

So in that first quote in your post from the dictionary on negative levels and energy drain, I'm a little confused about whether temporary negative levels also come from an "energy drain" attack, or if the "energy drain" attack means explicitly that "energy drain" only bestows permanent neg levels and temporary neg levels come from a different (unnamed) type of attack. Even then, though, the definition of "energy drain" that I quote makes it sound like they really only become permanent if you fail a one-chance save 24 hours later. Until then, restoration (using 100 gp of diamond dust?) would dispel the negative levels before you risk failing your save.

And then in the description for the enervation, it points out, "Usually, negative levels have a chance of becoming permanent, but the negative levels from enervation don't last long enough to do so." Which makes it sound like the temporary negative levels that give you a chance each morning to pass a saving throw to dispel it or "try again tomorrow" is the exception to the rule.

The lesser restoration says it doesn't restore permanent ability drain (to strength or constitution, etc), not level drain. It took me a couple times reading that, too, before I recognized it was ability, not level drain.

So, trying to summarize everything, there would have to be, I don't know, 3 or 4 different types of negative level types:

1) temporary negative level that lasts until a daily saving throw is passed (unusual according to enervation?)
2) temporary negative level that becomes permanent if you fail a single saving throw 24 hours later
3) permanent negative level that is permanent immediately
4 )very temporary negative levels bestowed by enervation which only lasts a few hours and is never a threat to become permanent

Ugh. Tired now. Will see if this makes more sense in the morning. :)

Yes, the way i see it it's the second type.
Not permanent permanent, not temporary temporary, but temporary going on permanent if you fail the save.

Everyone still having fun? Enjoying the adventure so far?

I am! I know this time of year is very hectic for many people so we should bear that in mind for people's posting. That being said, I hardly ever saw Khar post even before, and the other oracle didn't even participate in combat. I feel like it's pretty much Valeeran, Anja, Shan-Yu and myself at this point. Which, honestly, is a decently balanced party anyway.

The game is interesting, though I'm finding I'm not enjoying the personality I envisioned for Shan-yu. Though a quiet, stoic, and very laid back personality may fit a zen archer, it doesn't lend itself well to a PBP setting and helping drive the game forward.

I am amazed at how seemingly cursed that one spot is, we've lost what, 3 or 4 people from it?

I'm kinda the opposite with Anja. I'm really liking her character, so it's unfortunate it's a one-off; but then, you can't really have her kind of background if you leveled her up from 1, anyway.

Yeah, we've had a bunch of new players in that spot. (Though it didn't look like Durjaya was that new.) But we were all new at one point, so I don't know why we haven't had any luck with anyone in that spot finding their feet.

> Anja: True true...
I might be inclined to taking it beyond the scope of the adventure, if everyone is still having fun at the end of the adventure :)

> Shan-yu: Yeah that fourth spot is cursed indeed: it's a good thing I allowed both Terry and our paladin/oracle :D

> Terry: Khar is having real life problems, he's a swell guy but sometimes life kicks you in the balls with 7d6 sneak attack damage. I'm sure he's missing the roleplay, and he'll be back as soon as he's back on his feet
(Truth be told, I miss him more in the other roleplays, as he's a kickass GM :D)
And yeah, all the others basically disappeared after like 10 posts, which sucks. I'm glad you haven't wandered off, you're a fun halfling :)

> Valeeran, Anja and Shan-yu were all handpicked from other groups, and I'm glad I chose wisely! :D

> Shan-yu: Why don't you change his attitude? I can help you with some roleplay perspectives if you want, coz it's like you said, laidback and waiting for others is hard in a PBP. And besides, it's not like you've been playing him for 8 levels. I would have killed the zencannon a lot faster if you had :P

I've been mulling over how to change his personality, and what to change it to, and haven't found a fit I like yet. Also, you can try and kill off the Zencannon, but it can be damn hard to do so!

I've also learned he's not as optimized as I could have made him, which I am both happy for, and slightly amazed, considering the cannon he still is. Qinggong or whatever it is archetype. Never going to allow it in my games because it lets you have an alacarte monk, picking and choosing the best skills and abilities.

Never going to allow it in my games because it lets you have an alacarte monk, picking and choosing the best skills and abilities.

Yeah that was a weird archetype design choice...

We ready to head to the Weaver's? Does Anja roll her Fort saves now or after 24 hours?

In the morning is easier.
I will prepare a post, but it's probably for tomorrow: big party for moms birthday and getting rid of huge tree that fell down on the lawn.

I had the same thing happen to my house last year. We only got it completely chopped into firewood last month. Hard work.

Yeah, 4 people and 4 gigantic whatchamacallits (trailers?) later annd its completely gone.
Now to make them into firewood :-D

I hope I didn't miss an obvious clue by not choosing the Fiend card.

Be sure to check out the Land of Wonder Google Drive folder, as there is now a picture of "Algon the Ever seeking" :D

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you and your families have a great holiday and I look forward to the adventures ahead of us.

Same here! Hope everyone rolls lots of 20 in the game and in real life, for tis a season to be jolly :)

Oh, and everyone receives one hero point for Christmas :)

As a reminder, I cannot access google drives, and thus the cards while at work. Someone can either pick/suggest for me, or I'll chose something in about 12ish hours.

Take your time, and choose wisely, young padawan! :)

Sorry I've been a bit flaky the past few days guys! Tomorrow I will be traveling much of the day as I begin my New Years' trip, but I will be posting from my phone where possible! Thanks for bearing with me this crazy time of year :)

Okidoki Terry.
I'm delaying slightly to give everyone a chance to react.
Thogh considering it's the holiday season, no grudge guys! :-)