Okay, Acrobatcis DC 10 to move at full speed. Failing by 5 or more means you trip.
If im reading the relevant rule correctly, the acrobatics check would be made once I moved more than 20 feet (more than my speed) so if I choose to move directly towards the in, ill be good untill Q 30, then if I fail the acrobatics check ill fall prone right?
If that is correct, here is my acrobatics check to move to P 27:
If however the rule would cause him to fall on his ass emideatly (lol), Anthony will just take the 20 foot move to Q 30.
Somehow the Antagonize Feat doesnt seem like such a problematic thing after getting hit by Stinking Cloud. Talk about an "I-win". And to think I had the nerve to think Slumber Hex was baloney : /
If we make it out of this I think we need to assassinate the Witch, shes built for PvP.
Thoughts on future PvP combats.
Because of the very back and forth style of the combat with interwoven initiatives and AoO's these combats are definitely running much slower than a normal combat in the play-by-post format.
First question then, does anyone mind the slowness or would you like to see the pace a little bit faster? Note that for myself I'm indifferent to the pace - for me the game runs at whatever pace the players post at (and I have time to keep up with if they post multiple times per day).
If you want to see it faster I have a couple of ideas on this.
First: Players are paired in groups of 3 for initiative on each side.
So for example, if the six people in your group roll a 20, 15, 10, 8, 6, 4 for initiatives then I average two initiative scores each.
So the players who rolled 20, 15, and 10 get an average init of 15 – and all 3 players move on the 15 initiative. Likewise the players who rolled 8, 6, and 4 get an average of 6, all acting on init 6. This will still leave potential between back and forth between groups, but will reduce it to a maximum of 2 alteration sets per round instead of a potential maximum of 6 per round.
Second: 24 hour posting time limit (I'm glad this has been a non-issue for this group). At the point when I indicate it is your turn to take an action you have 24 hours to post an action. (not counting time over the weekend – Saturday and Sunday). If you do not post in that time frame I could either make you auto-delay your actions (this could be bad as potentially if you are out for a couple of days you could completely miss your turn). Or I post actions on your behalf – I can almost guarantee you I won't make the choice you yourself would make, so this could also be bad for you. Of course if you expect to be out of town you can let me know and ask another player from your group to take actions for you during the interim, or give me instructions of what to do anticipating as best you can how the battle might play out while you are gone. e.g., cast a buff spell if our group is all close enough together, or cast disabling spells on enemies within 30', or what have you.
I vote for the second option, and like you, I feel the pace is what it is.
I am not personally against the pace of the combat, and while I can see the benefit of speeding it up, theres also huge potential for rules errors requiring abnormally large amounts of retcon and ¨working out what actions happen and which dont.
GM: You actually cant do that so you will have to give me another action.
Player 1: But if he cant do it our whole plan falls apart!
Player 2: And without his spell, I will fail my roll and fall into the spike pit!
Player 3: I wouldnt take that action if he cant do that.
GM: *groan*
Theres also the trouble of readied and delayed actions which you would likely need to make a house rule for as well.
That being sáid, if there is a majority interest in the speed up, your method looks like it can work for that purpose.
A method that can help speed Things up though is you rolling our saves for us. Rolling our own dice is more of a thing that you Desire to do at the table imo. In a PbP format, its all the same random number generator anyway. Even if you wont do it in normal PvE play, taking that Liberty in PvP would probably be agreeable for most of us (I think)
I like the first idea and propose that GM Ascension roll everyone's Initiatives (which are in our spoiler tabs). It has to be a lot of work going back and forth between threads to resolve each individual action and small groupings would really help with that and speed up combat quite a bit.
I'm not really a fan of GM rolling my saves though. I know its random but its just as random at the table and I prefer having the fate of what could be potentially a fatal roll be in my hands.
I'm not really a fan of GM rolling my saves though. I know its random but its just as random at the table and I prefer having the fate of what could be potentially a fatal roll be in my hands.
This is my feeling on it. If players agreed to have me roll saves for them I'd do so, but where most saves being required here are of the Save or Suck variety I feel bad when my roll for them cripples them (illogical emotional/psychological thing).
I think I would lean towards option 1. While the speed of the game doesn't make too much of a difference to me, since it is all relative in regards to the other groups. For all we know, they are a week a head of us in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn't really make a difference on us. Though it could be challenging for the DM to ensure were able to stay close in time frame.
If 3 from one side go at once, that should help with the retcon imho. In regards to letting the other side know there is a retcon. Because it can be posted in the other groups thread, and they get it figured before the other group(s) know that there was a change.
I am indifferent on having the DM roll for saves, up until the point that he misses a key save for me, then I will find out where he lives and hunt him down :)
I'm happy with Option One, especially if that prevents the GM from getting an aneurism from keeping track of everything. Contrary to popular myth, you don't get XP from inflicting neurological conditions upon your GM.
(though it can be kinda fun)
Just realized that I didn't comment on Option 2
I'm all for a 24 hour limit on waiting for a player to post. Then its either DMPC or if you see it coming ahead of time appoint another player to run your character til you can get back. We can even set up our surrogate players or DMPC if preferable; nowsto there's no question or lag down the road.
Regarding the 24 hour posting limit, someone from the another group (I posted to all 4 groups regarding the long combat rounds) suggested that each player post in their profile tactics they would use should a GMPC situation come up for them. If nothing is posted for tactics then it is an auto-delay.
These tactics could be simple:
Auto-attack whoever everyone else is attacking, or flee if everyone else flees.
Or more complex:
Player X will control my character, but if he fails to post for me...
Cast my SoS will save spell on martial looking types closest to Bob the cleric (if within 30' of Bob).
Else Cast SoS fort save spell on the closest caster in range.
Else attack with my crossbow on whoever is closest to us within 80'.
Else look for a place to get total cover then stealth and move closer to the enemy behind said cover.
etc.
I am liking this idea. You should totally tell me what the person who suggested its character looks like, so I can go easy on him/her if we get into a battle (although I likely wont, mwahahaha!)
Unless we manage to get a hold of the halfling before he runs away, im seriously contemplating going for the caster on the roof of the nearby building, invisibility potion, sneak over the and mess him up.
Well Mael is more than likely done for. What to do? Run away, or try to get his body? Seems like the enemy has expended alot of their resources, and we are pretty much sitting on all of ours still. In a round or two the cloud and nausea should be gone, maybe we go on them hard and fast?
Dont forget that we get one free resurrection so we need to grab him...but he's not dead yet and unless theyre going to commit the very Evil act of killing a stranger while he's down then he just might make it. I'm done with this combat yet though. We need to try to grab one of them to find out why they attacked us in the first place. If it was because Vaek was dressed as one of the Mages then Sic's comment in the bar would have given them pause...but it didnt for some reason. Not sure how they couldve known he was disguised? It all reeks of something fishy in my book. But Sic is suspicious that way.
The way I see it theres three options.
1: Maklo told them about the Crow.
2: Firyin told them about the Crow.
3: Something else.
This is all assuming that there isnt some as of yet undiscovered member of the Guild floating around somewhere, which seems unlikely given the Mistresses fairly detailed rundown of the important guild members (most of them dead)
I agree the disguise part stinks as all hell. Not gonna go back and look, but as far as I recall, Vaek pretty much just put on that disguise didnt he? Or has he used it before?
The mage up on the nearby roof is probably our best bet for capture. I mean he must be really weak as far as saves/health/AC goes, to be sitting around 100+ feet from the action.
Btw I was about to write that we probably wont be able to use anythign we discuss here, since our character would have to talk it out, which made me think, how exactly are our enemies coordinating? Appart from like 1 or 2 insults thrown at us, they havnt said a word all fight. I smell some dirty metagamers! We should probably be ok with just magically agreeing on a course of action by nodding at eachother in agreement. Just this once.
As for the resurrection, we dont tecnically need his body for that.
But regardless of whatever else may happen, once we get out of this battle we shouldnt have too much trouble tracking them down and making with the stabbing. See how they like a nice Coup de Grace in the night. I bet Vaek would like the chance! Unless they are all running disguises as well I guess.
1) Sic was there when Maklo talked to his captors and he didnt even come close to mentioning the whereabouts of the Guild and I doubt he wouldve known the Mistress's back up spot was the Crow. So SIc is dismissing this option.
2) I could see Firyin doing this...but the first attack was against Vaek who was disguised as an Agent of the Tower. But nobody yelled "We know who you really are!" so they either played on a very astute hunch (and Im calling BS!) or something is stinking badly.
Sic wont be going for the witch as he isnt even aware of the witch...yet. We are still very much in this fight fellas.
3) Sic doesnt want to think that its something else that they havent thought of yet. Damn it! We have enough to do as it is.
Oh I wasnt refering to the Witch, shes very much near the fight, im talking about whoever is sending electric lizards at us over and over. (Oh and ashen birds)
We cant be sure Maklo didnt talk to them again later though.
Theres two witches?! Sic isnt aware of either witch yet I dont think. Just the halfling, the dwarf and the crossbow men.
I agree that Maklo mightve talked to soemone later but I doubt that he couldve known about the Crow. He wasnt a Lieutenant was he? Even then, after the debacle at the Guild house I dont think our Mistress wouldve designated any place that any of the other drow knew of before hand...unless our Mistress is out to get us!....dun dun dun...
Well theres one witch for sure, cant speak for the other caster, Anthony just heard casting from the roof where the lizard and ash bird came from. The lizard is surely a familiar though, so that narrows it down to Withc, Wizard or Sorcerer...I think, there may be more.
You make a good point about the mistress, which kinda rules out Firyin as well.
I have to call BS too, either that, or they are just two-steps ahead of us the whole way. I do not know that any of you wore the same face twice in any outside encounters. Impossible.
This is the first time, that I have disguised myself as Tunny - the Mage Tower person.
It is feasible to think that this group may have met him before, but unless they are evil, one wouldn't think that you would be playing your alignment to just attack people who at the time are not giving present cause.
Firyin if was one of the lieutenants, So I guess he could know, but that means Diguri isn't really that careful or smart and one wonders how she has been the Guild Leader for so long.
If Diguri is out to get us, then that would be a major downer on the fun factor.
Ok rules question: I suspect that the dwarf is going to grapple me. I plan to go invisible. Does that make it easier for me to get out of the grapple? Also, If the beast let's mael out of its mouth being that he is dead. Is it just a standard action for me to poor a healing potion into his mouth?
2nd: Rules question: If monster is finished summoning this round, why does it immediately get to act? shouldn't it have to wait til the next round and have its own initiative rolled?
and perhaps, this goes with out saying. my new goal in this game, is to hunt each one of these guys down. preferably, catching them when they are sleeping. I no longer care about robbing stores and such, as fun as that was going to be for me.
Time to shift gears to become the Vengeful Assassins Guild!
First time Vaek used that disguise.
There communication has been fair, though I haven't been as diligent as I should for details on this. Vaek should have noticed that the witch sometimes is speaking under her breath. Without kn arcana or spellcraft though that doesn't really mean anything to him.
They are using short swords. The fight is definitely stacked against you (turn about at a future time is fair play :).
Summoned creatures get to act on the turn the spell completes, and have the same initiative as the caster.
Being invisible grants a +2 to CMD against grappling.
Move action to get out a potion. Standard action to drink it, or force feed it to someone else.
That being the first time he used the Tunny disguise is what makes Sic doubly suspicious of the motivation behind attacking him. They havent rallied the masses or made any claims about the Tower...which any rebellious rabble would. Especially after seeing what Sic's attempt at the opposite did.
Keep in mind, Vaek, that the potion won't do any good for Mael when he is actually completely dead.
He would likely get stomped in the face again anyway.
Also, with Vaeks confirmation that this is his first outing as Tunny, im also left wondering what possibly could have given them any clue who he was. You would have atleast expected a confrontation in words before they full on attacked, if they werent completely sure. I mean attacking a mage representative like that without being completely sure is just flat out retarded (yes I used that word).
anybody know if I can do a dirty trick as an aoo? I.e. throw dirt inthe ugly dwarves face?
Dirty Trick is a standard action, just like grapple, so no.
I am wondering, do I know if the grapple worked first before trying to trip? Because if the grapple doesn't work, then of course there is no reason for me to attempt to trip. And looking at the tripping rules, it seems to me, that tripping kind of sucks unless you build for it.
In which case, if I can choose after knowing the effect of the grapple, then it would make sense to simply get an attack.
AoO to trip would go before the grapple roll is made - so you have to take your chances if that is what you want to do.
Oh wow, you can trip yourself with a trip manouver? My advice was pretty damn terrible then : /
If I can choose not to attempt to trip I will. I think I would rather attempt to hit her with my sword, if she does indeed decide to grapple me. I am going to take Tripping out of my potential decisions from now on.
Yea, fail by 10 or more on the trip and you trip yourself.
Its an okay maneuver, but harder against a dwarf as they get a +2 vs trips.
Sic will wait until the other cleric goes at least. We'll see if they respond to Sorad as well. The deck seems more than stacked against us at this point...
Just a reminder that I am out of town this week and will be doing limited to no posting
Appreciate the heads up and reminder, Enjoy your vacation.
Heres a game mechanics question DM.
Lets say next round, I cast expeditious retreat and move 50 feet in pursuit of the monk.
The following round I cast Cure Light Wounds and hold the charge (it being a touch spell), and continue to follow the monk.
Over the following rounds I move ahead of the monk and wait for Vaek to become visible (should already be visible at this point though)
As the monk passes me, I touch Vaek, healing him and removing all nonlethal damage, plus the 1d8 + 1.
Heres my big question.
The healing spell itself wont make me visible, since it isnt an attack / offensive action. But what if I wanted to simply grab a hold of Vaek? Im still not really attacking, just not letting go after I touch him. Kinda like if I stood in the monks way and let him run into me. Its not an offensive action, so shouldnt turn me visible "realistically". Any consequence of what I do it caused by the monks movement (He runs into me, or he loses his grip on Vaek respectively)
Also, would the monk get any kind of roll at all to keep a hold of Vaek? I know im straying into "real life" here which doesnt always work in this games combat, but if I was carrying a man over my shoulder, I wouldnt be clutching him so much as just holding him in a balanced position on my shoulder. If someone was to suddenly grab a hold of him, 9 times out of 10 he would slip out of the monks grasp. However if some kind of grapple roll has to be made vs the unaware monk, it suddenly comes more of a 50/50 chance.
My character would realistically expect the first scenario to apply.
So which is it? A roll which has a high chance of failing? A roll with a high circumstance bonus? An automatic success?
Also, since Vaek would wake up like earlier, he would get to act emideatly after that action, and be able to get up, go invisible and move away?
So, to wrap up, if I were to wait in the monks path and touch Vaek with Cure Light wounds, would I remain invisible? If I further didnt let go of Vaek, potentially pulling him out of the monks hands, would I become visible? And lastly, is my chance of swiping him from the monks hands that of realism, or game mechanics?
This will all decide my actions.
Keep in mind Tony, I am currently a glittery fake vampire so, while i'm technically still invisible. I am sparkling until their spell runs out.
Not much of a problem, since it too only lasts a round pr level.
Glitterdust has had 3 rounds pass so far.
CLW won't break invisibility (unless used to harm undead).
Vaek is entangled currently as the spider took a round to wrap him in webbing - putting his movement rate at half unless the webs are broken/burned first. Of course if glitterdust expires his half-movement rate shouldn't be a real issue unless they cast GD again or take some other action to find him again. Vaek is still after you in the init order so would go after your spell cast/touch. Casting CLW while right next to the enemy could easily give away your position, but casting, holding the charge, and using later would be fine of course (still a chance of giving away your position - but then you'd move immediately after I presume).
Thinking about the holding Vaek/invisibility question. Will get back to you late tonight probably. I'm currently leaning towards a roll with circumstance bonus.
@Mael. The game allows each person one free true resurrection. So you can use that to rejoin the game (once this situation is resolved). Its possible you might be rescued, but that looks extremely unlikely.
The original recruitment post indicated you'd start with only half wealth upon such a res, but I've really been thinking on changing that for the past month or so now for several reasons. The winning side already gets a bonus of all your gear, less 'paperwork' for me to validate a different set of gear, and half wealth is really gimping for the player.
So coming back you'd have a copy of the same gear you lost.
Also just for everyone to start planning for, once this situation is resolved everyone will be advancing to level 6.
@Anthony.
Here is how I am going to rule grapping Vaek from the undine. Your CMB vs the undine's CMD.
For being invisible you get +2 and the undine does not get his dex bonus applied to his CMD (just like if an invisible opponent were attacking someone).
If the undine is essentially out of combat at the time you do it I will grant an additional +2 circumstance bonus to your roll and the action will be a surprise round with only you acting in it - then new init rolls to see order of actions after that.
If glitterdust has worn off and Vaek is still invisible at the same you will take a -2 (same penalty for grappling an invisible creature) as you can't see exactly where to get a good hand hold.
Vaeks invisibility should wear off a round before the glitterdust by my count.
So with no dex bonus, the Undines CMD will likely be something like a 15 most likely. Still not all that safe, but I guess Vaek will just have to get himself out of the hug then.
Just to be completely clear, grabbing hold and winning or failing the grab roll doesnt break Invisibility?
Correct. Where you aren't making any aggressive action towards the undine I'm viewing it similar to cutting the ropes on a rope bridge as described in the invisibility spell. You aren't trying to attack/hinder/hurt Vaek, so that doesn't break the spell.
I had to go read vanishing trick again - you are right, it will end the same round as GD (Vaek vanished, moved, spider tracked him, witch cast GD). I really hate when they break consistency like that.
"This ability functions as invisibility" - except where it doesn't cause it doesn't last 1 min/level like invis, but only 1 round per level.
And is a swift action -.-
They might as well have said it works like the Vanish spell, which does last 1/level. But I guess that would be too much flipping through pages (Vanishing trick, Vanish, Invisibility )