Slate Trio: I'm looking to get a nice Nigel Price-Hill post in tonight after work for you three. This is a free-form conversation with the Director, so take it in any plausible direction you'd like - the trio deserves some answers after the morning's events, and at this time the Director can answer them for you with candor and insight.
Axis Island Team: I can most likely start up the Skill Encounter Challenge for you on Thursday night BUT I really really really really really really want to make sure you four are solid on how this challenge works. So (once again) review my lengthy post above on the challenge, ask questions if needed, coordinate as needed and then tell me you are good to go for Gameplay. In other words I don't want to start this thing if you're not crystal clear on the mechanics.
Crystal Clear!
I think it makes sense.
Yep (although knowing me, I'm sure I'll have questions along the way).
Especially on days when I can't brain because I have the dumb.
How is stealth going to work and what about cover? He is not going to come up from the same position twice or develop a pattern. After all, he wants to keep his head and health.
How is stealth going to work and what about cover? He is not going to come up from the same position twice or develop a pattern. After all, he wants to keep his head and health.
For the Skill Encounter Challenge, cover (and AC, Saves, Hit Rolls, Damage Rolls) is irrelevant in a game mechanics sense. The 'Battle' action will let you successfully eliminate an enemy target in an area (narrative-wise it assumes several combat rounds of time with several shots fired), but enemies will always get an opportunity to return fire and damage you in return. Only an associated Stealth DC 18 check on each Battle turn Willem engages in will prevent the potential of being damaged with return fire in that round by the enemy.
Similarly, moving between levels of the lighthouse, or to different windows or doorways or whatever, is really just a narrative action. In the Skill Encounter Challenge the only "move action" that matters is in which of the three defense areas (shown as red, yellow and blue shaded areas on the map) each PC moves to as part of their actions in that round. We'll keep track of general positions of each PC on the tactical map as we would for normal combat rounds, but just know that the specific placement of a PC in an area really doesn't matter in a mechanics sense.
Slate Branch Trio: So just to give you a general sense of how things are shaping up here in the next two weeks or so. The Axis Island Team is now in their main encounter challenge at the end of Chapter 2...should they win then the fleet is able to reach the open harbor, at which point we move onto the final Chapter 3 (and smallest chapter of the first adventure module I might add). You all get to meet up at the very beginning of Chapter 3, so that's how we merge the teams and move out the NPC's.
So assuming they move on at a good clip where every player is getting their round's actions in each day, I'm thinking it will take them a solid two weeks to finish. That means there's time for the three of you to do more narrative interaction in Slate (which I can do a little or a lot of), and/or instead if you'd like your own little "ruckus" I have something combat-related in mind to give you a chance to bloody up your characters a bit before the merger. What would you three prefer?
a) Mostly Dialogue/Social Narrative Scenes (to really feel your character better with background and NPC's and such).
b) Some Dialogue/Social Narrative Scenes, but also Some Combat Encounter (to test out your combat stats and powers a bit, nothing heavy)
c) Mostly Combat Encounter (enough talky-talk blah blah words whatever, let's fight stuff!)
Talky man talk to much! Thog smash talky man! lol
I like option b, that way I still get to explore Tobias' personality and test out how well my build works in combat too.
What happens if all of you three each picks a different option??? Chaos ensues!!! Yay Chaos!! (Actually I think you should, just to give the DM a hard time. See if he's up to snuff and all!)
What happens if all of you three each picks a different option??? Chaos ensues!!! Yay Chaos!! (Actually I think you should, just to give the DM a hard time. See if he's up to snuff and all!)
You realize you're trapped at the end of a wall, surrounded by ocean, with an entire city of people that I can throw at you, right? Uh huh...
A little bit of comb to see where Jesselle stands in such would be of interest, but at the same time Jesselle knows that leaving the RHC HQ in slate is a bad idea considering who she took down and possible reprisals. It has been just over 2 weeks since she was sent away for her safety.
I'll post tonight when I can see the map and before I am distracted with Fallout 4.
To the DM...yeah, yeah. Challenge accepted! Doooo yooouuurr woooorrrrsst!!
Cause Gemma already moved the Hell out of those barrels, yo!
I'm fine with a combo of talking and fighting. I do have a request though, don't spring a fight on us until I've given my wand to Jesselle. It would be just my luck to get shot full of holes before the real battles because of low AC
Hey Feth, you could always turn in any gear at the quartermaster for full value to trade for something more usable for the current mission. It is allowed.
I'm fine with a combo of talking and fighting. I do have a request though, don't spring a fight on us until I've given my wand to Jesselle. It would be just my luck to get shot full of holes before the real battles because of low AC
I solemnly promise no fighting will occur while you are in the Director's Offices ;)
Hey Feth, you could always turn in any gear at the quartermaster for full value to trade for something more usable for the current mission. It is allowed.
For now the wand is my best option. It'll give me more AC than Bracers of Armor +1 and it costs less. Once I get more money I'll start picking up Necklaces of Natural Armor, those will be helpful.
This build's a little gimped at early levels but it'll start bumping my AC up nicely soon enough.
Slate Branch Trio: Okay well a blend it is then! Consider then for the rest of this week that I'll be running a couple more social scenes for you in Slate Branch leading up to your exodus at the Cloverdelve Circle. Make sure you all are set with your max wealth + 1000gp stipend levels and that you have what you want/need.
Axis Island Team: So the actions for each challenge round can cycle as fast as nightly, depending on all of you getting your actions in - I'm not expecting that as the norm, but I will put myself on duty to update/post each night if you guys have your rounds going. It can go as fast or as slow as you allow it to.
Anderlorn: Since this encounter is not requiring a placement of PC's in exact grid coordinate squares - essentially based on the three "areas of defense" and what is going on in each area (which I'll summarize at the end of each round), perhaps just print out a hardcopy of that area map with the three color-tinted zones for reference.
Mr GM,
Can I chose to do 2 points of Barricade within the Lighthouse or is the 3 points mandatory?
Mr GM,
Can I chose to do 2 points of Barricade within the Lighthouse or is the 3 points mandatory?
Oh on a success if you want to keep it at 5 points total that's more than fine - certainly if Willem was constructing barricades with the intention of not preventing the others outside from being able to get in if they needed to, he'd not nail all those boards so firmly across the doors (so to speak).
Slate Branch Trio: Okay well a blend it is then! Consider then for the rest of this week that I'll be running a couple more social scenes for you in Slate Branch leading up to your exodus at the Cloverdelve Circle. Make sure you all are set with your max wealth + 1000gp stipend levels and that you have what you want/need.
I think for today then I'd like for you to wrap up any final conversation points that you'd like with the good Viscount Director, and then I'll setup a transition scene for you three down at the Quartermaster's Offices for a little bit more interaction, before moving you on to Cloverdelve Circle and the teleportation to the Gryphon.
Updating posts tonight!
What sort of action is unlocking the boiling oil option?
What sort of action is unlocking the boiling oil option?
Essentially a free action knowledge-type check to unlock and understand that you can do it, but you have to be inside the lighthouse (red area) to perform this unlock check.
Hi Songdragon!
Just saw your post before I was heading out of the house for a bit - looks like you posted as your other alias - if you see this before the hour is up though, you can quickly edit and change the alias!
Apologies for posting under the wrong alias. By the time I realized It was too late to change.
Apologies for posting under the wrong alias. By the time I realized It was too late to change.
It happens. For all the players I would just like to make sure they take a quick final look at freshly posted posts just in case that happens with an alias, or there's a bbc code tag that's off and needs correction, or massive typo or such. Edit is your friend...as is copying text to clipboard before posting to the site!
@Songdragon: I need to get with you on Jesselle's familiarity in the RHC with respect to how she joined and who she knows - it's not a problem as written but I didn't expect she wouldn't know Kurbar Danst for example (which I pulled from Jesselle's background). That too is not a problem, but I need to make sure you and I are on the same page with the "class" of prospective constables in 498 she would have trained and exam'd with in Flint before she became constable - this would include Ifris in this case, as well as several others she will meet soon in the next adventure. So I'll PM you on that and we can make sure we are aligned for her constable selection background and why it's a bit different.
I guess I was just having one of those (non-thinking) days yesterday. I even went to the RHC page of who is who and totally missed that Danst was from Jesselle's own background (all I considered was that she had never really been to Slate as a RHC Constable until recently and dismissed knowing anyone.)
I will also try better to watch after I post for mistakes. :) (and I just set Jesselle as my default alias)
I guess I was just having one of those (non-thinking) days yesterday. I even went to the RHC page of who is who and totally missed that Danst was from Jesselle's own background (all I considered was that she had never really been to Slate as a RHC Constable until recently and dismissed knowing anyone.)
I will also try better to watch after I post for mistakes. :) (and I just set Jesselle as my default alias)
Well no worries as I can roll with it...and it gives us interestingly enough a better tie in for Jesselle as it relates to some of the "four nine eights" constables in Flint, so that might be more fun to play out anyway. That would make Jesselle one of the first classes of prospects under the new evaluation/training/selection method out of Flint Branch, but perhaps her selection was kept under wraps for this special assignment in late 498 she was placed on, so that's the story with her. The inspectors and directors know of course, but most constables are only aware of her name on the assignment board and little else. This means she knows the four-nine-eights who she trained with and were ultimately selected in Fall 498: Ifris Lanvaldan, Anya Landreth, Alastair Rayne, Rhegalion Arbalistre, Talyssa Dane and Devinn LeMont. They'd probably have assumed Jesselle got picked for R & D group and didn't know she actually made the constable "cut" with them, because she was whisked off to Slate for undercover detail. How's that sound?
Works for me!
So the 4th Round actions look pretty good so far, but just putting my observations here on them:
Willem: He can only take out one enemy soldier with a Battle action - number of barrels is irrelevant and I'm not tracking ammo expenditures for this. The musket allows him to hit enemies in the adjacent blue zone, so he's taking one down automatically (though they get to act before becoming casualties).
Ifris: looks good - she can add to a zones barricade as long as enemy troops aren't in that zone (in this case yellow zone), so that's an acceptable action.
Anneca: I'm assuming she's doing the Stall action and if so it is successful - Willem doing a Battle action ensures the DC is at 15 for this check. So that will halt actions by the enemy wave on their turn in the bottom of round 4 - nice job!
Slate Branch Trio: Looks like you have some good conversation going, so no hurry on my part to close the scene - I'll leave it to you three to play this out as little or as much as you'd like. I would probably prefer to get you all to the Gryphon by this Friday night or Saturday day (EST), but it can slide a bit if needed.
So when each of you are ready to proceed, I'd like for you to do a little narrative post of what you're doing over those next couple of hours (properly tagged with a header for 12 Spring as we've been doing) before arriving at the Cloverdelve Circle at three o' clock. Perhaps you are heading back to your place for something or someone...or writing a letter to someone close to you...or updating your will...or having afternoon lunch or tea at your favorite Slate restaurant...whatever suits your fancy. When done you can narrate yourselves as heading to the Cloverdelve, and then I'll describe that for you in a shared scene before you all get catapulted to the R.N.S. Gryphon!
So last call for you to get your equipment straight the way you want it - these extra items are for your inventory BUT they are to be returned back to the Quartermaster if you don't use them...you may want to mark these kinds of temporary gear items with an asterisk or however you'd like so you know they aren't permanently kept after mission's end.
Should we cut the scene at the Quartermaster's office in favor of getting us to the ship? I'm writing up a post about Fethryth and Vera going out to lunch.
I see Tobias has done that already, so I'd say let's have Fethryth and Jesselle push on with that, and then I can get you to the grand ol' teleportation circle.
Axis Island Team: I'm working on the next post for you all - we will be reverting to standard (6-second) COMBAT ROUNDS on my next post, starting at Round 8.8! I'll roll initiative for everyone and get starting positions setup on the tactical map for you all to see, based on where you all indicated you were with your last (Round 8) encounter challenge posts. Should be fun!
Slate Branch Trio: So I'm looking for your reaction posts to the Cloverdelve and Assistant Director Cyneburg, after which my next post will get you to the Gryphon...which will be totally smooth and fine right? Of course! No worries when teleporting right?
Me, worry? Of course not! Why, it sounds like an easy, stress free journey.....
So ascending each level in the Lighthouse is only 10 feet or is it a complete 30'? In summary, can Willem be up there in normal movement?
So ascending each level in the Lighthouse is only 10 feet or is it a complete 30'? In summary, can Willem be up there in normal movement?
Obviously we're not trying to be super realistic with these lighthouse levels (each being 20' higher than the previous level), but I would say you have to take those 2 squares (10') on the level you're on, and then the 2 squares (10') on the level you are going to, before you are off the stairs completely. That to me would satisfy well enough the stairs part of going between levels (and also gives you an actual square visually to have your PC on if you end up on the stairwell somewhere). Otherwise we get into weirdness with extra hidden squares or squares being greater than 5', which I don't want to get into. Sounds good?
@ All: Remember for true six-second combat rounds, I would like a complete summary statblock for your current health & condition as well as your precise actions - the statblock should reflect any changes to your hp/AC/saves including any actions you took that very round to change them. This helps me tremendously as a DM...and also preserves the state of what was going on with your PC in the story when reading it later on. An example from a prior combat is as follows:
EDIT: I don't mind you keeping track of your specifics in your PC profile - especially for finite spells and powers used, but I still want the primary tracking of hp/AC/Saves/Conditions/etc. to be in the gameplay record of your posts there.
So ascending each level in the Lighthouse is only 10 feet or is it a complete 30'? In summary, can Willem be up there in normal movement?Obviously we're not trying to be super realistic with these lighthouse levels (each being 20' higher than the previous level), but I would say you have to take those 2 squares (10') on the level you're on, and then the 2 squares (10') on the level you are going to, before you are off the stairs completely. That to me would satisfy well enough the stairs part of going between levels (and also gives you an actual square visually to have your PC on if you end up on the stairwell somewhere). Otherwise we get into weirdness with extra hidden squares or squares being greater than 5', which I don't want to get into. Sounds good?
So it will take two rounds before Willem could take a shot at anything?
So it will take two rounds before Willem could take a shot at anything?So ascending each level in the Lighthouse is only 10 feet or is it a complete 30'? In summary, can Willem be up there in normal movement?Obviously we're not trying to be super realistic with these lighthouse levels (each being 20' higher than the previous level), but I would say you have to take those 2 squares (10') on the level you're on, and then the 2 squares (10') on the level you are going to, before you are off the stairs completely. That to me would satisfy well enough the stairs part of going between levels (and also gives you an actual square visually to have your PC on if you end up on the stairwell somewhere). Otherwise we get into weirdness with extra hidden squares or squares being greater than 5', which I don't want to get into. Sounds good?
My opinion on that for Willem when looking at the map is that he can only move 30' to the base of the stairwell on the second floor (due to tables and benches being in the way), which means to move up the stairs he's going to need to double-move this round. So to your point, a standard MA move action isn't going to put him in sight of anything to fire at. A double-move would easily put Willem up on that top story, but whether or not you want him in potential harm's way without being able to act until Round 2 is up to you :)
Note if you try and barricade the door, it will take multiple rounds -- really you all have used your Round 8 minute-long actions so this would effectively take Ifris out of the fight altogether. Preferably I'd want for this fight to take place in its entirety before we get back to any final encounter challenge Round 9-10 actions. All of you would know that a third wave coming from the far end of the harbor across the sea wall would take a minute to get there...so they can't sneak-rush you from that side.
EDIT: Also I show that Ifris doesn't have the NL damage anymore, as it would have been healed off by Emerson's channeling after the initial taking of the lighthouse. So she's clear of that, though she still has the damage from the ranged attacks in the last couple of minutes.
EDIT to the EDIT: Oooohhhh okay, I see what you're trying to do with Willem - basically half-speed stealth movement. That's fine...I'll put you on the map as far as I can while keeping your stealth intact and will probably put in a perception check for you at the round 8.8 recap.
Yes, that is correct, and adjusting the other stuff. I see Ifris out of this combat because she would be securing the door while the others run upstairs unless someone relieves her. It would be nonsense for everyone to run upstairs and leave the bottom door unsecure.
To any that read Sylvan ... Sorkana wants the gate closed and not open. Obviously. Bad typo on my part. Anyways, carry on!
Could I use my Travel Blessing to get across the plank? Would it help the Acrobatics DC?
As a swift action you gain increased mobility. For 1 round, you ignore all difficult terrain (including magical terrain) and take no penalties for moving through it.
Could I use my Travel Blessing to get across the plank? Would it help the Acrobatics DC?
As a swift action you gain increased mobility. For 1 round, you ignore all difficult terrain (including magical terrain) and take no penalties for moving through it.
. Sure! How about it lowers the DC by 5 to a DC 9 then.
A couple of questions, can Willem move forward and has the invisible ??? found Willem by bumping into him?
A couple of questions, can Willem move forward and has the invisible ??? found Willem by bumping into him?
You're pretty sure the invisible foe knows Willem is there now, even though the dragon and Sorkana didn't. Willem is also reasonably certain the stairs right in front of Willem are blocked with this invisible figure, technically in threatened melee range.
Gemma's recommendation to Willem (even though she's not there and doesn't know what's going on)...shoot the bastard point blank. Just to be sure, of course.