Never liked being able to move my own icon. Too easy to move it to a place you cannot, or too far. I like the players telling me what happens, and then adjusting the tiles as requested. Easier to see if AoO or other issues have been caused.
As a GM it saves an enormous amount of time, quite often sorting out the tools and posting up the snapshots is significantly longer tan any other aspect. I'd place map jiggling as taking up about 60% of my PbP GMing time.
Downside is that players can shift about as you say and a few things get missed.
On balance I'll take the speed over possible lack of accuracy, but then I like fast paced storylines and fast paced combat - a PFS Scenario to take no longer than 4 weeks, which means combats need to take 3 days at the absolute MAXIMUM regardless of level
You must be loving this here then, Nik ;)
With quick strokes that cut deep into the yellowish flesh of the brute, Marek opens the ogre's belly and before the creature really understands what is happening its entrails are already spilled all over the floor - like a felled oak the ogre falls to one side, opening up the corridor!
Next round (I'll try to check Googledocs as soon as I got time)
Lol, I thought you'd know the sequence.
Rd2
Karlan
Celestra
Harry
Alana
Ailetha
Marek
Kreegs
Move to U13
Cast Litany of Sloth on Kreeg when I hit T13.
Smack his face.
Attack abstaining haste option for attack option on blessing of fervor.
Damage
Round 2
Celestra will delay until after Marek's turn.
BOF - • Make one extra attack as part of a full attack action, using its highest base attack bonus.
Harry starts chopping away at an Ogre...
Attack
Damage
Attack
Damage
Attack
Damage
Ailetha reaches into her spell component pouch and pulls out a small piece of disgustingly twisted hair. She blows on it and it flies toward the big ogre causing him to suffer an extreme bout of bad luck.
Cast Pugwampi's Grace.
--> DC17 Will or has to roll all d20 twice and take the lower roll for next 8 rounds
From her ceiling perch, Alana says to the group, "Stay back," before releasing a Lightning Bolt into the opened room.
Jarad Kreeg is able to withstand the effects of Ailetha's spell but gets hit by the lightning bolt directly in the face. When Harry and Karlan both lean into him with full force, the mighty ogre lord staggers back (withdraw), wounded heavily and just trying to defend himself - Marek?
Seeing a bloodied enemy retreating is too much for Marek to resist. He leaps after the footsteps of the giant, hunting it down for good.
Power Attack -2/+4: .
Damage:
Two of the other ogres are blocking Marek from attacking and so he has to use his attack to slice a nice gash into the belly of one of the minors.
Being one down and looking severely injured himself, Jarad does not look as self-confident as he did before.
(space for 2 of you in the frontline to engage the wounded ogre)
Rd2
Karlan
Celestra
Alana
Harry
Ailetha
Marek
Kreegs
KArlan pushes forward calling out as he starts to hack into more ogre flesh. "For your crimes there is no quarter! No mercy except that granted by a swift death! This is the Inheritor's wrath!"
Karlan 5ft shifts.
Full attack with extra attack option.
P. Attack 1
Damage
P. Attack 1
Damage
P. Attack 1
Damage
Alana casts Spectral Hand.
Round 2
Celestra stays behind the front line and readies a cure light wounds spell to cast upon anyone in the front row who is in need of healing.
BOF - • Make one extra attack as part of a full attack action, using its highest base attack bonus.
Harry continues hacking at his foes.
Attack
Damage
Attack
Damage
Attack
Damage
Not having any space to get in with the big boys, Ailetha waits behind them to see if anyone needs help.
Free Action - stop Inspire Courage - lingering performance will continue for 2 rounds.
Action: Delay
Waiting for Marek
Yes, he is.
.
...in the night.
Lightning-quick, Marek's silvery blade flashes high and low, overcoming the dim-witted ogre's defenses but leaving only shallow wounds, almost like he meant to prolong the monster's suffering.
Jaarath wounded and confused by the sudden loss of his minions decides that it might be better to fight another day. He bellows two short commands pushes the two remaining ogres forward and turns to flee.
With gritted teeth and steely determination the two ogres offer quite a fight but in the end are without a chance. For a moment it's bewildering that the fight for the fort shall be over but as you turn around and take a look at the carnage you have produced, you realize that the Black Arrows have truly been revenged and the fort has been retaken. If anyone was able to escape from your swords, you're sure that he will never return.
In hours the rain will have washed the blood away and the crows will have started picking on the bodies and maybe in some days, bears and other carrion feeders will have taken the corpses away, leaving no trace of the brief Kreeg rule over Fort Rannick.
Strip the bodies and then help Karlan and Harry toss them over the wall. As much as Harry distrusts the rangers, I am sure that he recognizes that anything else that might take up home here will be far worse, although perhaps better in the sack.
"Good riddance to those ogres. No matter how open I remain, I cannot help but be repulsed by such vile creatures. I'm all for let and let live, but even I have my limits!"
Harry pats Thumper heartily, "Survived again eh?" and they get to work pillaging the Fort. They also look for Rangers, just in case.
"Shall we return to Turtleback Ferry?"
"Definitely, Handsome! I need to get back to a warm pub where they don't leave blood and guts all over the floors!"
"The one in Turtleback wont be much good" a dark look momentarily crosses Harrys face, but then he smiles and warms up again, "Let's not go back to that same tavern eh?"
"Yeah you'd almost wonder if there was a traitor and a rat, and as it turns out you'd be on to something, you see that Vale fellow was a wealth of information, kept askin, questions, kept taking notes. My friends here practically gushed with information, telling him everything we were doing and laying all our plans bare, pretty careless I know, but you see the fellow just kept asking questions questions questions and frankly in Riddleport that's suicide. Now my good friends here are nice natured and sometimes lack the determination to do what has to be done, but not Old Harry, no not him... Vale and I went for a little stroll back to town, nice and quiet, just the two of us; bit nasty that, how it ended and all, but it was for the best and now our secrets are safe. Hey Kaven, do you think it was unfair that a traitor should get a quick death and a shallow grave? Vale, he went quiet, as though he realised in the end that his departure was inevitable but he faced it like a man and confessed the lot. Fair or no?"
... "I am all the things you suggest Mr Kaven, but if you too were smart you'd heed my earlier mention of your daughter eh? All's fair I suppose and a mans word is his bond. Now I know who is who, you'll find her at the Inn at Turtleback Ferry. Reckon you head on over, soon as possible would be best. The pass code is 'Harry said I'd find you here' when you get there, keep it in mind."
..."Yeah, the pub... wonder if that fine Ranger fellow came back and remembered the code word when he returned there for Shalelu. All that Ranger business, quite a mess really. Here's hoping they got the message and left, never to return" Harry looks morbidly curious.
Karlan pinches his brow. "And now I know why I've never met a paladin who doesn't drink. Right let's strip his gear and get him buried. God's know that's more than what he allowed his comrades."
Karlan looks up at Harry deep shadowy anger burning behind them. "And when this is done heavy Harry me and you are going to have a discussion about shallow graves and secret murders."Harry looks at Karlan, a curious smile crosses his face in contrast to the anger, "Reckon that's fair enough"
Harry looks at Sir Karlan thoughtfully, and gets back to work.
"Definitely, Handsome! I need to get back to a warm pub where they don't leave blood and guts all over the floors!"
Ailetha looks at Celestra and cocks an eyebrow:
You thinking of the same Turtleback Ferry as I am? I rather doubt that you will find one with even that simple description around these parts.
Looting the fort and the ogres is tiresome and and not very inspiring work, yet in the end it proves profitable.
As you finish your work a nice pile of valuables rests in front of the gate and the last rays of the sun glitter on the embossed faces of long dead kings shining forth from coins of silver and gold.
210 platinum pieces
6.243 gold pieces
23.451 silver pieces
7 masterwork chainmail
12 masterwork studded leather
5 masterwork leather armour
10 masterwork longswords
3 masterwork daggers
15 masterwork composite longbows
8 masterwork shortbows
7 masterwork ogre hooks
2 longswords +1
1 two-handed sword +2
4 short swords +1
1 keen longsword +2
250 arrows +1
70 arrows +2
Harry practically beams with delight "Its been months, but finally we get paid!" he admires the haul.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
When Celestra reads the letter, tears stream from her eyes as she realizes that her beloved Alana has left.
My dear Cayden, let it not be so! Oh my dear God, I loved her so! Our time together was a dream and a gift, but alas, she needed to be free. I know that she never deserved to be in a world of such hate and evil, but she gave me hope and love when I faced such trouble. She was the light in my darkness. I will never forget my love! Cayden, give me the strength to carry on. Heal my broken heart that I may go forth and know joy once again. Oh dear God, is this really happening to me? Give me strength!
After a long cry, Celestra smiles, thinking about the cherished time she had with Alana, but knows that her dear love must follow her own heart as she must follow hers. Given time, Celestra will heal, however, she will never forget the love she shared with her beloved Alana Wayworth.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The grim work was cathartic but did little to really improve Karlan's mood. Once it became clear that all the ogres had fled or were cut down and the real work of dealing with the bodies would take the rest of the day Karlan stripped off most of his armor and gear and set them aside.
With bodies burning in a pyre and personal effects collected from the soldiers who were too mutilated so at the least someone from turtleback ferry might inform their families of the mens fate.
Muscles aching from the work of blade and spade KArlan crosses his arms and frowns almost as hard as Harry beams.
"Since we're on the subject of work. Tell me everything that happened that led to you putting the body of a man we saved into a shallow grave." Karlan's tone was calm but stern, reminiscent of the sort of voice someone hears out of guardsmen near the end of their shifts and their patience.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Did you want the long version of why Vale had to go, or the short one?" Harry just keeps at cleaning odd bits of loot.
”Too many questions” Harry assures ”He asked too many questions and he knew far too much because people kept answering those questions. I brought it up before over and over, I asked real nice if we could stop spilling our guts and giving ourselves away to every passing stranger we met, yet still we persisted. I tried to mislead the fellow, I tried to give him a false story so that whether he was a rat or not he wouldn’t know our intentions, but you lot just couldn’t button it down. He was supposed to believe we were going to simply wait around for reinforcements and waiting on news of rewards, but thanks to the big mouths here with their hot air blowing and pontification about not resting a moment until the Ogres are done for, Mister Ironblood, and that we need to go in and get the job done regardless of reward, Miss Zomesco, no he knew our assault on the fort was going to be sooner rather than later. He could have walked away believing a lie and he’d have been fine, but when you loot kept correcting the lie so that he knew the full truth then he became a walking liability. Lets assume he was the one ranger who was on the straight and narrow, well he’d still squeal when the people following us got a hold of him and then they’d be right on us. If he was a rat we had the same problem”
Harry similarly begins to sound tired and as weary as Karlan.
”If he was a rat then he had to be disappeared, if he wasn’t a rat then he still knew too many truths for the enemy not to want to peel his skin and make him sing our song, so he had to get disappeared. He was dead the minute the wagging tongues here kept loading him up with enough information to get him killed, enough information to get us killed, Vale had to go. It is a dirty job, and I don’t relish it, but we need to protect ourselves and that can’t happen if we blab our guts out over and over. Hopefully Shalelu and her dear old dad Jakardros enjoy their ‘reunion’ in Turtleback...pack of racist Orc hating rat bastard double crossers. oh yes, she was there too, asking questions questions questions, couldn't wait to get out here with us again, for no particular reason. Even when Jakardros was told she was in mortal danger and I gave him a password for her freedom, notice he was more interested in what we were doing than her welfare?”
"They did in two of my cousins, I'm sure of it, well they wont be doing me in as well, they've been selling us out all along"
Karlan pinches his brow and looks down with his eyes closed as if coming down with a fearsome headache as Harry tells his story. "Inheritor save you Harry, do you even know if he had collaborated with the other one? And assuming, gods how I'm coming to hate that word, that he was how did you even find out? Did you even bother to find out before you butchered him?"
"When we got back to town, Shalelu had already been tracking us down. She seemed very keen on joining up with Vale and I and going for a wander, it became immediately clear to me that it was probably the same innocent sounding request to go off into the woods with her and one of her Ranger friends that Kanyk and probably Gerlick heard before they went missing. Vale and Shalelu seemed thick as thieves and anything he knew she'd know in about five minutes - one way or another. Anyhow, I managed to put her off on a wild goose chase, and that's when I knew it was time to act - Vale talked, oh he talked plenty... a lot of what he had to say seemed fairly straight forward, and although he seemed more genuine than his friends, he had a head full of information and kept the wrong company. He had to vanish, and so he has, and our enemies are deprived of a lead"
"Lets stop telling Manticores, Giants, Rangers, and strangers our planned actions, and we wont go on the missing list as well. You want people alive and well, then let's stop putting them in danger"
"I need a straight answer. Was he or was he not actually working for the enemy?"