Well now! We haven't had a combat encounter since the 1st of April, so it's been a while! Please take the time to thoroughly review the combat post and related maps, with special attention to my combat notes concerning terrain, elevation, cover and concealment rules - since it's daytime the light conditions are "normal" and a non-factor here. Review prior combats if you need to in order to get your combat stat blocks correct for how we post in combat.
As is typical in Zeitgeist, this combat scenario has a lot going on in it. If you have questions, please post them here and I shall do my best to answer them quickly for you.
My thanks to Cromlich who noticed my maps didn't have grid coordinates to them! Just got those amended under the edit window.
I'd like Emerson to move due East three squares to D20 behind the tree for cover. The idea is to wait until the following round for the cloud to move and then get a point blank shot on one of the two brigands to the East.
Just wanted to make sure that is within the alloted 20' move.
I'd like Emerson to move due East three squares to D20 behind the tree for cover. The idea is to wait until the following round for the cloud to move and then get a point blank shot on one of the two brigands to the East.
Just wanted to make sure that is within the alloted 20' move.
So this is a good example for everyone to take note of. Emerson can move off the trail to D20 in his 20' movement: from D17 to D19 10' of normal movement, D19 to D20 is another 10' movement for the change in elevation. So that's a proper move given the terrain and elevation considerations here.
EDIT: Which raises a good point I missed in my Combat Notes section, but which will be amended for future rounds. It will read as follows:
Heh, first combat in months and I'm last in initiative again lol.
Sorry all, really busy at work and home. I am hoping to post Friday or some time this weekend. In fact, it is 12:35 am and I am installing one million dollar network system. My data center engineers are replacing a bad fiber cable so I am posting this while I have time.
Sorry all, really busy at work and home. I am hoping to post Friday or some time this weekend. In fact, it is 12:35 am and I am installing one million dollar network system. My data center engineers are replacing a bad fiber cable so I am posting this while I have time.
All right well I'll get my post done this evening for the musketeer, and then Willem will be able to post right after that, so think about what his Round 1 action is going to be coming up!
Willem up next! Then I'll handle the remainder of NPC's quickly so that Fethryth and Jesselle can get into Round 1.
Willem up next! Then I'll handle the remainder of NPC's quickly so that Fethryth and Jesselle can get into Round 1.
In the interests of keeping combat going and allowing all players to get into Round 1, I've gone ahead and posted today. I've delayed Willem's actions down to Initiative 9, so that he's in the same group with Fethryth and Jesselle.
I will be posting tonight, 10/17. This way I can review everything in comfort.
Just to clarify. If I go the long way around can I get to the falconer without jumping? A path going roughly E16 - J18 - K24 - H23 and so on.
Just to clarify. If I go the long way around can I get to the falconer without jumping? A path going roughly E16 - J18 - K24 - H23 and so on.
Yep, if you intend on a double-move for the round you can get pretty far - just consider one of the squares (such as I21 or J22) a x2 movement square to go up from the 45' to 50' elevation is all.
I will be posting tonight, 10/17. This way I can review everything in comfort.
That's good, as I really want to get Round 2 going for everyone first thing in the morning (including some info for Anneca with her use of the message spell).
DM Vord, since I have their stats, do you prefer that I make the will saves vs my sleep spell? If so, should I also roll for the woman screaming inside the carriage?
DM Vord, since I have their stats, do you prefer that I make the will saves vs my sleep spell? If so, should I also roll for the woman screaming inside the carriage?
From a consistency point I'd prefer that you do, but I realize this is a bit of a strange case because of which targets are selected (and their HD for a 4 HD max spell).
What foe(s) mainly were you trying to target?
Anneca knocked one of them off the cliff, if it matters. The one at K9.
Kell Guild and You: A R.H.C. Primer!
So three of you have separately asked me about the term 'Kell' and if the 'Kell Guild' should mean anything, and so I realized I should give you all a little more info as it relates to this encounter.
Firstly, the Zeitgeist Extended Player's Guide contains a reference to Lorcan Kell and his Kell Guild on pg. 49 - last paragraph of the Parity Lake section.
Interestingly, the first reference of Kell goes back to a witty Devinn LeMont conversation about Anneca Summers in the briefing room, though it doesn't explain anything about it. Another early reference involved the early-defunct character of Arthur Wilde, who had a sordid past with Kell in his background. Stover Delft mentions Kell near Emerson while speaking to Fin Wraggle in the hallway. So it's fun to see that these references to Kell go back to the beginning posts of the game.
More recently, Stover Delft mentions the Kell Guild on 1 Summer right before the group leaves to the Danoran Consulate. That, and a narrative reference to the Kell Guild's rumored headquarters deep in Parity Lake, as the constables were traveling by carriage to Sechim's factory.
So...Lorcan Kell and the Kell Guild are a whole ball of fun! All the constables can consider him dangerous and his guild as "the" predominant criminal organization in Flint, but R.H.C. to this point hasn't had a need to pursue him as a threat to Risur.
Initially I was thinking the foes at j8 and k9, but since Anneca seems to have handled K9, I'm thinking j8, h7, and the woman in the carriage if I can (thinking being that it would make her inert and prevent her from hurting anyone trying to rescue her, or knocking the carriage off the cliff in panic).
You can certainly target both pistoleers and the woman in the carriage if you'd like, but I'll just go ahead and say you'll only affect two of the three no matter what (due to 4 HD cap) - for simplicity's sake consider all three to have the same -1 Will Save for your chosen rolls.
Initially I was thinking the foes at j8 and k9, but since Anneca seems to have handled K9, I'm thinking j8, h7, and the woman in the carriage if I can (thinking being that it would make her inert and prevent her from hurting anyone trying to rescue her, or knocking the carriage off the cliff in panic).
You can certainly target both pistoleers and the woman in the carriage if you'd like, but I'll just go ahead and say you'll only affect two of the three no matter what (due to 4 HD cap) - for simplicity's sake consider all three to have the same -1 Will Save for your chosen rolls.
Okay Xynen - anytime you're ready please post the Tobias Round 2 action (both your sleep targets and Will saves, plus your new Round 2 action), and then I can post up all the NPC's tonight so that Willem, Jesselle and Fethryth can go to close out Round 2...
Should be able to get a post in when I get home. When I sat down to finally write my post last night I fell asleep at the keyboard, sorry for the delay.
Should be able to get a post in when I get home. When I sat down to finally write my post last night I fell asleep at the keyboard, sorry for the delay.
Hehe, well I appreciate the try and it sounds like you've had some long days there.
Hi All!
Something that's been a part of Zeitgeist since the beginning (but which I cannot find in the threads for whatever reason), is the notion of taking prisoners with a variation to the Pathfinder lethal damage rules. While this doesn't eliminate risk entirely (such as critting when a foe is already very low on hit points), it will greatly lessen the worry about killing opponents out-of-hand. Here's the excerpt from my Zeitgeist AP book:
Taking Prisoners
As officers of the law, the PCs should generally take enemies alive unless they suspect the enemy can easily recuperate and escape or threaten others. The PATHFINDER® ROLE-PLAYING GAME rules let characters make nonlethal attacks, and the PCs should be ready to do this in order to knock out opponents.We recommend that you allow PCs to subdue their enemies without requiring them to take any penalty to their attack rolls; when the enemy falls to –1 hit points, it falls unconscious but is not dying. Consider it part of the party’s special training as members of the RHC, where killing suspects is frowned on.
My only change to the author's concept is that the choice of non-lethal damage must be with a melee weapon (as the constable can use the flat of a blade or a weapon pommel, or pull up on a bludgeoning weapon). So ranged weapons are a little more risky BUT in most cases with either melee or ranged weapons, the 'auto-stabilize' rule prevents most cases of random deaths. Of course, if the intent is to do damage after a foe is in negatives or to do a coup de grace move, all safety protocols are removed!
As DM, I will assume in the majority of cases involving humanoid creatures that you don't have an intent to kill unless stated otherwise, so feel free to breathe a little easier when you're in a fight and aren't looking to go murderhobo...unless that's your specific intention!
So Jesselle and Willem need to go here to end Round 2, and then I'll relate what new developments occur to start Round 3!
Added a spoiler for Jesselle there Songdragon, so that you can potentially use that standard action, or otherwise relate in (free action) speech what you find.
I promise to post at lunch EST today.
Hey Willem. The crit damage for your Musket is actually x4 not x2.
Hey Willem. The crit damage for your Musket is actually x4 not x2.
Yeppers that's correct -- in the interests of getting HP's right for the start of Round 3 I've posted the extra 2d12 dice dmg (14+6 for a total of 20 hp) and adjusted all combat stats accordingly. So the latest post should have everything correct!
Crap ... I overlooked that! Thanks for fixing it!
Okay waiting for Anneca's action a little while longer, but looking to post this evening for the bottom of Round 3.
Is using Intimidate a standard action?
Is using Intimidate a standard action?
Well, yes using Intimidate to "demoralize" an opponent (shaken condition) is a standard action.
Using Intimidate to influence the attitude or decision of a NPC generally is beyond the scope of combat (1 minute of talking), though I'm not opposed to an Intimidate or Diplomacy in combat to try and influence the morale of a foe in combat, even if that influence may be limited. In that case I would still ask for a standard action in that case.
Okay, I would like to point out that there have been no player in-game posts for either Monday or Tuesday. I will give the PC's who are able to act in Round 3 (Anneca if accepting a delayed initiative, Jesselle, Willem, Fethryth) the chance to have posted actions today/tonight, before I move on with the top of Round 4 first thing on early Thursday am EST. Unless a player is sick or on vacation and has asked me to DMPC their PC, in combat the PC is going to lose their round's action, which hurts the party overall. Please don't do this.
I feel the game has become too lax and casual for several of you, and with a full seven players there just shouldn't be issues of momentum or lack of interesting things to read/write here. So now is a good time to post what I believe is needed from all players to keep the game moving at an interesting and proper pace.
Vord’s PbP Posting Habits
#1) Read the game’s posts every day (or nearly so).
#2) Post to the game every other day (3-4 posts weekly is the goal).
#3) Make your posts meaningful in some way (whether brief or lengthy).
#4) Post not only to the NPC’s, but also to PC’s (strive for inclusive interaction).
#1) Read the game’s posts every day (or nearly so).
You need to read/follow the game more often than you post, so that you can be (a) thinking about how your character would react and (b) thinking how your post can interact with the story. It makes for much better writing, as opposed to speed-reading the game a few minutes before writing a post – details get missed and sloppy mistakes or inconsistencies get made that way. So read the story every day (or nearly so), and be thinking about what you’re going to do before the time you sit down and write it out.
#2) Post to the game every other day (3-4 posts weekly is the goal).
Mostly self-explanatory, but consider that if all seven players were doing this, there would be an average of 25 posts weekly to read and enjoy. Add in DM posts and there would be close to 30 posts weekly, or roughly four per day. That’s a dynamic game! Yes, sometimes posts are larger w/ less frequency (a transitional soliloquy or interim narrative for example) and that’s fine. Yes, sometimes RL intrudes with “stuff” or there’s writer’s block. Yet these should be the exceptions and not the norms. Routinely posting 1 or 2 times per week is not cutting it.
#3) Make your posts meaningful in some way (whether brief or lengthy).
Largely self-explanatory, and a counter to shallow one-liner posts that I see in so many other PbP games. This is an interactive story, and so the posts should reflect that. Note that it doesn’t necessarily mean lengthy posts – some players get caught up in thinking they have to write large volumes in order to be meaningful and then fatigue themselves out, so that’s not the goal. Note that it doesn’t necessarily mean dialogue - internal voice or unspoken actions can be just as powerful to provide insight to the character. Bottom line is that the post should add to the story somehow, and gives encouragement/inspiration to other players and DM to do the same!
#4) Post not only to the NPC’s, but also to PC’s (strive for inclusive interaction).
The best games have dynamics between the characters (whether positive or negative), not just between PC’s and NPC’s. Think about a conversational scene where all seven PC’s aren’t talking to each other but to one or more NPC’s only. That’s a 7:1 ratio of response the DM has to provide! Instead, if there is a more healthy mix of PC-to-PC and PC-to-NPC interactions in a scene, the story is going to flow better and be more entertaining to read and write. Oftentimes the DM finds unexpected inspiration in these interactions, so the game feels more organic and not as plot-driven. Note that this really requires the first three habits to be followed well – it also requires trust by players posting interaction hooks that the other player(s) will pick up on it and do something with it in return. The PC give-and-take is delicate and requires trust, but is some of the most rewarding in the PbP experience. Keep in mind that for potentially negative or adversarial interactions, it’s essential for the players to communicate (PM’s, Discussion Tab, e-mail, etc.) to understand necessary boundaries and know the interactions aren’t directed at the player. Above all be inclusive, and don’t write a PC into a corner where it doesn’t make sense story-wise for that character to be with the group (because this isn’t a solo game).
Sorry. I had my big promotional test, did reasonably well. Back and at it.
Sorry. I had my big promotional test, did reasonably well. Back and at it.
Well thanks for the update, and I'm glad to hear that the exam went solid for you Isaac.
Sorry, sick all day. Better now!
Does flanking only apply to same side opponents or does it apply to all opponent surrounding the same enemy like Kell Guild Pistoleer #1 (H7)?
Sooo... consider Jessele's options...
So now that she's inside the rear of the carriage (I'm a bit confused that she repeated her same Round 2 actions for Round 3) we are moving forward with the notion she's inside the carriage at the very back and has now examined the inside options of freeing Morena - again not necessarily options that Jesselle herself would be good at doing, but she'll know possibilities. I'll re-summarize all of those options (both inside and outside the carriage) for her at the top of Round 4 in another spoiler.
Sorry, sick all day. Better now!
Does flanking only apply to same side opponents or does it apply to all opponent surrounding the same enemy like Kell Guild Pistoleer #1 (H7)?
In this case I'd allow the "enemy of my enemy..." premise and allow a flanking bonus to apply against the Kell Guild Pistoleer #1. The main issue w/ flanking here (besides threatening with melee weapons only) is that the terrain doesn't allow for all angles because of the ledges. So a move to I7 doesn't flank pistoleer in H7, because brigand in G7 is 10' higher on a ledge and not melee-threatening. Similarly, G6 can't be used to flank as it's in the crux of two ledges of varying height (so a wasted square basically). It's a bit of a squeeze but I'd allow a move to H8 and flanking there with a melee weapon.
Since Willem has now gone at the top of Round 4, I am looking for Tobias, Anneca, Emerson and Gemma to have posted actions today/tonight before my next opportunity to post NPC actions early tomorrow (Saturday EST) morning, as I will be out of pocket for the remainder of Saturday.
** spoiler omitted **
Yep that's good!
Hopefully I will be able to get up a post tonight. Last night did not really work out.
Hopefully I will be able to get up a post tonight. Last night did not really work out.
Okay I'm prepping the middle of Round 4 but trying to hold off a bit for Anneca's top-of-round 4 post before doing so.
Happy Halloween All!
Happy Hallow's Eve!
I could post... but I am kinda in the same predicament as last round of not being able to much of anything again, save perhaps a chance at an Engineering check.
I thought maybe arcane damage might bypass hardness, but I have not been able to find anything saying it does. And hitting something for a minute does not help either...
I also have a guess about who's in the carriage. :)
Happy Halloween!
I'm going to use my Travel Blessing to get through the brush. It reads "Travel (minor): 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."
I'm curious if it would also count towards running up the incline. I'm going to move from S24 to T23. Would the blessing turn that into a regular 5ft move?
Happy Happy Happy (almost belated) Halloween!!
Happy Halloween!
I'm going to use my Travel Blessing to get through the brush. It reads "Travel (minor): 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."
I'm curious if it would also count towards running up the incline. I'm going to move from S24 to T23. Would the blessing turn that into a regular 5ft move?
Yep I'm fine with your Travel Blessing mitigating the difficult terrain and that minor 5' change in elevation, so looks good to me!
Happy Hallow's Eve!
I could post... but I am kinda in the same predicament as last round of not being able to much of anything again, save perhaps a chance at an Engineering check.
I thought maybe arcane damage might bypass hardness, but I have not been able to find anything saying it does. And hitting something for a minute does not help either...
I also have a guess about who's in the carriage. :)
Well you can certainly communicate (using free action) to your fellows on possible options or to aid in what Jesselle has been trying to do this past round, and otherwise you can make another attempt at an option (just note some options are standard, full-round or one-round). I consider it a success that Jesselle took the time to survey the situation and "knows" what can be done, even if she herself isn't best equipped to do it herself. To your point the options "inside" the carriage are more difficult than "outside" the carriage, so don't feel as if there's some hidden puzzle on this that you didn't figure out.
There's also the issue of the Kell Guild musketeer down there taking shots at all of you, but as has been shown in prior rounds the musketeer can be deadly. You do have cover afforded to you due to the elevation difference (though that didn't help brigand #3 much).
Hey All!
Talked to Isaac today, and as RL items have him jammed up right now he's asked me to DMPC Anneca for her next action. I have a general sense of what she'll do, and will post that at the bottom of Round 4 once Jesselle and Fethryth take their actions.