Dark Sun ala Fabian - To Save a Dying World (Inactive)

Game Master Fabian Benavente

Some thoughts: Reading the recap, it feels a little bit like piecemeal, especially the group conversations. Had that feeling before a bit. At least to me, it seems a bit difficult to have a real good interaction within huge posts that adress several different topics. Same is true for the 2 turns combat somehow. What does everyone else think? Should we perhaps make more but smaller cycles?

Let´s go! Hide our trails here somehow and get into the safehouse! We can rest and heal there!
Lalali picked up some potions and other stuff into her pack, then threw ash from the emberpots for the ceremony on the floor and tried to smear some on herself to shake off anyone who could come searching for them.
She also took the short time to manifest a protective force field around herself. Inertial armor 5 hours, 1PP

The cloak could give a +1 bonus on saves, a bonus on sense motive, detect magic at will and some communication form?

Some thoughts: Reading the recap, it feels a little bit like piecemeal, especially the group conversations. Had that feeling before a bit. At least to me, it seems a bit difficult to have a real good interaction within huge posts that adress several different topics. Same is true for the 2 turns combat somehow. What does everyone else think? Should we perhaps make more but smaller cycles?

Now that you've all had a taste of what the game will be like, please provide input to Lalali's comments above.

I'll address these once I hear from more of you.

Game on!

Hey i only think we could improve player to player action a bit.

I think it's the nature of the beast. But I agree to some extent, we are interacting primarily with the DM rather than each other as players. Given Fabian's background in PBM I imagine it's what he's used to. I think that maybe the main problem is that we are covering off two rounds at once, even in the roleplaying bits, so as our characters do what they do it becomes a bit disconnected as we react to different things. It certainly makes the combats unusual since we are planning our responses in the second round when we don't know the outcomes of our actions in the first. I understand that in PBEM that is probably a time-saving technique. As this is a messageboard that probably isn't necessary since we can see what's been posted immediately as it is posted, rather than having to wait for emails to be collated and responses given.

On the other hand, though, I'm exploring Gbaji's inner life much more than I would with any other character.

"Up there?" Gbaji hesitates. "Are we going up? We might get trapped."

Gbaji's not really leadership material.

I'm pretty happy with how things have been going so far, it does seem at times that we are interacting with the GM as opposed to each other, but a few of us (Ala'a and myself for sure) have had some great back and forth in-between updates. It seems that if you post it, others will probably react. And 4 rounds of combat in 48 hours must be some kind of record on these boards. That was impressive!

As for the cloak and the macuahuitl, I have zero experience designing magical items so I'll go along with whatever the group suggests. Concerning the cloak, I like Lalali's suggestion, a bonus to resistances and maybe a social skill or stealth... or intimidate. :) If no one uses the weapon (and I don't think anyone will unless they want it as a secondary weapon or for bypassing DR), I say we just give it a flat +2 bonus and sell it.

---

Before leaving...

This just keeps getting better... "Tyr!? I am certain House Shom still maintains a presence in Tyr and if they recognize me, I have no doubt they'd try to kill or enslave me, liberated or not... If we must go to Tyr, I recommend good disguises or we operate under the cover of darkness." I'm finally going back...

In the tunnel...

As soon as the greatclub pierces the illusory ceiling, "Here. The secret passageway is here. I say we heed Eliantha's words and follow it. We have no knowledge of why the elven preserver went on ahead, and it is no concern of ours."

"Alright, sounds good to me."

Gbaji reaches up through the illusion to feel the sides of the opening. "OK, I'll climb up and have a look."

Assuming everything is alright up there...

Gbaji climbs back down, takes Kornugard with one arm and climbs back up with him, putting him down gently on the floor. He sticks his head back through the illusory ceiling - a fairly weird effect seeing a half-giant "growing" out the the rock - and says, offering a meaty arm, "Anyone else need help up?"

Also, we are all posting quite fast and time difference across continents makes a difference too.

OOC: Now that we seem to have a path forward (use the 'safechamber'); I plan on recapping tonight. Hopefully, we'll hear from Barega and Ala'a by then.

I realize I'm recapping quicker than I promised but I think this is a good thing. There will be times when recapping will only be the twice per week promised.

I'll talk more about game pace and such after I hear from Barega and Ala'a.

One thing I'll say now is that I 'want' you guys to interact with each other. Valsavis/Ala'a interchange was a very good example. I do try to have an NPC in the scene because it gives me the perfect excuse to 'tag' (I guess it's called 'hook' these days) you guys and move ('push') the story along. I try for these NPCs to intrude as little as possible on the story (i.e., I'll never have a powerful NPC that saves your butt) and having an NPC won't always be possible (like in this scene since an unconscious NPC doesn't count).

Let's see if Barega and Ala'a have any thoughts on the weapon and cloak before we decide what they are.

Questions?

Game on!

Sorry, I've been under the weather today but will get a post up tomorrow, both in character and addressing the other topics.

Sorry, I've been under the weather today but will get a post up tomorrow, both in character and addressing the other topics.

No worries;get well soon.

I look forward to your input.

I'll recap tomorrow.

Game on!

1.(after valsavis' comments)

"Tyr? It is a big place. Also not serene. Well, problem for later on..."

2.

Barega looked in dismay at the tracks. "No, no. Walk in elf prints, like this!" He demonstrated hopping from existing print to existing print. Then he looked incredulously at one of Gbaji's feet. "Uhh..."

He backed up a bit and scuffed out some of the party's tracks, attempting to make it look like the one elf had run up this way. Hopefully the pursurers wouldn't have a woodsman with them, or would move through quickly enough that they wouldn't give it too close a look...

Barega will "move at half speed to try to cover the trail", I guess. Not sure how much good it will do! That will teach me to "optimize" pass-without-trace out of my spell list...

...

Barega looked up at the illusory ceiling, four feet above his head. "Hmm..."
Then Gbaji lowered his enormous arm back down, and Barega grabbed his thumb and wrist to be hauled up. "Yes, thank you."

-----

Sorry, for some reason I was refreshing "page=9" instead of "page=last" and missed all of the other posts, so I thought I wasn't holding anything up.

About the game... I don't know. I find the two-rounds-at-a-time thing a little disorienting too, but I am more than willing to believe it's just that I haven't figured it out yet and will eventually get it.

There's a tradeoff between rate of progress and granularity, I don't have enough experience with it to tell where the best point on the scale is. I could imagine that if we were doing one action per 2 days, the game would move too slowly and peter out after a while or something.

I don't know. I don't think my input is informed enough to matter, I'll go along with whatever. Maybe in 3 months I will have an opinion. :)

Sorry, for some reason I was refreshing "page=9" instead of "page=last" and missed all of the other posts, so I thought I wasn't holding anything up.

No problem; it's happened to me too.

I'll move this along once we hear from Ala'a (or no later than tonight).

Game on!

BTW: I'm slowly reading the DS books again. I just finished Dune Trader and started Slave Tribes. I want to finish it and then read Elves of Athas because I'll admit that I don't have all the tribes straight in my head. Just reading the supplements gives me fodder for more games. This really is one of the best setting out there. Good stuff.

I have to move house a little bit unexpectedly next weekend and may only be able to continue via mobile phone and wayfinder for some time, what could give me some troubles with the documents. Just letting you know beforehand.

I have to move house a little bit unexpectedly next weekend and may only be able to continue via mobile phone and wayfinder for some time, what could give me some troubles with the documents. Just letting you know beforehand.

Ok, thanks for the warning. I know all phones are different but I can read the turn recap (document) on my phone; can you?

If not, that will be an issue but we can deal it for a couple (few?) days.

Should be able to read the doc on my phone, but it´s a little bit inconvenient. In a bad case it could be 1-4 weeks. Problem is then more connection and traffic from mobile provider. That´s a bit different in Europe and not for the better i guess ;)

Wow, four weeks is a stretch. I hope you can keep up with it otherwise it will be like a little novel by he time you get back to it.

I'll put Lalali in the back burner for a few weeks but would really appreciate a brief message every couple of days or so letting me the status of things (and your intent to continue playing).

When is this starting?

Starting on the weekend. 4 weeks would be indeed bad, hope it will go down faster with the new internet. Anyway, i´ll be here on my phone and also posting. Might be making several smaller posts though.

Starting on the weekend. 4 weeks would be indeed bad, hope it will go down faster with the new internet. Anyway, i´ll be here on my phone and also posting. Might be making several smaller posts though.

Oh, this isn't that bad. If you'll be involved and all we have to do is put up with a few 'one liners' for some time then that's not bad. It's fine.

Game on!

Ala'a fairly shook with indecision as she contemplated the next move.

Need to get the wounded to safety, wait until all is clear, she thought. But where has the elf headed, and what trouble has he run into? Where'd these other prints come from?

Curiosity got the better of her even as the others started climbing up through the illusory ceiling.

"Barega, can you summon another creature of some kind to fumble around down here and confuse these tracks? I'll be right back."

Without waiting for an answer she slipped down the hallway toward the slave quarters, keeping to the shadows as she listened for some indication of the elf mage's fate.

Stealth check: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Ala'a will spend about a round sneaking after the elf mage to see what she can see/hear, with the intention of returning and climbing up into the safehouse with the rest of the group. Assuming nothing unexpected pops up, she will then share out some more healing - a cure moderate wounds for Gbaji and cure light wounds for Barega and Lalali.

~~~~~~~~~~0~~0~~~~~~~~~~
As for the turn system: The only time I've been more than a little confused was at the start of the first combat - it would have helped if you had rolled initiative before we stated our first two rounds of actions. Trying to describe two rounds at a time without knowing the results of the first round is a little strange but doable, and seems to keep things moving quickly. But I think folks also tend to post more quickly when in combat, so I bet we could still manage 1 round a day even taking combat 1 round at a time. I'm fine either way.

Out of combat, I'm finding that I rather like doing two rounds of posts every 48 hours. It gives me some extra time and flexibility if I'm busy or just want to think on it a little, plus I think it creates the expectation of a more detailed, thoughtful post, which is a good thing, IMO. So, to sum up - I like the "every 48 hours" posting out of combat, but am fine either way if we want to post every 24 hours in combat.

"Barega, can you summon another creature of some kind to fumble around down here and confuse these tracks? I'll be right back."

Barega bobbed his head enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, very clever, very good..." Be began to make his strange serpentine whistling sound again, sniffing the air and cocking his head. As his whistling neared its crescendo, he ducked his head through the illusory floor.

Below in the tunnel, the wind blew in a dust devil, stirring a small cloud of dirt 20' past the secret room. A small, frilled reptile stepped from the cloud, hissing loudly and expanding its frill in alarm, and then immediately charged down the hallway toward the "ceremony room", leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

Barega will burn "speak with animals" to cast a SNA I for a Gorak. He'll try to detect if bad guys are approaching the room from below (e.g. by scent or hearing) during the round he is casting the spell. If they are detected, I guess he will abort the spell. Otherwise, he'll stick his head down through the illusion and create a Gorak 20' past the illusory ceiling room (i.e. in the other direction from the ceremony room), then it will immediately straight-line run toward the ceremony room. Hopefully between the running and it dragging its body along the floor, it will obscure some of our tracks...when they come to the end of the obscured region, they'll have passed us by 20' and will only see the one elf wizard's tracks.

edit: oops, Gorak is on the summon monster I, but not the SNA I. Is that on purpose? If so, make it a dire rat instead. Sorry!

Turn 010 is up.

Read the OOC.

Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?

Game on!

I wrote this earlier today before having read Ala'a's comments but I think we are pretty much saying the same thing.

On Game Pace

I feel this really is two topics so I will address them separately.

Combat Turns

I understand why everyone is ‘iffy’ on the two rounds per post deal. Round 1 should be pretty straight forward but you really don’t know what the situation is for Round 2. The idea is to give me enough contingencies so I can ‘do something else’ if what you wanted to do for Round 2 doesn’t make sense (i.e., I won’t have you hit an already dead opponent). You’ve seen how that worked on the combat we had and I don’t think there were too many complaints. There’s also the caveat that if something ‘significant’ happens in Round 1 then we reshuffle and deal again (i.e., I’ll recap Round 1 only and ask again for Round 2).

That being said, I can and am willing to go one round at a time provided we all post within 24 hours (which this group has done already). And while four rounds in 48 may be a record, we’re not here for records but rather to tell a compelling story… at a ‘reasonable’ pace and two rounds in 48 hours is fine by me.

However, if by adopting this new ‘schedule’, you feel ‘rushed’ because you now ‘have’ to post quickly (within 24 hours) and I start getting posts such as ‘I hit with my sword [roll dice]’ then we go back to the 2 rounds at a time so you have ‘more time’ (48 hours) to give me some decent posts (well-described actions and intended results).

Regular Turns

I don’t think the conversations are disjointed given the medium in which we are playing. I think we’ve been able to do pretty good with regards to story-telling. As was brought up, character interaction depends on players and has been successfully portrayed in the game already. But it takes at least two people to have interactions so someone has to ‘tag’ and the other person has to ‘reply and tag back’. I like NPCs; they make it easy for me to ‘move the story along’ so I’ll try to have them whenever it makes sense (crazy erdlu herder, half-elf beggar boy, pottery shop owner, preservers, etc.).

I also try to give you guys more than one spot to post actions/thoughts/start conversations/etc. However, there is an understanding that whatever you do in ‘Actions 1’ won’t really affect ‘Actions 2’. For example, in Turn 003 – Urik By Day, ‘Actions 1’ left you an opening to acquire more information from the pottery shop’s owner whereas ‘Actions 2’ was the scene where you had to sneak into the pottery kiln. So I assumed (for the sake of speed) that whatever you did in ‘Actions 1’ wasn’t really going to affect what you were going to do in ‘Actions 2’. To add to that, I will usually provide IC responses to these actions before I recap so you can use that information.

The other option is stop in ‘Actions 1’, wait (at least 24 to 48 hours) and then set up ‘Actions 2’ and wait again so our time has doubled.

Another caveat is that in a similar fashion as for combat turns, if something ‘significant’ happens in ‘Actions 1’ which precludes or modifies ‘Actions 2’ then we’ll only do ‘Actions 1’ and then modify or delete ‘Actions 2’ as appropriate.

Most (all?) of this stuff is to tell a decent story (good posts from players and GM) at a decent pace (give you at least 48 hours to prepare a decent post) but I am willing to change if we can accomplish these goals in a different manner.

More thoughts/comments?

Game on!

Ala'a wrote:

"Barega, can you summon another creature of some kind to fumble around down here and confuse these tracks? I'll be right back."

...

I left a space for this in 'Actions 1' of the turn recap and you beat me to it. :)

Ooh, I also forgot to discount Ala'a's spells, I'll do so in the next turn recap. The healing has been accounted for.

BTW, good thinking both of you. See, I told you this was more than just a 'hack n slash' game. :)

Game on!

2

It was a long while before the rush of battle faded and Valsavis could think clearly. Most of his time was spent trying to ensure he didn’t take an elbow to the eye from the hulking half-giant, or trip over the scuttling cannibal. He laid a hand upon the smooth clay of the walls, it’s coolness helping to douse his bloodlust.

He tensed as the first sets of footprints passed below them, silently pulling his blades from their sheathes, but hesitantly re-sheathed them as the steps faded away.

3

He looked over the old preserver, watching him struggle between restless sleep and trembling as his body tried to fight off whatever the broken ceremony had done to his broken form. As time slowly ticked by, he raised the question ”Has it been long enough to make our escape? Does anyone have a plan for getting out of Potter’s-”

Just then he heard the high-pitched voices streaming out from below, speaking excitedly in a foreign language. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the low growl echoed off the hard-packed walls. Whispering, ”Can anyone understand what they’re saying?” He looked to Barega expectantly.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

I must have done a decent job setting up those scenes because Valsavis' posts just enhance the mood and tension that I wanted to convey.

Game on!

2.
Barega held his breath as he heard the searching group pass through the tunnel below. At least four, he thought, They will further confuse our trail.... He slowly let his breath out, as the group moved out of earshot down the hallway.

After ten minutes passed with no further developments, Barega rummaged around in his pack for a bit, and pulled out a small leather satchel. He shuffled a bit closer to Gbaji and whispered, "let me see that spear wound." He began to clean it with a bit of water from his skin and some herbs from his kit, and then sewed it shut with some gut. Over the next few hours, he worked his way through the others, tending the wounds as best he could (this is the "treat deadly wounds" use of the heal skill, to give 5hp back. The way I'm reading this, I think I can take 10 and use one use from the healer's dose to get a 10+10+2-2=20 and succeed, so that way I still have some doses left for next time. Does that sound right? Anyway, he'll work through the PCs in order of damage -- maybe Gbaji, Lalali, Barega, Valsavis, Ala'a -- that would be 5 hours, so maybe we don't get that far before (3).).

During this time, he also examined Korgunard to try to determine the status of his condition, but he gained little insight. He shrugged. Whatever afflicted the preserver, it was no natural ailment. Heal check to try to diagnose Korgunard, but I am guessing it's not going to work. Maybe also detect magic and spellcraft to see if I can tell anything about what kind of magical effects are on him.

3.
Barega suddenly paused his ministrations, and brought a finger to his lips. He nodded his head down toward the floor. Then the others could hear it too, faint voices, drawing closer...

He heard the words, and the voices. Of course, the Ogo scouts. This worried him -- they were very good trackers. At least three. And...a lion? Barega could smell the stink of these outlanders, and the lion would probably have a sharper nose.
There will be blood.

He tapped his finger against his lips again, in answer to Valsavis' question, and then readied one of his spears... Maybe they will continue past, distracted as they are by their foolish yammering.

(this is the "treat deadly wounds" use of the heal skill, to give 5hp back. The way I'm reading this, I think I can take 10 and use one use from the healer's dose to get a 10+10+2-2=20 and succeed, so that way I still have some doses left for next time. Does that sound right? Anyway, he'll work through the PCs in order of damage -- maybe Gbaji, Lalali, Barega, Valsavis, Ala'a -- that would be 5 hours, so maybe we don't get that far before (3).).

That sounds about right but you only have time to treat only two PCs before the halfling hunters show. Depending on what occurs, you may continue afterwards.

Game on!

Ala'a watched as Barega stitched up the others wounds. She considered using more of the fire's blessing to speed the process along but decided to horde the power for now. Never know what we'll have to fight through on our way out of here.

Ala'a's pessimism was borne out a few hours later when the halfling hunters passed below. She eased her own blade free of its scabbard when Barega readied his spear.

She thought about kindling a protective shield around herself or one of the other warriors, but decided it wasn't worth the risk that the halflings below would hear her.

We'll only get one chance to surprise them, she thought, then raised a hand to get the others' attention. Pointing below, she then fluttered her fingers, mirroring a flickering flame. She cast her hand dawn, as if spreading the flames across the halflings below, then mimicked jumping down.

Ala'a will ready an action to cast burning hands on the halflings below once the rest of the group is ready to act.

Valsavis heeded the halflings signal and remained silent. Seeing the others preparing themselves for battle, he slowly drew his blades, nodding to Ala'a as she mimicked her intended actions. He looked to the woman and the half-giant, making sure they were aware of the situation.

OOC: Just to make sure I understand. You will 'surprise' the halflings with the lion in the cramped tunnel below.

If so and since the opening to get into the secret chamber is 'small', only one of you will be able to take advantage of the surprise action.

I'm assuming this will be Ala'a?

If that's the case, then what will probably happen is that Ala'a will fire off burning hands and then I'll roll initiatives.

Please confirm that this is the desired plan of action. I'd like to recap and move this forward tonight.

Game on!

If the group decides to do battle, since Ala'a will act first, I think I'd rather keep this a ranged battle for as long as possible, so Valsavis will ready his bow instead. If/When it turns to melee he will drop his bow and draw his knives and leap below with the others.

Sounds good to me.

Gbaji? Lalali?

Any input from you guys?

Unless I hear otherwise, then the group will go into battle (based on Ala'a's course of action and no one else saying anything different).

Game on!

Need to get some work and preparations done, posting in some hours though.

Sorry - bit of a tricky few days. I can't read your write-ups in the office so I have to do it in the evening, and if things are tricky (sick child) then I get behind.

2.

Gbaji squated down in the chamber, his bulk filling up the small space. He watched Kornugard but he didn't have much clue about what might be wrong with him. Still, that blow to the head could easily cause those symptoms. Kornugard might be addled for life, if he lives.

He let Barega stitch up his wound with some trepidation. Halflings with sharp implemenents digging in your flesh was normally something to be avoided. But this one seemed alright. His magic had seen off the templar, and he seemed genial enough for a cannibal. Gbaji gritted his teeth as the needle did its work, but he had to admit the halfling tidied him up nicely.

Barega began work on the human girl Lalali after Gbaji, sealing up her injuries with the same quiet competence. She was something of a mystery to Gbaji. A follower of the Way, apparently. All that mind stuff was never really his strong point.

The excitement of battle had worn off, leaving Gbaji feeling tired and sullen. He sat quietly, idly flexing his muscles to avoid cramp and flush out the weariness. Everyone was on edge with the waiting. It wasn't a surprise that Valsavis was the first to wonder if it was time to make their exit. It had taken the human man a long time to calm down after the battle, and even then he remained twitchty. Good fighter, though.

3.

It was the elf girl, Ala'a, and Barega who heard them first - hunters, in the tunnel below. Ala'a signalled and Gbaji got the drift, exchanging looks as the plan came together in the silence. He eased his crossbow out of its sling on his back and loaded one of the enormous bolts. As Ala'a prepared to cast her spell, Gbaji got ready to fire at the first decent target he saw.

Just a little sketch so everyone knows what's going on before recapping.

Questions?

Game on!

Fabian

Turn 011 is up.

Read the OOC.

Questions, comments, and/or suggestions.

Game on!

Leaning over Ala'a, Gbaji fired his crossbow into the lion's snarling face. Then he put it down, ready to attack the beast.

1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26 to hit, 2d8 ⇒ (5, 7) = 12 damage. Puts down crossbow as move action.

Just a couple notes to start.  First off, it is posts like this one that make the narrative a bit disjointed.  In the most recent post you list Valsavis and Barega reacting to the noise of the cannibals and then go on to copy and paste Gabaji's post which says 'it was the elf girl, Ala'a, and Barega who heard them first...' Secondly, while I did originally post that Valsavis drew his knives, I immediately modified that to say that I wanted him to have his bow readied.  You posted that he has his blades out so I'm not sure if that was a mistake or if you were doing me a favor and letting me have my blades drawn due to the actions of the lion.  If you really want this to become the epic story that we all want it to be, you need to spend a few moments combing through the posts and doing these little edits so that the overall narrative makes a bit more sense.  Hopefully that is not too much to ask! 

Finally, in the current situation I am assuming the lion is within melee range of all of us, so if we do fire a ranged weapon we will be subject to an AoO, correct?  If that is the case, Gbaji you might want to modify you intended actions.  I'll wait to post until we get some clarity on the current situation.

Just a couple notes to start.  First off, it is posts like this one that make the narrative a bit disjointed.  

A lot of times (most?), PCs will be reacting to the same stimulus and since I want to make this a story about everyone (I ask for everyone's input) then the actual action will 'rewind in time'. This is similar to a mini flashback and it is done in each PC's point of view. However, I get that it takes time to 'start reading' in this manner. Let me try and explain. I won't quote the recap but it pretty much follows each paragraph.

VOICES AND GROWLING IS HEARD BY EVERYONE (starting at time -2 seconds and ending at time 0)

Valsavis reacts to voices (time -5 to +2 seconds) (note that it starts at -5 seconds because Valsavis is shown to be doing something else before the voices)

Barega starts hearing voices and reacts (time -2 to +3 seconds)

Ala'a reacts (-2 to +4 seconds)

Valsavis reacts to Barega (+3 to +4 seconds)

Gbaji (from his point of view) reminiscing about who heard them and reacting to Ala'a (+3 to +5 seconds)

NEW ACTION STARTS
-------

Does this make any sense to you?

Also notice the 'ending times' of each PC since they end later because they are reacting to previous PC's actions.

Finally, in the current situation I am assuming the lion is within melee range of all of us, so if we do fire a ranged weapon we will be subject to an AoO, correct?  If that is the case, Gbaji you might want to modify you intended actions.  I'll wait to post until we get some clarity on the current situation.

The lion is trying to 'hang on and get up' so he won't be able make any AoO (he's also attacking at -4).

I let Valsavis have his blades since given the current situation of cramped quarters and lack of effective target (only shooting through 5' hole), I thought it made more sense for other tactics.

Other questions?

Game on!

I was waiting for an update from the DM to the contrary, but my assumption was that as it was climbing it couldn't threaten. But many thanks for the concern for may character!

As for the style, I think we shouldn't get to hung up on a seamless narrative. This isn't a novel, it's a game of D&D (or at least a variant of the World's Favorite Roleplaying Game) so expecting smooth edits to produce a coherent whole isn't really warranted.

Also, and I know this from DM'ing other games here, you can spend a long time creating encounters, NPCs, and so on. PF can be a time-consuming system. And I don't then produce a recap of what has happened, reordering and editing the text of the players to produce a chapter, which also takes time.

In the end, Fabian's style is quite different to what a lot of us are probably used to and I personally am cool with that. I don't really want him to agonise over making a seamless narrative when there is lots of other stuff for him to do, especially when we have a reasonable idea of what is going on anyway from the Discussion thread. Moreover, this isn't the only game he is running. I'm enjoying the game and, in the end, that's the only significant criterion.

(This isn't intended to be an admonishment, by the way. But I do know that running these games can be hard work and a very significant commitment for months or years. Sometimes players don't necessarily realise that, or forget from time to time.)

Yeah, the recaps won't ever be seamless but I try. It's kind of cool reading back the ones already played.

On that note, how many online games are you all currently playing?

I am DMing 3 and playing in 3.

Yep, it is a lot of work, I sometimes get frustrated when my RL players can't even remember to spend their skill points or bring their character sheet while I spend a ludicrous amount of time prepping for our game. All other points made are relevant and noted. The lion is in the process of climbing, so that makes sense that it wouldn't threaten. And thank you for allowing me my blades. I currently play in four games on the boards and GM our face to face game and that is more than enough to keep my plate quite full.

Valsavis is momentarily taken aback as the lion leaps up so voraciously. He quickly recovers, though, and dives in with his blades, hoping their flurry of attacks is enough to bring down the beast before it can cause more havoc in their close quarters.

I’m assuming, given the makeup of the room that we aren’t flanking the lion? If so, add +2 to my attack roll and +2d6 sneak attack damage for each. And remember, if I do enough damage to kill the creature, I get a free demoralize check at +18 to all enemies that witnessed the act within 30'.

mwk obsidian bard’s friend: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
damage: 1d4 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
obsidian bard’s friend: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Offhand crit?: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

I DM five here. I used to DM another one face-to-face but that ended and that group is in Limbo a bit right now. I only play in this one.

I'm glad the 'explanations' made sense.

Yeah, no flanking up there.

Friendly reminder. Don't forget to write in past tense and please add something for the 'intended results' as it seems that both of you stopped 'at the attack'.

I forgot to give ACs: 12 for lion and 16 for hunters.

Game on!

Ala'a gasped as the scorched lion leaped up to the ledge, its sharp claws slashing through her leather leggings as it scrabbled for a grip.

If the lion still lives:
Sword attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 271d8 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

No room to maneuver with Lalali behind me," Ala'a thought as she dragged Ash-Caller from its scabbard and hacked at the lion, the blade slicing through its blackened flesh with ease.
~~~~~0~~0~~~~~
If the lion is dead and no one else has descended to the hallway:
Ala'a looked to her companions as the lion's corpse fell back to the tunnel below.

No point in giving them time to prepare, she thought, drawing Ash-Caller before leaping after the dead lion. Stabbing her blade into the halfling to the east she tried to make room so the others could follow.

Same attack from before on the halfling below and to the right/east.

Barega's eyes widened as the lion leapt up through the illusory floor, inches away from him, and dug into the elf woman's leg.

if the lion is still up
He jabbed at the beast with one of his spears. The disparity between the enormous hunting cat and the small spear was almost comical, but did not faze the halfling, and indeed the chipped flint of the spear bit deep. The beast howled in rage and pain.
spear to hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
spear damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

if the lion is already down, and no other PCs have jumped down yet, or if he is reasonably confident (e.g. from a perception check) that he can tell what square a bad guy is in, and won't risk hitting a good guy)
He nodded in approval at the beast's swift death, and then hurled the spear through the illusory floor at the square 5' toward the ceremony room from the opening, I guess there is probably a 50% miss chance from shooting through the floor. I guess the roll is as above but +2 because it's ranged instead of melee (1 for dex and 1 for halfling thrown weapon), and then flattened himself against the wall, trying to stay out of the way of the others.

if PCs have already jumped down, and he doesn't know which squares are good guys and which are bad guys
He nodded in approval at the beast's swift death and PC x's bold leap down into the Ogo scouts' murderous grasp. Holding his spear in his right hand, he grabbed the ledge of the floor in his left, and swung down to join the fray. He stumbled as he landed, and his spear thrust at one of the scouts missed its mark.

This is the only online game I have. I don't know how you guys would keep up with five!

My apologies. I will make a note in my Dark Sun doc reminding me to use the past tense. Here is an updated version of my actions this round.

Valsavis was momentarily taken aback as the lion leapt up so voraciously. He quickly recovered, though, and dove in with his blades, hoping their flurry of attacks was enough to bring down the beast before it could cause more havoc in their close quarters.

Both attacks hit, doing 9 damage each (18 total).

Valsavis made a gutteral sound, much like the lion's low growl, as both of his blades sunk deep into the beast's flank. He ripped his blades out, paying close attention to see if his two strikes were enough to silence the beast for good.

If so...
Demoralize: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (9) + 18 = 27

If successful, the effected targets are shaken for two rounds. This duration increases by 1 round for every 5 by which I beat the DC. If four or more rounds (meaning I beat the DC by 10 or more), I can choose to frighten them for one round instead, which I will do.

A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. A frightened creature flees from the source of its fear as best it can. If unable to flee, it may fight. A frightened creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. A frightened creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.

Turn 012 is up.

I guess you guys did post one decent round in 24 hours so I'm Ok to continue in this manner.

Read the OOC.

Questions, comments, and.or suggestions?

Game on!

This is the only online game I have. I don't know how you guys would keep up with five!

The games I'm playing aren't as time-consuming. I tried posting some decent posts for them but then people around you just don't follow you and you start to wonder 'why should I?'. So my posts are like 2-3 sentences per post (once or twice per day) so it's 'easy'. And playing is a LOT simpler than DMing.

In one of the games, the DM will post once every 2-3 days and I'll be dropping that game soon if that doesn't change.

Of the other two I'm DMing, one of them is Mummy's Mask and has very similar 'time requirements' as this one. I recap that one on average of two to three times per week.

The other is my 2 and 1/2 year old Carrion Crown game which is slightly slower than these. It's a PBEM and the players and I have comfortably settled on one turn recap every 4-5 days. We just started the third book of the AP after 30 months (Turn Recap 218). BTW, if anyone wants to try their hand at a PBEM, I currently have 4 PCs and could use a fifth one.

Game on!