Min damage and no confirm on crit. That sucks.
Hey, a hit is a hit! It's the first strike of the game and Maugnak is on the ball!
Did I get moved?
Oh crud, I can try to attack, but that -4 for people in melee is going to suck until I can get precise shot.
Yes, I swapped you and Hiro, since it was pointed out that he would be guarding you and not letting you into close danger.
Also shooting through the crowded mob doesn't help, but with a roll like that it doesn't make much difference!
Ugh almost one shotted in the opening encounter, yikes
It's going to be one of those encounters... :p
I'll give you a peek behind the curtain when the encounter is over, but it's actually not as bad as it looks.
Magnauk, at present Lyraesel is at 0 hit points. She's not down, but she is staggered and only capable of taking a single standard action or move action, but any kind of strenuous activity will cause her to lose a hit point and that will drop her and make her start dying.
If she has any healing spells, she *could* cast that if she can not get AoO'd, and the healing will bring her above 0 before she actually drops, which would probably be what we need to do after combat anyways.
Basically, your best bet right now is probably to try to finish off that thing. If you connect and you finish it, Lyraesel will be fine. If you miss, it will probably get another action, but you have no way of knowing if it will attack her or someone else.
If you want to just make sure that Lyraesel doesn't get hit again you can use the Aid Another action to improve her Armor Class, but this is just a +2 to AC and Lyraesel only has a 13 AC to start, so it takes her from "bad" to "mediocre." You are more likely to get mileage out of smacking the monster. Here's the rules for aiding an ally in combat.
Ok, so we are running combat in order?
So Me missing most of the weekend hasn't caused any troubles.
Also I can see roll20 just fine at work and home.
oh and you can never trust halflings... they always go bad somehow...
Ok, so we are running combat in order?
So Me missing most of the weekend hasn't caused any troubles.
Also I can see roll20 just fine at work and home.
oh and you can never trust halflings... they always go bad somehow...
Yeah, the timing worked out fine. Lyraesel's going to figure out how she is going to avoid death, then the critter will go, then Jinda!
It's probably for the best you missed my awe inspiring, tactically amazing combat performance. :P
Oh I saw it lad, wait til you see my stunning combat prowess!
SAMURAI!!!!
Is it dead? If not, is it my turn?
Not dead, not your turn -- Hiro first, then you.
Not dead, not your turn -- Hiro first, then you.
He just went?
Weird, the board didn't notify me of his post. Probably because he posted it while I was posting mine.
Combat has ended. If you want to use healing powers, feel free to do so. You're no longer in rounds.
I'm going to try to connect your Roll20 accounts with your character sheets so that you can move your own tokens on the maps.
That's why I yelled Samurai like that, way to shake off the bodyguard rust!
Although I can't even type the word Samurai without hearing it in the voice of Aku from Samurai Jack
Guess who didn't prepare any healing spells today.
<------this girl :(
Guess who didn't prepare any healing spells today.
<------this girl :(
Aww... Crap.
I also only hear Aku's voice when I say Samurai.
Kenji isn't any good at healing. Sorry. Working on his post combat post now.
For the curious, here's a peek behind the curtain. Don't look if you don't want to know about that monster!
I think I know what the 3 toed thing is too, but mums the word...
See I was worried it was some kind of leftover sinspawn from a prior AP or something. Those are stupid nasty.
The party is free to rest in Walthus' house. What little hospitality he has is yours.
Basically, spending the night here will let everyone heal one hit point. Anyone with Heal skill can make a DC 15 Heal check to provide long-term care to the party, which will double the amount healed.
Looks like Lyraesel will be casting cure light wounds in the morning . . .
Yup
Walthus has gifted the party with his cloak of resistance +1. Feel free to decide its fate amongst yourselves.
I'd say one of the ones with the worst saves should have it. I'm pretty sure it's not me?
Not to mention he wouldn't take it since he's not feeling worthy of any kind of reward other than the stale biscuit he's nibbling on.
Don't feel so bad! Each character gains 240 experience points.
Well, here's a listing of everyone's saves:
Hiro: F +2, R +2, W +1
Jinda: F +2, R +0, W +2; +2 vs. poison and spells
Kenji: F +5, R +4, W +1
Lyraesel: F +3, R +1, W +5 (+7 vs. enchantment)
Magnauk: F +2, R +2, W +2
So it looks like either Jinda, Magnauk, or I have the worst saves.
Any interest in the cloak of resistance +1?
As I seem to have the best fort save and reflex save, I'll pass. :D
I'll take it for now, unless Hiro would prefer it.
You are welcome to it, Jinda!
I know I've been close to useless so far, but I've been really enjoying this game. It's been a lot of fun to be able to really think about the character's actions and reactions to things. :D
This is also like the 2nd PbP game I've ever done, so I'm glad for the experience.
I know I've been close to useless so far, but I've been really enjoying this game. It's been a lot of fun to be able to really think about the character's actions and reactions to things. :D
This is also like the 2nd PbP game I've ever done, so I'm glad for the experience.
Well, we've barely gotten started, but I'm glad you're having a good time!
"This may give us the opportunity to sneak into the village and tackle small groups of them stealthily before they can raise an alarm."
This said by the samurai with a Stealth modifier of -2; aka Clanky McClank.
wow! This group really likes to play on Saturday. It almost makes me wish I was still working Saturday.
Positions of goblins and PCs on map looks a little off. Should everyone be moved to the left by 5 squares or so?
Somehow the background map got misaligned. I'm trying to fix it.
A Few Notes About Alignment and How I Run It
Since you are engaging in diplomacy with goblins, I thought I would mention this.
When I run games, making no judgments about how anyone else does stuff, alignment is a measurable construct (via magic like detect evil) that stems from a combination of personal choices, cultural influences, and in some cases, magical axioms.
Personal choice means that when you choose to commit evil acts, you are doing stuff that flags you as evil. Most intelligent beings are capable of personal choice, but the kinds of choices that they consider possible are heavily influenced by culture.
Cultural influence means that the society you live in, and the values that it teaches, strongly influence what you believe is possible. Because of personal choice you might diverge from your society's common beliefs, but intelligent and social creatures will tend to cleave to their "cultural norms." If you're raised in, say, Cheliax, you are raised with a worldview that says that trusting other people is dumb and will get you killed. It's like having an argument with your relative who is always forwarding chain emails from some extreme political point of view. The culture surrounding the individual supports and promotes a specific worldview that is very, very hard to question and break out of, but not impossible.
Magical axioms means that certain kinds of creatures whose existence is predicated on magic function in a specific way because magic makes it impossible for them to function differently. Demons are evil because they are made up of the magical essence of evil, and you can't change that without changing what it means to be a demon any more than you can change a cake by making it without eggs and flour and still get a cake. (Yes, I know there are vegan baking recipes. I'm making a point here.)
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When I run games, I presume that creatures that are social, thinking, biological creatures are most heavily influenced by culture, whereas creatures that are magical are most heavily influenced by nature.
What this means for you guys:
* Demons and devils are basically always evil. If you meet a demon and it's not evil, something really weird is going on. Your character would probably sooner believe that it's some kind of magical trick than that there's actually a demon that is not evil.
* Goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, etc. are culturally predisposed toward evil. Changing this means you have to change their cultural indoctrination. Same applies to the average human from Cheliax. These people are socialized and indoctrinated in a worldview that says that "correct" behavior fits what most people would consider evil. Good alignments are rare and good-aligned creatures of these types are outcasts because they don't "fit it."
You CAN conduct diplomacy with evil creatures, such as goblins (to be totally on-point). Your characters, unless they have really crappy Wisdom scores, will recognize that creatures socialized in an evil culture will be heavily indoctrinated into evil and will tend to do evil things. In the short term you can maybe leverage them into not being evil but in the long term changing their behavior is a very difficult endeavor that means reshaping their cultural and personal values.
As a paladin, while diplomacy is your first and best option when dealing with other intelligent, sociable creatures, you must also balance this with a commitment to protect society (law) and defend the innocent (good). If you can strike a bargain with goblins that will cause them not to endanger the people of the town nearby, this is a Lawful act, and the goblins might even uphold the bargain for a while. You would gain full experience for overcoming the hazard. The people in town might not be super happy, because not all of them share your commitment to finding non-violent solutions.
Fighting goblins (or orcs, or whatever) that have attacked you or your party is not an evil act. Your self-defense, especially against creatures that are culturally predisposed to evil behaviors, is justified.
Killing goblins after they have surrendered or made a deal with you, if they have upheld their end of the bargain, is an evil and/or chaotic act. If you give your word as a paladin, you must uphold it.
If you attempt to negotiate in good faith with the goblins and the townspeople refuse to uphold the agreement, the bargain is abrogated. Your attempt to fulfill peaceful terms is noted, but as often happens when cultures clash, a peaceful solution might not be possible. If the goblins choose to attack you in such a case, you may freely defend yourself.
At all times, if you wish to uphold the standards of Law and Good, you should encourage thinking, social creatures to find peaceful ground for solving their problems. Those creatures who refuse, or who as a result of their magical nature are incapable of doing so, you may fight with a clear conscience, if you have made a good faith attempt.
This is a hard row to hoe. It is the burden of the paladin.
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All that said, there is very little that the goblins have to offer. They are barely capable of self-sustenance, and part of that comes from attacking caravans nearby.
If the goblins become angry and attack, you are justified in self-defense.
If you are able to strike a treaty with the goblins to keep them from attacking the townspeople, that is a good act, though in the future you may have to come back and deal with them again if they decide that they no longer want to uphold the treaty.
If you miraculously find some way to re-acculturate the goblins and find a multicultural balance that allows them to have their own cultural identity while dealing peacefully and productively with their human neighbors . . . well, congrats, you'll have accomplished something that I don't think I've ever seen in the history of D&D-type gaming!
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You have one other hurdle, which is that Jinda has a cultural predisposition (as a result of history) of hatred toward goblins. Most dwarfs will have a "wipe them out" mentality. Convincing him otherwise I leave in the hands of RP. If this turns out to become a sticking point, please try to remember that the party is in this together. Even if, say, Jinda flies off the handle and blasts one of the goblins, it would be inappropriate to respond by dogpiling on his character. ;)
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I will underscore that seeking diplomatic solutions is difficult but it is not a futile effort. However, you don't know all the circumstances surrounding what's happening with the goblins, and that may color your view of the situation.
Also, Lyraesel and I have a problem with them too. Specifically her, since she lost her mother to a goblin attack a few years ago.
Sure! And this means there will probably be some heavy discussion about it. Lyraesel, being Neutral, may feel no obligation to not attack immediately. If she does so, well, it is uncomfortable for Magnauk, but he's not the boss of her and he is not responsible for her actions in that context.
Also, if nobody in the party speaks Goblin, it may be a moot point, since you likely can't understand enough of what the goblins try to communicate in order to make any kind of functional accord. If that happens, things are likely to fall apart and turn into violence anyway, which is regrettable but a sad reality in his war-torn world.
Jinda is a fairly amiable fellow, and isn't a hardliner dwarf from deep down, so while he would probably prefer to just finish them off for the "greater good" if the group would choose to bargain, he will go along with it though he might think unkind thoughts about it.
We're still very early in the game, so I'd like to make sure everyone in the party is on the same page and we're all having a good time -- I don't want to spiral into arguments about "But my character would do this!" and "Well I have no choice, I'm playing a paladin!" turning into party arguments, so I figured I'd speak up now just to keep things on the level. :) You've all been super-great so far, so I don't anticipate intra-party problems (unlike another group I'm playing with . . . ).
DM Jesse, I really like your views on alignment as outlined above.
Also, Lyraesel and I have a problem with them too. Specifically her, since she lost her mother to a goblin attack a few years ago.
Hiro's parents were also killed during that same goblin attack on Sandpoint. Even though Hiro is Lawful Good, his personal loss and his vivid memory of the destruction wrought on Sandpoint by the goblins influence his view of the creatures as a legitimate threat to his community.
By background, basically only Magnauk has a really strong motivation to not fight the goblins.
I'll save a lot of party grief and mention in advance that since the goblins started as Hostile, Magnauk's Diplomacy check simply makes them Unfriendly. This is probably going to wind up turning into a fight regardless. But, from the perspective of a paladin intruding on the home of another person whose motives are unknown, Magnauk did the right thing.
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But, from the perspective of a paladin intruding on the home of another person whose motives are unknown, Magnauk did the right thing.
Oh, I definitely agree! And if these creatures had been anything other than goblins, Hiro would be right there with him on trying diplomacy first. I'm just loving the roleplaying opportunities brought on by the situation!