Found the post that talked about numbers last time it was asked. It was hard to tell, both because of the robes as Jaed mentioned, and because they spend at most part of an afternoon trying to figure it out.
The rest of the day continues with Finnrick keeping an eye on the various cultists. Despite his best efforts, most of the cultists are simply faceless minions, though he is able to pick out a few that he thinks he could reliably identify. Overall, there are too many of them to keep track of in a single afternoon, and he hasn't really interacted with anyone outside of your group, the half-elf, and a couple of the black robed ones. Based on the large gathering at the beginning, there are at least a score of cultists overall, but it's unclear if everyone was actually at that gathering, especially considering how often you see small groups coming and going throughout the day. Most of the cultists are white-robed like yourself with maybe around half a dozen to a dozen in gray robes.
Easier to keep track of are those in the black robes, of which there seem to be either 3 or 4. Krant is obvious to pick out as the only overweight member of the clergy you've seen. He also talks in a rather staccato-fashion, like he's trying to imitate a drill sergeant. There's also another black-robed man whose name you don't know, and while you can't visually tell him apart, when he talks, his deep, rich voice sets him apart.
As for burning the place down, most of the building is stone. There's definitely stuff that could burn, but razing the place probably isn't going to be possible.
Whew on the burning the place down thing... didn't really want to add arson to the list. :)
Are any of the (not cut up and bloody) robes white or grey? If there are that few black robe cultists, we're going to stand out being such a relatively large group.
Only if someone had some from before (which Jaed, Lily, and Finnrick might have. Though some of them may have been Prestidigitated black). All the clean robes you've found upstairs have been black.
I have prestidigitation currently prepared if we need to clean anything.
How about we have Lily cast Prestidigitation on both my robes and Marzela's robes to turn them grey? Don't mean to rain on your parade with the pretending-to-be-Rennec front, Marzela, but given you can't lie it might be better to make you a silent grunt and let the black robes do the talking.
Having Jaed, Lily, and Finnrick in black, with Marzela and myself in grey, would match up with the number of black-robed cultists we left dead upstairs, so the numbers would add up if anyone was paying attention.
Agree with Carrakas, that looks like the best approach.
I don't really care... you can retcon it to gray if you want. I was just trying to give them an obvious symbol so they would "recognize" someone and not question the group too much. Let's just get out of here.
Jaed, don't forget to take the 25 points of healing I gave everyone before coming downstairs.
Thanks! Just added them. They will come in handy now.
I don't really care... you can retcon it to gray if you want. I was just trying to give them an obvious symbol so they would "recognize" someone and not question the group too much. Let's just get out of here.
For the record, I thought it was an awesome idea, I just thought it would be better to have someone who was able to lie behind the mask and able to bluff their way out of things. Not that it seemed to make any difference, regardless.
So, what's the plan now? Finish the two guys blocking the hallway and then run as fast as we can? Because I don't think we will survive another wave of cultists and it would be difficult to catch Evlar before he gets reinforcements.
Yep. It's looking like a deathtrap. I think we have to kill anyone directly in the way, and don't worry about anyone else... just get out. If I go down, keep running. But you *have* to save Lily. She has the evidence.
If I could run, I would, but I'm boxed in.
We don't even have to finish the both of them, just get past them and run. I can hit the white-robed gent, hoping he is squishy, clearing a path past grey-robe. I also can attempt a free bull rush combat maneuver when I hit him, so even if he doesn't fall he might be out of the way.
Once we get past them, I can take up the rear, because it is going to be easy for me to escape if I can get outside. I have a climb speed, so I can get over the wall anywhere.
There, that *should* give everyone a clear path, and *hopefully* both cultists will use their AOOs on me, so everyone else can run past safely. Friendly reminder, the Run action is 4x speed, which should be enough to get out of the building.
Nice. I still have to wait to run until other people move, but I will take the chance if I can.
You can move through ally squares just fine, can't you?
Moving through a Square
Friend
You can move through a square occupied by a friendly character, unless you are charging. When you move through a square occupied by a friendly character, that character doesn’t provide you with cover.
Oh. :) I guess I didn't think about whether you could or not. Thanks! :)
Alrighty then, question time once more.
Are the walls of the courtyard made of stone? How tall are they? Do we know what is on the other sides all around? Do the double doors by Marzela lead outside? Are we for all practical purposes done if we can get out those doors? If someone (purely hypothetically) had an actual climb speed in addition to a land speed, can you transition into climbing during a Run action? I thought I had more questions, but that's all I can think of at the moment...
It would be good to check if the doors next to Marzela are unlocked. If they are not we should probably reposition and prepare for a longer fight. And we should probably exploit the fact that the new cultists are confused about who is who. Any other ideas?
Totally agree we should check, but couldn't really turn my back on Evlar and let him stab me again.
I think you guys should come over here with me and that we should focus on getting us out of here, not taking them all out. If the doors are locked, then you can pick them, can't you? If not, we can go over the wall--Carrakas can climb, and I have tons of rope. We'll draw pot-shots, because at that point it will be wildly clear who we are, but I still have 3 channels left (3d6 each), so hopefully I could keep us alive... would definitely be easier by the door though.
Of course, it would be safer to kill them all, and if we just mixed in with them we could probably take a lot of them down, but... very ethically opposed. We have what we came for. Let's not kill anyone who isn't trying to kill us. My character definitely prefers running if that is an option.
Now, if running is off the table for some storyline reason, and we're looking at a choice between TPK/failure and butchering the rest of the NPCs, then of course I'm in on staying alive, and don't mind if I loot the bodies afterward. But only if that is forced upon us... especially because all I have left are those three channels. Not sure they can keep us alive through a battle with all the rest of the people living here. Poor odds, and no selective channel. A couple of lucky shots on you and Carrakas, and our fate is sealed.
I also have tons of rope, and should be able to get to the top of the wall just fine. So, my general plan (pending the results of my various questions above) was to have Jaed help Finnick deal with the last cultist there with them, while Marzela and Millsy deal with the two down here, and I can head for the top of the wall and deal with the cultists up there, then toss the rope down. Or we could just go through the door, too, and try to ignore the pretty new feathers we would be sprouting from the crossbow bolt rain. Lots of ways I think we could go about this, just wanted to get details before figuring which way to go.
The walls are stone and 15ft high. The double doors next to Marzela lead out into the general market square area (so yes, out of the temple). To my knowledge, nobody went and looked around the outside of the temple, so you don't really know what's exactly on all sides, but you do know you're in a fairly well off merchant's district.
Are we for all practical purposes done if we can get out those doors?
My answer is a combination of "You'll have to find out" and "It depends on what you do when you get outside".
For running and climbing, see the SRD under movement (emphasis mine)
A creature with a climb speed has a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks. The creature must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC higher than 0, but it can always choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened while climbing. If a creature with a climb speed chooses an accelerated climb (see above), it moves at double its climb speed (or at its land speed, whichever is slower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Such a creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. It cannot, however, use the run action while climbing.
Ok, that's a plan. Kill cultists as needed but try to leave asap. Is someone keeping the count of how many dead bodies are we leaving behind? It's going to be a fun conversation with the authorities when we get out.
You guys have been in and out of this place on missions, right? What are the exits? It seems crazy that there would only be one.
Moar questions, which may or may not be pointless if the front door happens to be unlocked (stranger things have happened!)
My understanding of a climb speed is that I still have to make a climb check, but I can always take 10 and move up to my climb speed (which is equal to my base land speed) as a single move action. Is that right? What is the DC of the climb check here? Does the fact that I'm melding with the stone mean I act as if I were climbing something with handholds and footholds? Since the walls are only 15ft high, in this case I could take a 5-foot-step southeast, climb to the top as a move action, and then still attack the red-outlined guy on top since I'll be right next to him, right?
We were taken outside a couple of times but I don't remember if the door we used was specified in the narration. And I did not think about asking back then. I suppose our characters should be able to remember which doors they used.
I'll wait until we know if the door is locked before posting Jaed actions.
You cannot take a 5ft step and also move. Assuming the +12 climb is correct (and takes into account ACP), you could climb the wall by taking 10. If it doesn't take into account ACP, the DC is 20. So you could move to the wall and climb up as your move action and attack the red person as your standard, provoking an AoO from the cultist you're next to in the process.
Does the fact that I'm melding with the stone mean I act as if I were climbing something with handholds and footholds?
I'm afraid I'm not really sure what you're asking me here.
Every time the group was taken outside, it was through these doors.
Right, didn't think about the 5ft step and climb being movement, but at least I can still make it. Yeah, the +12 takes into account both my ACP of -8 and my bonus to climb from the climb speed of +8 (+4 ranks, +3 class skill, +5 STR, +8 climb speed, -8 ACP). The handholds question was really more of an addon to the previous question, as a surface with readily available handholds and footholds has a lower climb DC, and it would make sense that my hands and feet melding into the stone would act like readily available handholds. There is some debate about it online, in that it makes logical sense, but such a benefit isn't called out in the rules. Doesn't matter in this case, regardless.
Was Marzela still able to go invisible this round, or did the act of opening the door prevent that from happening?
She was still able to turn invisible.
I will be traveling until Friday and it's possible I won't be able to post until the weekend so don't wait for me if everyone has posted their actions.
Jaed will try to continue to kill cultists, starting with Evlar :)
Does the winch look like it could be operated with a single hand, without me putting down my shield?
Single hand, no. Operated without putting down the shield, yes. I generally picture shields looking like this in terms of how you hold it. Otherwise you probably would have had to have stowed your shield for climbing. You lose the shield bonus while using the shield hand, but that only really matters if you use that hand for longer than your action (eg You were unable to completely climb the wall during your turn) or someone interrupts your action (eg A readied action to fire at you while you were on the wall).
So, I understand that Jaed is just hanging from the edge so:
1. Would it be possible to move sideways and then climb behind the cultist facing Carrakas?
2. Would that require an additional climb check?
3. Would it provoke an AoO? If I climb outside of his reach (more to the West) and then move closer to him, would that also provoke an AoO?
Yes, you will need another climb check. It's a lot easier to climb a rope next to a wall than to climb along the wall. Also, the only way not to be in the cultist' reach while climbing is to go down and back up. Here are two options:
1) Hang from the wall ledge and shimmy over. This will provoke technically two AoO for moving through threatened space if the enemy has Combat Reflexes (with no Dex bonus to AC), you'll get to the other side in one move action, and the DC is 15 (as it is for "pulling yourself up when dangling by your hands").
2) We say you only climbed up 10 feet last round (you would have seen where both the cultist and Carrakas were standing, so probably would have made the decision then), go along the flat wall without a rope, then climb up. The DC for this will be the normal wall climb DC of 20, it'll take your entire turn this round (unless you want to try accelerated climbing for a -5 to the roll to make it a move action), and you avoid all AoO.
Question - is the height of the exterior wall the same as the height of the interior wall to the courtyard - just 15ft? If so, can we just jump off the wall and make a run for it now? An intentional jump makes the first 10ft of falling damage just 1d6 NL, and since we don't have a second 10ft I think that would be it, right? We all should have enough HP to manage 1d6NL, particularly with Marzela having another channel available.
We could, but it might be a little meta. We don't actually know how each other are doing. I saw Finnrick and Millsy just now and when I left Lily she was okay, and I *think* that I just healed her, but I truly don't know how you or Jaed are doing, so I can't imagine my character jumping until she knows you guys are okay... and she's still in the fog right now.
Yup, 15ft on the outside as well. So yes, you could jump for 1d6 NL damage.
I was also thinking about jumping if we are not able to open the portcullis (and even if we could). We will probably be aware, rather sooner than later, that we are all upstairs (I'm hoping Lily can just fly away) and with the patio full of cultists I don't see any other way out...
I just yelled to everyone, so no reason not to now.
Can I attempt to break the winch before skedaddling? I'm not really familiar with the rules on breaking an item. Do I just attack it? Strength check? Something else?
Basically, I'm worried about them opening the gate down below and all those angry cultists come pouring out.
Damaging objects probably has the info you want.
So, maybe I got confused. With a sunder attempt, do you make an attack roll and a cmb roll, and have to pass both? I thought you did a cmb in place of an attack, where the cmd of the object was the AC of the object. I hit either way, just clarifying for this round.
Hmm, you might be right. I think I just got confused by the language they use. I don't know why they refer to CMB rolls as "attack" rolls that are against "AC" instead of just saying it's a CMB roll vs CMD. Responding late at night probably also doesn't help. :/ Sorry about that!
Jaed is going to preform a withdraw action but he will have to pass through a second threatened square (the one at the Southwest) so he will provoke two attacks of opportunity.
The question is, can I attempt an acrobatics check (well, actually two) to avoid those attacks of opportunity? Or because I'm withdrawing that is not allowed?
Yup, you can use withdraw and acrobatics. Just remember that acrobatics reduces your speed unless you increase the DC and the DC also increases for each enemy you're dodging (so if you're doing 2 acrobatics checks to avoid AoO in one round, the first one is a normal DC, the second one has +2 to the DC).
Completely forgot you were invisible Marzela, sorry.
My thought right now is that with my ability to climb, I'm pretty flexible - I don't have to climb down to the courtyard, I could climb just to the top of the interior wall, then move east around the corner, and then up and over the section of the wall that doesn't have walkable area. Or I could climb back over to the main building, run to the other side, then down the far wall. Or any number of other escape paths. I figured by sitting here, I could keep them distracted for another round while everyone else put some distance in, then slide out my way. At 26AC, I think the only thing that can actually hit me is a natural 20, because even improved threat range weapons don't auto-hit on anything other than a 20.
Sounds good. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to get yourself killed. :)
I sincerely hope not! I was just worried that if I left now, they would open the gate and release the 5 cultists (including the black robed boss-type) that are just 10ft away from a very-slow-moving gaseous Lily.