DM JD's Kingmaker- Stolen Lands! (Inactive)

Game Master Jack Daniels

To be clear, what I need for your ambush is the following:

1. Where each character is going to be when the bandits ride into the Post (square on map).
2. Hidden or not? If yes, how? What is your cover or concealment?
3. Where is Oleg? Where is Lana?
4. If you set traps, where are they (square on map)? How are they hidden?
5. What spells do you have memorized?
6. Any other details you feel I need to know.

I'll propose that Anibeth is at Q5, behind the stables. Should qualify as total cover/concealment. This does mean she won't burst bless in the surprise round, wouldn't likely get most of the party in the bless radius, and the duration isn't long enough to pre-bless. She'll need to spend the surprise round getting close. I don't see any good central location with good cover from bandits on the way in to the storage shed.

I say put the traps right inside the storage shed, as camouflaged as we can.

Spells memorized are:
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +4):
1st—bless, shield of faith, shield [D]
0 (at will)—detect poison, light, mending

I see the letter legend but not the number legend. Den will be in W4 IF we start numbering at the left. He is in the tower to the left and will start with complete cover - say under and old tarp if there is one. Acio will be with him.

Can we rig the gate to squeak a little more than normal, just to make sure everyone hears it when it is opened?

Half of the letters are missing as well it seems. I'm counting 1 as the first column to the right of the one with letters.

We'll probably have a lot of warning, since they'll be approaching in the dark. Likely they'll have to approach with torches since it's unlikely all of the bandits have darkvision. If so, those on the catwalks will be able to spot them well in advance of their arrival.

Here are my Suggestions:

- Put Oleg and Lana barricaded in room A11.

- Signal provided by Acio or Peer when all bandits in and gate can be closed.

Can change things up if people want to be elsewhere.

Map with all numbers and letters

A few thoughts:

Block I16 - K16, I assume this is what you meant Grimath as I15 is part of the storage building.

Move K10 trap to K11, again K10 is inside the stables.

Maybe stack some hay for Olo and Grimath to hide in at their respective positions. It should be enough to get to Improved Cover as they give +10 to stealth checks.

Athenasius can be any where so long as there is someone with him.

Everyone gets the Message spell before combat.

Spells:
0th: Message, Dancing Lights, Acid Splash, Drench
1st: Identify, Silent Image, Color Spray

I agree with all aspects of this plan. Thanks Athenasius for clearing up some of the details with the map, I agree with your tweaks. Olo will hide out where Grimath suggested. (EDIT: We should just make sure Olo is close enough to the door to make it in a single move action of 20 feet) Hay stacks are a good idea for cover.

I'm a spontaneous caster but here's my spells FYI:
0: Detect Magic, Light, Prestidigitation, Read Magic
1: Grease, Summon Monster

I want to let everyone know I am attending my sisters wedding this weekend so I may be out of game until Saturday night or maybe Sunday morning. I will check is ASAP as I will have my laptop, but no guarantees. I give GM full permission to execute some turns for me as I don't want to slow things down, seeing as we are about ready to proceed. Just to clarify here is my plan:

1. Start out using stealth to hide near door until all the bandits are inside.
2. Use stealth if possible to close doors before surprise round even starts.
3. If not, move to shut doors asap in surprise round.
4. Cast Grease on the nearest threatening enemy/enemies.
5. Start shooting from point blank range with short bow, activating archaeologist luck right away to help ensure effective hits early on.

Yeah, I see the problem. The earlier map had the letters on the column on the edge of the map. The later uncovered map had the letters shifted one column to the right, thus explaining the off-by-one errors, since I was counting from the first column to the right of the letters.

Spells:
(1) Divine Favor, Shield of Faith
(0) Create Water, Guidance, Light

I'm OK with Grimath's plan, just slightly concerned if we'll have enough people by the doors to stop the leader who stays on horseback from escaping easily.

I could shoot the horse… :) Better to grease the horse, or at leas the path to the gate.

Message only works on 1 person per caster level, though I guess you could cast it once on each of us. But it only lasts 10 minutes so timing will be difficult.

Best to use Peer for signaling as his Int is well above animal. Acio is in all aspects a owl. She is well trained and likes Den, but she is an owl.

I think we need to be careful about what new items we introduce into the fort. We might get away with a hay stack or moving a ladder, but a new wagon is going to be noticed and mean something to these men. I say our wagon goes into the barn.

Per the new coordinates Den will start in W5.

I could shoot the horse… :) Better to grease the horse, or at leas the path to the gate.

Planning on it!

I was thinking of Commanding the horse to "fall", which would have the happy side-effect of taking the leader down too. But grease would also do the trick...

The other thing is that with the wagon at T18-U21 as Grimath suggests, it provides perfect cover - I can lurk under it ready to come out behind them once they've entered; if they want to leave I can hold them up long enough for everyone else to get to them.

As for the message spell - yes it 'only' lasts 10 minutes, but that's 100 rounds! Should be long enough.

One final point: DM - can we take actions before the surprise round? I'd like to have a buff spell up when combat starts - it lasts 10 rounds; if we say that I have 8 rounds remaining once combat starts, would that be ok? It would mean I cast it when they were 2 rounds away so there shouldn't be an issue with them overhearing it. Let me know.

Okay:
Den starts at W5
Olo at U11
Grimath at U18
Where are Damrak, Anibeth, and Athenasius?

As to your question Damrak, if you post a scout on one of the towers, you will have plenty of time to see the bandits coming. However, the time it takes them to get there is not the time the ambush starts. They have to go into the storage or trigger your traps, correct? So while that is happening, it may take rounds and your buff may wear off. Be aware.

Ok, if Olo is casting grease on the horse and Grimath is near the gate at U18, Damrak will be in the stable - with the door open; say at N10, unless anyone else has an alternative suggestion.

Command is language dependent Damrak. Don't use it on the horse. :)

Command is language dependent Damrak. Don't use it on the horse. :)

Oh - I saw the Target could be "one living creature" and missed the tag. Too bad, that would have been quite amusing

Unless you're secretly a horse whisperer

Or if the horse is Mr.Ed.

Just need a carrot for that!

Unless you're secretly a horse whisperer

Well, I am a bit croaky - I blame this cold weather...

Den starts at W5
Olo at U11
Grimath at U18
Damrak in stable at N10
What about Anibeth and Athenasius?

Anibeth will also be in the stable, behind Damrak

Athenasius will be taking full cover at W27.

Message will let Athenasius be an liaison for discreet communications between party members, which is the best we got right now.

Both Silent Image and Color Spray can be used to stop escapees.

Are you on the ground at that level or up on the tower Athenasius? Not sure you can be on the ground there, so you intend to be in the tower right? While I like you up high and safe, there is little chance you can use your color spray from up there. Its the one spell we have that has a chance to knock them down early and in mass. You up there means pretty much we loose that advantage.

What are you thinking for your silent Image?

What Den said - if you can get 3 or even 4 with color spray, suddenly the odds are in our favour; but its range is very limited.

If you are in the store area, they come to you; you splash them and then move back out of harm's way, and we mop up the survivors...

I'm going to be travelling a lot this weekend, not sure how much I can post. Willing to be bot'ed if I'm slowly stuff down.

General plan was to
a) get into position to burst bless (preferably with at least 4 party members affected),
b) head to either the gate to help stop bandits from escaping or oleg's house if bandits are trying to force their way in.
c) heal if needed, shield of faith, or deflection aura if multiple bandits up, otherwise help with the attack. She'd probably try to be a second ranker most of the time, taking the cover penalty on her to hit rolls.

@Den and Damrak

Good plan Athenasius will hide in the storage area.

Silent Image makes 5 10ft cubes of stuff. I'm thinking of using it to make domes of earth around anyone trying to escape. If they fail the save then they believe the domes are real.

Its hard to use the spell well. One idea would be to create some cover for us to hide behind. We could maybe shoot out through it even. But the duration is Concentration, so no other spell casting once you cast it. At least the range is long.

Concentrating on a spell is a move action so he can still cast. The cover is also a good idea. There are so many uses for this spell and that makes it a good contingency for different situations.

Also on second thought, Athenasius will be in the stables with Damrak and Anibeth. He did not prepare mage armor for this fight so having allies near for protection seems a good idea.

Sounds like we're good to go then. Ambush here we come!

Concentrating on a spell is a move action so he can still cast. The cover is also a good idea. There are so many uses for this spell and that makes it a good contingency for different situations.

Also on second thought, Athenasius will be in the stables with Damrak and Anibeth. He did not prepare mage armor for this fight so having allies near for protection seems a good idea.

Nope. Best to check your facts before posting, and certainly before we encounter the bandits.

From the players book:
"Concentration: The spell lasts as long as you concentrate
on it. Concentrating to maintain a spell is a standard
action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Anything that could break your concentration when
casting a spell can also break your concentration while
you’re maintaining one, causing the spell to end. See
concentration on page 206.
You can’t cast a spell while concentrating on another
one. Some spells last for a short time after you cease
concentrating."

Den is in the right place.

Looking over the map, I am not sure we wanted Athenasius by himself. And with the traps as shown, the trap will go off before the doors can be opened. Is that what we wanted?

Wow good catch Den. I really should double check my statements lol. I will take grease then.

New Spells:
0th: Message, Dancing Lights, Acid Splash, Drench
1st: Identify, Grease, Color Spray

No Mage Armor this time so I'll be relying on cover and positioning for defense.

Athenasius will be starting in the stables with Anibeth and Damrak.

Peer will be hidden atop the left battlement where she can have a commanding view of the battle.

The traps outside the door made sense if people were hiding in the storage area. With y'all in the stables it might make more sense for the traps to be inside instead.

If you move the traps, please indicate the new squares.

Athenasius - do you have the ability to see what your familiar sees? Combine that with your message spell and we have positively 21st-Century battlefield communications capability - if Peer isn't offended by being compared with a drone :)

I agree with the others: if we aren't in the store-room, the traps should be there. Suggest move them to K13 and K14 - right inside the doors.

When do we want to spring the ambush and open fire? Before they get into the store-room, which makes them more likely to run there for cover and fall into the traps; or once they've entered the store-room, run into the traps and are running out again?

We should attack as the first trap is sprung or discovered.

@Damrak: Not yet. Right now I can only sense general emotions such as fear, joy, ect. I will be able to do that by 5th level.

@Den: I concur.

Hi

I've sent you all a PM

Sorry about this

DM: Have you decided on what to do with Damrak? Are we rolling with 5 from now on?

Updating Party Treasure:

I will keep track with every battle. Please post in Discussion if you have taken or deposited anything.

Total XP to date: 250 per party member

Yes, I think the best is to roll with 5 for now. Damrak will stay at Oleg's to protect them from bandit reprisals.

Thanks for tracking look. Olo will take 3 arrows to replace the 3 he shot and and another quiver of 20 to keep on his person.

I'm also interested in one or both of the alchemists's fire. Unless someone else wants them. They might be good alternative for Olo's point-blank range fighting style.

Den is interested in the strength bow but would somehow need to tone it down from +2 to +1 to match his strength, if that is possible. Might be better to sell that one and buy the one he needs.

I'm ok with you taking the bow Den. Maybe Oleg knows a smith in the area that can mod the strength on it?

I've created google documents for treasure and quest tracking. Please add them to the Campaign Info tab DM.

Quest Log
Link:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vQ9fMmxk1KX3up_E8Kb9ODk2CzyA1i ygETEQ3D1cXq8/edit?usp=sharing

Treasure Log
Link:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kY5p8wtZf0TaamL213a8uwVa1LyHcz zn6ngMRIEPJ6k/edit?usp=sharing

Also I'm ok with Olo taking the alchemist fires.

Done, Athenasius.

Neither of the links in the Info tab are working DM. Can you double check? The ones in my post are working for me.

Still waiting on the ability to downgrade the strength bow from +2 to +1. seems like it could be done but might be no more work to have a +1 strength bow made. Its not masterwork but its worth over 100 gold if we sell it. Oh, and do not sell any arrows. Den will need all we find and then some once he starts shooting two a round. :)

Links fixed, Athenasius.

Den, I don't see how you can reduce the Strength rating because the bow was specifically made for +2 Strength. Recommendation: have new bow made. :)