Xen can you casually ask about the wizard in the fort?
sure can
Add to our notes regarding the fort
Possible escape tunnel under the Lord's Dalliance now has a password.
A patrol is about to leave in a few days.
What is the strength of a patrol?
Do officers and Clerics go with a patrol?
Is part of the patrol mounted?
Commander Havelyn is a fine leader, but rather melancholy. Father Dunnigan seems devoted to trying to cheer him up.
Why is he melancholy?
Captain Mott (married to Katlyn, his attractive, vivacious young wife is widely admired.) Most likely one of the three officers? - are wives of the officers and soldiers in town?
Captain Mott is widely disliked. His attractive, vivacious young wife is widely admired. Captain Mott is known to be a jealous man with a nasty temper.
Sergeant Barhold is in charge of food and supplies.
Mama Kolo prepares a special meal for the fort once a month.
Bref what do you think of this spell?
Cуровую's Lingering Presence
School Transmutation; Level Bard 0, Sorcerer/Wizard 0, Witch 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 hour/level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
With this cantrip, you can cause the most minor of alterations to the touched target, decorating skin and hair with cosmetics, and altering the length, type, style and color of hair and nails. You can use this spell to add or remove tattoos or henna decorations, temporarily. If you use this spell as part of a Disguise check to change only minor details, you can perform this action as a standard action, and may allow for a +1 bonus to the check, but the spell is of no use for more involved Disguise attempts, such as to change apparent gender, race, or size category.
An appearance change generated with this spell might prove worth a +1 circumstance bonus to certain Bluff or Diplomacy checks, at the GM's discretion, particularly when dealing with a culture that has different standards of beauty than your own. (Such as finding a white pallor more dignified, long hair more alluring or finding tattoos unseemly.)
I think you better teach Xen that spell
Bit of personal GMing philosophy.
While I understand the need for level-appropriate encounters, I firmly reject the idea of a level-appropriate /world/. At very high levels, you should be living in a world made of paper, where -- until you hit one of those level-appropriate encounters -- you can do more or less as you please. But at low levels, you should regularly encounter things that can crush you to paste without breaking a sweat. There should be ways around those things, or the game becomes unfair -- but those things should very much be present.
As a player I really enjoy reading these types of insights that are like extra fudge on an already spectacular sundae pie of a game DM has been running. Please keep up the 'director's cut commentaries' coming, it does add further dimension to an already immersive game.
On the flip side, Cуровую and Bref's spirit as characters are still waiting for the TPK around the corner.
cymu will be happy to know that bref has found a home in my rise of the runelords game. I have added the stumpbumper tribe, upped bref to level 7 or 8 and given him a goblin trap filled fortress :) when theu get there I invite you all to come see and gi e imput as to how to make it deadlier :)
I have added the stumpbumper tribe, upped bref to level 7 or 8 and given him a goblin trap filled fortress
Does he still have Int 16?
I would like to volunteer to get to know Mrs. Mott.
How good of you to make the sacrifices you make for the group.
goblin still smartest goblin!!!
Congrats - Smartest goblin ghost in the world knows how to work the system.
We made it!!!
Oh congratulations to your group Bref! Break a leg!
The Judge then looks to Cy. I think that the dwarves may be a dead end unless one of us can learn to speak their harsh tongue. Unless they are working on the outside of the wall in such a place that we could undermine the footings, I just do not see much of value.
The alchemist friend says that once the dwarves have completed their work on the fortress -- which will be a couple of years; they're doing once-in-a-century maintenance, shoring up walls and fixing weak spots from top to bottom
The dwarves are doing repair work on weak spots on the fort's defenses, that has to be something we can capitalize on. We could Charm one of them.
Congratulations, Bref! I hope you have fun with it.
I think we should charm one of the dwarves. Really wish Jax had picked up Dwarven as a language!
It worked great for a couple of sessions, but PC deaths knocked it out of kilter after a while.
You killed PCs? Like I am so completely surprised!
Sense Motive DC 2
It is not so much the deaths that I am concerned about, it is the use of our body parts to create constructs that will attack our replacement characters that concerns me.
Hmmm...
Does that qualify as pvp?
If I die again before that, and we are close can I please resurrect Bref at the appropritate level to kill him? Then I can commit sepuku:)
In another 5 or 6 levels, I will be able to suck Zargo's blood.
Er . . . wait . . . Zargo does have blood right? He didn't replace it with hydraulic oil or turpentine or formaldehyde or something like that did he?
She's either pregnant or has a new boy toy. Now even an evil adventure must draw the line about murdering a pregnant woman right? So, there's a boy toy in town gents.
We don't murder pregnant women.
We sacrifice them and their unborn do gooders.
Waste of resources. Baby would make an excellent future servant of The Father.
Is 'corn' having a side effect on the Judge?
Is the Judge being less 'lawful' than normal?
Cуровую will suggest that Xen and Dren investigate the secret door the night we discover the pass word. The Judge and Cуровую can keep an eye on the innkeeper.
Why wait?
Cуровую is thinking new 'spellbook' with regards to the magister.
Spellbooks are the ultimate fashion accessory.
xen will get you a bedazzler so you can make it girly.
Zimu are you old enough to know what a bedazzler is?
i am ashamed for watching that
You don't like sassy English girls?
It's actually rather harmless, if you don't count the buxom voices and the fake tans.
Really I don't know why the warning came up.
Sigh.
Thanks DM.
I was about to sleep but Googled Maru the cat and now have to watch these videos.
I will send links to my mom and sisters so they at least waste their time today as well.
I love me some Maru.
nothing wrong with a sassy english gal...but I can't help but think I got dumber.
everyone gets 33 gp 3 sp 3 cp from Xen. If you ask where he got it, he says just take it and be happy
In this case possibility of revenge outweighs profit.
We should consider getting team shirts that say this.
For absolutely no reason, except that we were discussing Disney movies this evening:
I like it, especially the earlier ones in the picture.
How do you find these things?
Must be 'dad' stuff.
Add to our notes regarding the fort
Possible escape tunnel under the Lord's Dalliance now has a password.
A patrol is about to leave in a few days.
What is the strength of a patrol?
Do officers and Clerics go with a patrol?
Is part of the patrol mounted?Commander Havelyn is a fine leader, but rather melancholy. Father Dunnigan seems devoted to trying to cheer him up.
Why is he melancholy?
Captain Mott (married to Katlyn, his attractive, vivacious young wife is widely admired).
Captain Mott is widely disliked. Captain Mott is known to be a jealous man with a nasty temper.
Sergeant Barhold is in charge of food and supplies. Is the brother of the innkeeper.
Mama Kolo prepares a special meal for the fort once a month.
It's now a matter of timing our priorities.
We have a limited amount of time to get our plans past the planning stages. With the group's consent, I suggest we start listing what we have learned and which we need to get done at least by the night of the play.
Our current plans in motion -
The whole group is keeping and eye and ear out for Nimpy. This needs to be one of our on going priorities.
Secret door located under the Lord's Dalliance is being watched with Alarm spell and rotating sentries has given us possible access to the fort. Can we investigate on night 6? Why wait? THIS IS A PRIORITY as several other plans may stem from this key point. This has to be done 2 nights BEFORE the night of the play.
Looking into the Bard who is performing in 2 days. Priority!
When does the patrol leave? Priority!
------
We know know that Captain Mott's wife is sleeping with Captain Eddarly, do we act on this now or later. This is a priority because it affects two officers in the fort.
Cуровую wants access to the magister of the fort. Not yet a priority but will be prior to the bugbear attack.
Cуровую has suggested repeatedly we ambush the local Cleric as he makes his way around the area of the neighboring villages, the Cleric has had a mishap before, has minimal risk to the group and this will not look suspicious. This has the benefit that it may draw another Cleric from the fort to replace him. This can be done after the play.
Cуровую suggested later on we draw forth the old Cleric friend of Edmin, by saying Edmin wants to meet in the next town and have him wed Edmin and his new lady. This is right before the bugbears attack. The Cleric will hopefully bring soldiers with him. At the very least a key member of the fort leadership will be away the night of the bugbear attack. This can be and should be done after the night of the play.
Cуровую wants to find out how to send a false message, either by raven or messenger, and have either key officers or a significant number of soldiers sent on either a wild goose chase right in the middle of the bugbear army without the soldiers having the protection of the walls. Again this can be done after the night of the play.
Cуровую wants to destroy the rookery or at least the ravens so no help can come when the bugbears attack the fort. This is a priority after the night of the play.
Suggested that the Judge come into town as a member of the Inquisition to rattle the members of the fort. Judge are you willing to do this?
Xen has made a persona of the local bar reveler. Continue to find information, Xen is one of the strongest information gatherers.
Xen has secured poison for use on the fort's food stores and water supply. Alchemist bought all Xen's stories, is convinced there is a 'rodent' problem. Mama Kolo's stew seems the perfect use for this. When is she planning to serve the dinner?
Xen has befriended some of the soldiers and may 'enlist.' Xen are you still willing to do this?
Dren is following servants hoping to get into the fort. Xen will most likely go with him.
Jax has made a persona for himself as a painter. Perhaps go to the Cleric and offer your services to paint the Commander. Or go to Captain Mott, and let slip that Captain Eddarly commissioned a painting for his wife.
The Judge has made a persona for himself as an employee of a noble.
After failures by Xen, Cуровую, and the Judge, Edmin was successful with the stoic dwarves! Information! Priority as we have nothing of use now that can be for all our endeavors.
Did I miss anything?
Things to do well before attack on/invasion of the tower. These are not time-sensitive but rather general chaos that will help us down the road.
We should see if the tunnel leads into the store rooms of the Tower. If it does, we should use it to put waters of lamashtu in the cistern.
Decide between either 1: Blackmailing Eddarly with information for something. We would have to pick something that doesn't scream "we're coming to destroy the Tower!" or simply inform Mott about it so it causes a ruckus and some problems. I think blackmail may help more.
I think trying to draw the cleric out with information on Edmin is exposing our hand and too complex. They may send out a patrol about it, but then the tower is also going to be on alert. Who sent the message? How did he escape and why is he so far north? What are his plans? Where are his collaborators, etc.
Ambushing Cleric and the patrol: Agreed, when we know the date of these events, lets get to it and murder them. Less people yay!
Time sensitive things:
Poisoning Mama Kola's stew - we obviously need to do this. We should use it to make Mama kola look evil. Perhaps hiding a symbol of Asmodeus in her room/home.
For now we should continue to gather information for another week and not attack anyone. We have 3 more weeks to act.
We should get layout of the tower next.
Once we have this try to come up with a plan to open the gate.
We then spend the next week trying to weaken the tower through various methods.
I have some thoughts on getting rid of the wizard.
Once we are ready to act we can poison the water to weaken the guard. If we have been able to get rid of the captains and maybe the cleric we just have to hold the gate until the bugbears get in.
Maybe we can release the Marilith and let it cause major mayhem in the tower and once it is done rush up there to finish off what is left before opening the gate?
Maybe we ambush the commander in his bed then pretend to be him and command the guards to open the gate to let a secret patrol back in. When the bugbears come we slaughter the guards and let them through.
We have the advantage of surprise, I think we can take out one of the major players while he sleeps at least when we strike.
Decide between either 1: Blackmailing Eddarly with information for something. I think blackmail may help more.
If we had more time, and say more 'control' of the situation this may prove useful. I would like to try this in other circumstances. Isn't turning a good guy into a pawn one of the team evil's big cliché's?
But we may have not time for this, and Eddarly may just go to the Commander and beg forgiveness.
My proposal - we plant clear information both factual and others that we create, plant these so that anyone who takes 10 finds them, make it look the Captain Mott found out.
We steal something of Mott's, preferably a weapon.
WE Disguise ourselves as Mott and KILL Eddarly. With any luck the Clerics will cast Speak with Dead and find out 'Mott' had his revenge.
We eliminate two captains and no alarms are raised.
With luck Xen can comfort the grieving wife, unless she happens get killed by 'Mott' as well.
I think trying to draw the cleric out with information on Edmin is exposing our hand and too complex. They may send out a patrol about it, but then the tower is also going to be on alert. Who sent the message? How did he escape and why is he so far north? What are his plans? Where are his collaborators, etc.
It need NOT be complex, and like I said it will be made to look like that Edmin wants to make peace with the Cleric.
A day or two before the bugbear attack we send a message saying Edmin wants to reconcile. He awaits in the nearby town. Will the Cleric perform a wedding in secret to his new love?
Nothing about collaborators, nothing to alert the fort. It is an old friend wanting to make peace.
DM has given some clues into the Cleric's personality, if we role play and write this out I believe we have a winner here. Edmin DOES NOT have to be in the next town. We simply want to draw a high level Cleric out of his sanctuary before the bugbear attack.
If the Cleric comes hunting for Edmin with have the troops so much the better! That's just a bonus.
Ambushing Cleric and the patrol: Agreed, when we know the date of these events, lets get to it and murder them. Less people yay!
Striking the patrol may alert the fort unless we are clever about it.
My proposal, if there is another patrol due to leave closer to the bugbear attack we strike that patrol. If this is the only one we have chance to take on, then we strike them.
But make it appear that the attack was bandits they found, or some criminals who were in the area.
Make it look like the patrol found some one (or something) and were destroyed. And the attackers are long gone from the area, and NOT like the opening moves against the fort, rather a very unlucky break for the patrol.
Poisoning Mama Kola's stew - we obviously need to do this. We should use it to make Mama kola look evil. Perhaps hiding a symbol of Asmodeus in her room/home.
Or how about something that won't raise suspicions.
A letter and say a bag of gold coins planted in Mama Kolo's home from Captain Mott, offering her pay to kill the other captain by poisoning the food. Mama Kolo just got over eager.
As a player harming an older woman is a little off putting but in character, I think as soon as Mama Kolo delivers the stew, she may have to 'disappear.'
If she is questioned under magical spells they will realize she knew nothing of it. If we make her look guilty and she 'leaves' all of a sudden and in the middle of the night then the blame is clearly on her. And distraught captain Mott.
Not on call but I thought we had an item that may cause one to appear...release it in the tower and let it destroy as much as it will before returning to its normal activities was what I was thinking.