Presenting Rainn Lysander :) (although at the moment she's just going by 'Rainn'!)
I agree with Fendir (great name btw!), Rainn is lying low in Q'Barra (so Fendir will have to decide how he go there from Karrnath!) and taking the opportunity to explore some ruined temples. She would have hired on with a group and easy to have had her and Fendir split from the other party if there was an incident. I like the idea of the same sort of thing having happened to Rainn and Fendir's group as happened to the main party, overwhelming numbers etc. That provides instant grounds for 'better to team up if we want to survive' sorts of shenanigans :)
Here are some comments on your sheet:
- what is your armor? Studded leather?;
- you add your DEX mod to the damage of both rapier and light crossbow;
- crossbow of shame?
- pick magic items;
- finish picking spells;
- finish with your personality (it usually rounds out a PC) and 'fix the name' (see below);
- do me a favor and clarify where your skills came from (background, bard, or college of lore) and which have the 'expertise'.
NAMES
I actually need to thank you because you made me realize something. First of all, I think you made a mistake and the half-elf house is House Lyrandar. However, there are different family lines that carry the Mark of Storm so your character's name could be Rainn Lysander d'Lyrandar but you 'normally' present yourself as Rainn d'Lyrandar because that is what most impresses people.
@Bronwyn: this is applicable to all houses so you could have a family name different than Deneith (or not).
Questions?
Game on!
PS: I'll provide comments to Fendir next and then work on a post to get everyone together.
Comments:
- write down your shifting, spirit seeker, and reckless attack benefits somewhere.
I think everything else is well done.
Working on a 'coming together' turn...
Questions?
Game on!
@'old group'; forget turn 40 and respond to this turn.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Fendir moved quietly, like a great cat stalking the woods. Each step carefully placed, each sound identified and ruled out as a threat.
As first, the girl had tried to engage him in conversation, but at best he just grunted at her. She's a child playing pretend Fendir thought to himself when he first met her in Q'Barra, and after guiding their small expedition through the jungle, he became convinced of it.
I do, though, have to give her credit; she stood her ground when the Lizardfolk attacked their small camp. thought Fendir as he stepped over a small branch he heard her step on a moment later.
On the other hand, the rest of the expedition were a day or two away from trying to kill her anyway, especially after the 'ruins full of treasure ripe for the picking' turned out to have as much treasure as an empty vegetable stall.
It was just as this thought ran through his head that the jungle gave way to a small clearing with a group of explorers on the other side.
Fendir's rapier was in his hands even as his eyes were scanning the other group: two humans and two warforged? They must be here trying to loot these ruins too.
He did not, however, say anything, but just slid out of the way to allow the Half-Elf...
what was her name again? Rann? It doesn't matter.
...to enter the clearing as well.
Lyrandar Signet (reskinned cloak of the manta ray) (uncommon, minor, attunement)
Usually possessed only by the Lyrandar family and occasionally their favoured agents, this ring functions the same as a mundane version of the Signet and enhances the Dragonmark of the wearer if one is possessed.
For those with the Mark of Storms, the ring generates a water breathing effect, and improves the wearer’s swim speed to 60 ft.
Anyone that wears the ring and does not have the Mark of Storms experiences motion sickness (nauseated) until the ring is removed.
Aqua Vitas Argenti (reskinned decanter of endless water) (uncommon, minor)
This bracelet consists of tiny metal beads in the shape of water droplets, and is always cold to the touch. At the verbal command of the wearer it functions as a decanter of endless water.
Charm of cleanliness (common, minor)
Hangs from her bracelet, when squeezed, magically cleans and dries wearer and clothes.
Flute of shadows (common, minor)
<Instrument of illusions>
Her tired mind kept toying with variations on how she would extract the cost of those earrings from that portly guide, he had a nerve swearing on the lives of his wife and five children, maybe she was out of practice? Perhaps it was just lack of being accustomed to the local scene as yet. Rainn forced her focus back to the present and tried to count her blessings. This newer temple looked far more of a flower to pluck anyway, despite the group's expert royally stuffing up the entrance attempt. It was likely for the best that just her and Fendir were left, the others really had just been dragging their feet. The only question was how to reapproach the lizardman temple.
"Is it just me or was that possibly the worst plan, and perhaps scholar, you have ever had the misfortune of signing on with?" she cast her eyes sideways at Fendir to see if he was listening. The jungle heat was oppressive and her hand strayed to her bracelet constantly.
"I don't know why he thought asking was going to get him anywhere, if that were the case there wouldn't be an unplundered temple from here to the Demon Wastes!"
She wiped sweat from her brow and frowned as her foot found yet another dry, and sharp, twig on the ground. She winced and glanced at Fendir, he'd been glowering at her for every little noise she made, as if anyone could hear her over the incessant chirping and chorus of the local fauna! Hopefully he hadn't heard that one snap.
"Well anyway, I'm glad you decided to stick around, I'm sure no matter what we come up with it'll be better than asking at the gate to be let in..."
Her dialogue cut off abruptly as footsteps from another group entered her awareness. Quickly dropping a pace behind Fendir to give him some room, her lips were already half mumbling a spell and she was unprepared to have him step to the side, leaving her standing out of cover.
As the other group revealed itself, Rainn bit back the arcane syllables and clamped a smile over her teeth instead. Fendir seemed cautious but not overly frowny like she'd seen him before, when he was about to hit something. She shrugged.
"So hello there. You understand Common? Of course you do ha ha!"
She made a show of raising her hands slowly.
"Nothing threatening here I assure you, just a couple of cartography hobbyists out for a stroll in this lovely weather..."
She grinned.
"I don't suppose any of you has a map we could reference? Or a landmark? Or knows where North is from here?"
No need to apologize; I'm OK with your fixes BTW.
I like (and approve) those magic items.
Questions?
Game on!
Action 1
Turning to the 'forged, she asked, "Do you think that'll work? Can you carry me and B if you're not biggified? Or do you need her spell to do it? If we could get to the temple uncontested that would be great."
Palisade shared a careful, measuring look between the two females. "Hesitant. This one does not know. Query. How much do you weight, Lady d'Deneith, companion Vi Olaro? This one believes some females would prefer not to disclose such information, for some reason. Would you number among them? This one must confess, it must be... vexing for your consciousness to be hosted in a chassis that is liable to change its specifications over time."
"Suggestion. This one could make the attempt to carry you here in this camp. That should resolve the question."
Action 1:
"Hesitant. This one does not know. Query. How much do you weight, Lady d'Deneith, companion Vi Olaro? This one believes some females would prefer not to disclose such information, for some reason. Would you number among them? This one must confess, it must be... vexing for your consciousness to be hosted in a chassis that is liable to change its specifications over time."
"Suggestion. This one could make the attempt to carry you here in this camp. That should resolve the question."
Bronwyn took a sharp intake of breath at Palisade's query. "It's not that some females prefer not to disclose, Palisade. That is simply a question that one does not ask in polite company. However, the question is understandable which is why I'm not lecturing you more sternly. But I am still not giving you my weight. All you need to know is that my weight won't hamper your ability to carry me. Although a trial attempt to carry us together around camp may be warranted to make sure you are up to the task."
Action 3:
Bronwyn's eyes widened in surprise as non-lizardfolk appeared out of the jungle foliage. Reflexively, flames leapt into her palms even as the 'forged stepped in front of her. She peaked around Squeak's massive form as the female half-elf began to speak.
The wizard raised an eyebrow as the flames continued to dance above her palm, not ready to let down her guard. She tapped into the more serious nature taught to her while growing up in a dragon-marked house. Her voice was clouded with doubt as she answered, "Cartographer hobbyists who don't have a map? Who don't know which direction is north? I would think that the first things they would teach you when learning cartography is first, don't go anywhere unfamiliar without a reference map, and second, here is how you find north."
Bronwyn knew that the 'forged would see the pair as hostile to her well-being until told otherwise so she looked over at Vi with a questioning look about her opinion before she spoke again to the half-elf, "Personally I find the truth much more convincing when determining if someone is a threat rather than the simple act of raising hands in the air. Do you want to try again? Maybe with the truth this time?"
As Bronwyn had expected, Palisade didn't take the sudden appearance of two strangers in proven hostile terrain with an overabundance of trust. The single-eyed 'forged juggernaut positioned itself between the strangers and Bronwyn, its gaze alternating between staring down the two known unknowns and scanning the forest of possible hidden enemies the two were trying to draw attention away from with their appearance. The fact it couldn't - yet - detect any such hidden assailants was no reason to expect they weren't somewhere close by.
"Attention, unknown female one, unknown male one. This one suggests you keep your hands away from your weapons and visible," it intoned, its voice barred of the slightest hint of emotion as ever. "Failure to do so may result in bodily harm."
Fendir chuckled, but it lacked mirth. He then looked sideways at the Half-Elf for a moment before turning his gaze back towards Bronwyn.
Smiling a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Fendir said "Get your toys to stand down and I'll put away my blade. No reason for them to die today." It was the most that Rainn had heard Fendir say at one time since she met him.
The half-elf inclined her head and smiled
"No sudden moves here Mister Warforged, promise. And yes Miss fiery human, you got us on the holes in our story, on all 3 counts!"
She lowered her hands slowly.
"So you're capable of deductive reasoning and haven’t already opened fire, so you’re not bandits or a brainless merc team. That gets you a better explanation. If you could put the fire away though, that'd be grand…"
She dragged one hand through her hair and tucked the errant strands behind her ear, shifting her weight between feet and barely suppressing a wince as she did so.
"I'm Rainn, this is Fendir" she gestured to the rugged looking man next to her.
"We've been out here prospecting ruins for the last little bit, not very successfully though. That last but one was a wash out, and the one we just came from just showed us the team we were with was pretty green. They made mistakes, there was much screaming and bleeding then running, and here we find ourselves still out here whilst the others have placed tail firmly between legs and run back to civilisation. But this guy…"
She took a step towards Fendir as she smiled and reached up to pat him on the shoulder, before freezing and backing away again, his frown forming some unearthly repelling field that she couldn’t overcome.
"…this guy is made of sterner stuff! Or maybe he owes too much money to a loan shark to go back empty handed, I don’t judge. But anyway, you've had our recent life stories, definitely your turn if you want this to be a conversation rather than an interrogation…"
She smiled and waited for the others to speak.
Mei'Vi stared at the newcomers with a mixture of suspicion and surprise. For one, the half-elven girl before her looked like the sister of the Face she was currently wearing. It would be a hell of a coincidence if she was related to the woman Vi had copied. She froze for a moment, waiting to see if the new girl would recognize her, or say anything, but the moment dragged out without her paying Mei'Vi any particular attention. Mei'Vi relaxed, and put the curiosity aside for now.
Stepping between Palisade and the rugged man called Fendir, Mei'Vi held up her empty hands placatingly between them. "No need for name calling. Let's try not to offend everybody before we're even introduced. I'm Mei'Vi, and this is my friend Bronwyn. The tall 'forged is Squeak, and the taller one is Palisade. They're our friends, not our weapons, toys, or other such insults. They're mighty protective of our Bronwyn here, so if you want to keep all your bits, don't do anything they could even loosely interpret as threatening in her direction."
As the changeling decided the immediate danger was past, the girl's words finally filtered through Vi's mind. "Wait, the last temple? Do you mean the big one, just yonder? Did you try to get in today?" If that was the case, that would definitely affect their plans.
Fendir shrugged and sheathed his blade. He gave a gesture with his hand towards the other group while Looking at Rainn, as if to say "go ahead".
OOC:
Good stuff everyone! I'll probably recap dialogue later today but will not advance the game much. The scene still has RP potential. :)
Just to keep the story straight.
Nymm 8: old party was exploring and new party attempted to get in
Nymm 9: old party attempted to get in and new party was licking their wounds/deciding what to do
Nymm 10: right now
Questions?
Game on!
Rainn nodded and smiled at the elven girl who had stepped forward.
"Thank you Mei'Vi for mediating and doing your side's introductions, nice to find a bit of civility out here in this Hostforsaken Dolurrh of a forest…"
She swatted ineffectually at the ever present innumerable flying insects.
"So Mei'Vi, Bronwyn, Squeak and Palisade, a pleasure to meet all of you."
She managed a semi-formal half-bow.
"And I wouldn’t be concerned, we're pleased to meet someone out here that doesn’t immediately want to inflict grievous bodily harm on us."
She gestured at a fallen tree and slowly paced over to it, before lowering herself down with an audible sigh of pleasure. Pulling off one dirty boot she upended it, tapping until several pieces of twig fell out.
"I don’t know if it really counts, our attempt to get in to the place. Much to our mutual amazement, our team's 'local expert'…" she held up her hands and wiggled her fingers to mark the phrase "… decided that all he needed to do was ask to be let in. Before we could advise him his plan stank worse than a Sharn sewer, away he went, right up to the guards and started stuttering through some of what I presume was lizardfolk language. Whether it was his manner or his words I don’t know, but he hiked up his robe and came running back at us with the lizardfolk hot on his heels."
She regretfully dragged her boot back on to her foot and sighed.
"They threw some javelins, bruised some ribs with their clubs, but mostly I think they were just chasing us off. They haven’t sent out hunting parties but I can’t speak to whether they've beefed up security at their front gate."
She squinted up at Mei'Vi, then shaded her eyes with one hand.
"It's an answer that's not very informative but it's all I've got I'm afraid. So what about you then? You out here hunting temples too?"
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR EXAM SQUEAK!!!!
Great stuff everyone!
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
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Squeak puzzled quietly to himself as he attempted to work out whether to interject. On the one hand Palisade seemed to be doing quite well, on the other hand were the anecdotes Corporal Jenkins had shared with Private Shoemaker about picking up females, and specifically the disastrous consequences of the time he had tried to pick up two at the same time.
Carefully he felt out the situation "So, you both accept that Palisade would be carrying both of you, at the same time? Is that likely to cause any difficulties for you?"
Squeak ran back over Jenkins' stories, looking for anything that stood out. There was something he had not understood at the time, something about drinks. "Would he also be carrying provisions for you? Specifically hydration?"
Squeak looked to Vi for direction on how much information to share. It was unlikely that these people were shapechanged Lizardfolk, or vampires, or possessed by Demons - but even more unlikely that a Warforged would be able to work that out from their body language.
Instead he stalled "I am a chef." he declared, answering the question with its immediate answer "And as such what I am doing is that I am about to start making (dinner/breakfast/lunch). I'm afraid it's only parboiled potatoes basted in goose fat and oven baked to a crunchy golden consistency, served alongside steamed long beans and artichoke hearts in a butter sauce, a Pork loin that I had had slow cooking in a buried cauldron since yesterday and a crisp white wine. Desert was to have been meringue, but I am afraid my stores are depleted. I have been forced to jury-rig a berry compote and can only hope our chocolatier can rescue us."
He nodded "As you can see, our culinary situation is becoming dire. I don't suppose you have a pound of sugar?"
As Squeak began talking, Fendir's face contorted, and he then burst into laughter; not malicious laughter, but actual mirth. When Squeak said "...forced to jury-rig a berry compote..." Fendir began howling with laughter anew.
Despite Fendir's mirthful laughter, the screeching cries of a brightly-plumed bird nearby and the raucous chorus of the insects around them, the loud and long grumbling of Rainn's stomach was audible to everyone.
"Crunchy potatoes...pork loin...chocolatier!?.. You uh... you eat like that all the time?.."
She stared, a whisker short of drooling in public before she remembered to shut her mouth.
"Last night we had something I think Fendir called 'vine surprise'. No offence to his cooking but the only thing that surprised me was that in all truth I'd have preferred to eat my boots."
Her eyes flicked around for a moment as she quickly reviewed the scant food remaining in their packs, then she turned to Fendir.
"I recall you said at some point in the last few days, one of those times you were telling me to avoid eating some red mushroom or other, that there was a type of tree root you could boil and get sweet tasting water?"
She spun back to face Squeak, her face imploring.
"Would that do? Could you sieve out the sugar from that or something!?"
All caution and propriety had been thrown to the wind at the mention of meringue, her stare was desperate.
After recovering from his belly-aching laugh, Fendir's face resumed it's normal countenance that could be summed up, in a phrase, as a implied threat to anyone who he looked at.
[dice=Nature (to see if what Rainn suggested made any sense)]1d20+4
OOC: yes with that roll, it makes perfect sense and you can find this root easily. You could also distill 'sugar' from this liquid.
Good RPing everyone!
Not that I am in any hurry but you will eventually have to talk about gaining entrance.
Do you also want to discuss payment terms? Remember that the 'old group' was paid to recover certain artifacts but anything else was free for the taking.
Questions?
Game on!
Action 1:
Carefully he felt out the situation "So, you both accept that Palisade would be carrying both of you, at the same time? Is that likely to cause any difficulties for you?"
Bronwyn cocked her head to the side, a slight confused expression on her face. "Of course we would accept it because we were the ones to suggest it. Why would it cause difficulties for us? Palisade would be the one doing all the lifting."
Action 3:
“Get your toys to stand down and I'll put away my blade. No reason for them to die today.”
Bronwyn's eyes flashed at the same time the flame in her palm flared, "They are NOT toys, they have names."
If you could put the fire away though, that'd be grand…”
With her glare still on the man, Bronwyn snuffs out her fire with a thought as she listened to the half-elf.
Once the pair had shared their story and Vi had smoothed things over on their side, Bronwyn decided that they had come to the mutual decision to trust each other. The wizard moved around the 'forged and approached Rainn and sat down beside her on the log. She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, bringing attention to her dragonmark, "We were hired to do a job, to obtain something for our employer. We wouldn't be opposed to having some extra help. If you're interested, maybe we can come to some sort of agreement."
"Crunchy potatoes...pork loin...chocolatier!?.. You uh... you eat like that all the time?.."
Bronwyn giggled, "Yes, quite often." She beamed at Squeak, "Squeak is a culinary genius! However, there is a fifteen percent chance that he has used something in his recipes that humans can't eat. Thankfully that's where Vi, and sometimes myself, help out. He usually asks one of us before feeding us a new recipe."
OOC: Yes, Rainn is dragonmarked, but I'm not sure she has revealed that fact about her just yet. Usually dragonmarks are visible but there are always exceptions so we'll let Rainn chime in.
Game on!
"So Mei'Vi, Bronwyn, Squeak and Palisade, a pleasure to meet all of you."
"Addendum. And this is Bastion-of-Unshakable-Belief, this one's elder brother and the High Priest of the Creator-Goddess," Palisade added as the tiny head of a clockwork rodent peered curiously out from under the 'forged's chest plating, twitching his whiskers at the two newcomers before retreating back to his nest.
Bronwyn's eyes flashed at the same time the flame in her palm flared, "They are NOT toys, they have names."
Palisade cocked its head to one side, considering both views. It believed parents of many cultures were wont to give toy weapons for their offspring as gifts, and despite the material - wood most often, it believed - they were potentially lethal if used correctly. And, in one way, it and Squeak had been given to Bronwyn after their previous commander's death. So there was certain logic to the statement, enough that Palisade saw no reason to correct Fendir.
Action 1
Not for the first time, Vi stared at Squeak as if everything he'd just said was in Draconic. "I'm...not sure what you're asking?" Turning to Palisade, she said, "Okay, I guess we're trying this. Probably safest for us to get into position on you while you're kneeling, so that you don't throw us over something too sharp. Would you mind kneeling for us?"
Action 2
"Would that do? Could you sieve out the sugar from that or something!?"
All caution and propriety had been thrown to the wind at the mention of meringue, her stare was desperate.
Vi was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. Fendir's mirth was contagious, and she had a sudden clear view of how the four of them must come across as to strangers. "Yes, there are certain benefits to travelling with two strong warforged, who don't tire, eat, or carry anything for their own comfort. We eat well, it's true. The meringues, however, were slightly combustive."
Rooting through her bag, she pulled out a bag of slightly squashed truffles. Tossing them to Rainn, she said, "Something from our shop, help yourself."
Approaching Fendir, she asked, "Can you show me the roots she's talking about? We're always looking to expand our knowledge of local edibles."
"Then greetings to you too Bastion-of-Unshakable-Belief!"
She grinned as the clockwork mouse headed back inside.
Catching the bag Mei’Vi had thrown, she stared at the contents hungrily.
”Thank, thank you!”
She popped one in her mouth and was quiet for a good ten seconds before loudly exclaiming
”Squashed or not, that was the nicest thing I’ve eaten this year!”
Rainn smiled and made room as Bronwyn moved to sit down next to her. As the human woman sat down and flicked her ponytail aside to reveal her Dragonmark, she sighed.
"Even out here in the middle of the jungle…" she trailed off, biting her lip for a moment.
"ok ok, you spoke about trust and honesty and all that, I'd be a poor ally if that wasn't a constant, so here you go…"
She turned her back to Bronwyn and began hiking up her shirt.
"Even Fendir here didn’t know about this, I prefer to keep it low key if you don’t mind…"
With shirt pulled up to her shoulders, she displayed a Dragonmark of her own nestled between her shoulder blades, it's edges curling around her rib cage. The Dragonmark of Storms flickered blue and white, like lightning captured beneath her skin.
She dropped the shirt down and turned back to Bronwyn.
"So to fulfil the usual etiquette; Rainn, of House Lysandar, bearer of the Mark, pilot of air and seas, drinker of mead, currently very sore of foot and all that. Sorry, I was never one for the whole meet and greet party scene…"
She seemed to relax a bit.
"So how about you? What's a scion of House Deneith doing far from home here in Q'Barra?"
MAGIC ITEMS
One of the many things that I like about 5e is the independence from magic items with regards to power levels. The game is set up so PCs don’t need magic items to tackle challenging encounters. And although there are some number crunching involved in providing challenging encounters, it’s got a lot of art to it. The end result is that I don’t need to give every high-level guard a magic weapon to be a threat; the stats already take this into account. But I digress; back to magic items.
Although magic items are not needed, they are lots of fun and full of flavor for any campaign and this one is no exception. However, freed from the necessity of providing you with lots of magic items (the old Christmas tree conundrum), we can have magic items that are unique, have meaning, and add flavor to the story we are telling.
Throughout this campaign, you will be awarded two major magic items (I may add other minor items because this is Eberron where low-level magic is commonplace). The items to be ‘gained’ are an ‘uncommon major item’ and a ‘rare magic item’ (please refer to the tables linked on the Campaign Info tab to get an idea of the power level of these items). This is important because I want you to totally design these items. I expect the items to have a particular history and look/feel to them. I don’t want to hear ‘+1 longsword’; I want to an implacable blade, with its particular look and history behind it. You may add quirks to the items.
Feel free to customize and reskin everything with regards to the item; I’m only looking for a similar power level. I should be able to place these items to be found as treasure in the campaign where it makes most sense. Beware that you may have to take the ‘super cool weapon’ from an enemy’s cold grasp.
I’m in no hurry with this but the sooner the better so I can start thinking where these items are. Please PM me directly with your options so we surprise the other players with the items. BTW, I don’t need the full fledged item right away so it’s OK to suggest an item for approval and then flesh out its details.
Questions?
Game on!
Fendir watched the woman...Dragonmarked woman he corrected himself...talk to the other group for a moment, then considered his options. He went and knelt by a specific tree and removed a healthy handful of roots from the base before walking up to Squeak and handing them to him.
"So to fulfil the usual etiquette; Rainn, of House Lysandar, bearer of the Mark, pilot of air and seas, drinker of mead, currently very sore of foot and all that. Sorry, I was never one for the whole meet and greet party scene…"
She seemed to relax a bit.
"So how about you? What's a scion of House Deneith doing far from home here in Q'Barra?"
Bronwyn clapped her hands together as Rainn revealed herself as dragonmarked. "That's awesome! We can be like dragonmarked buddies or team dragonmarked! The temple won't know what hit it."
The wizard schooled her face as Rainn turns official. "Right, etiquette. I am Bronwyn d'Deneith, of House Deneith, bearer of the Mark, thrower of fire, attender of parties, friend to Vi, Palisade, and Squeak." She grinned, "I won't tell anyone about our lack of propriety if you don't."
"As for why I'm here, I already told you. We were hired to do a job and unfortunately it involved traveling to the heart of Q'Barra, about as far from civilization as we could be sent. I can't wait to get back to Sharn."
Do we get two each, or two between the 6 of us?
Do we get two each, or two between the 6 of us?
One major uncommon and one major rare magic item for each of you. Total of 12 items.
Reskin and flavor them. If you want a wand of fire that looks like bracelet then let’s do that. Stuff like that. Whatever strikes your fancy.
Questions?
Game on!
Squeak, still nervous, shut up and thought. Certain cryptic phrases were starting to make sense. "Remember that safety will be critical. Palisade's exostructure has overlapping metal plates, which shift as he moves. It is critical that you have protection to ensure that your skin is not caught between the plates as they move. That also means Palisade needs to be careful with the manoeuvres he executes, especially ones that involve deformation of his torso. I'm sure it goes without saying that you should definitely not insert anything into a gap in his superstructure - especially fingers - as that gap is likely temporary, and a movement on his part could have a plate slide across the gap, cut whatever it is off, and impair his manoeuvrability. Certainly Elder Brother could probably show you some of the safer places to hold on to." Squeak continued to fret "We could probably jury-rig some sort of harness that is attached to his load bearing points and gives you something more convenient to use as an attachment?"
More thoughts percolated like the coffee he'd made in his brewing machine, just before it exploded. 'Something about the importance of a winged-man? I have removed my wings, but the implication was assistance was important' "I believe I should assist in allowing you to get on?" 'what was 'it' in that sentence, anyway? The wing? How would that help? Possibly as a type of ladder?' "Perhaps I could hold Palisade's shield low so you can step on, then raise it to mid height, and you could then step to his shoulders? Once you are both mounted I will return the shield to him?"
Squeak nodded gratefully when given the roots, and absent mindledly handed over a bag of strange raising-looking things in exchange. Quickly he stowed the proferred roots in the same pocket, and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. It was a very human gesture. He knew that, as he had carefully observed and studied the result in several humans. He congratulated himself on performing the action flawlessly, though he noted the sound of shearing adamantine plates rubbing against each other with enough force to crush some rocks was significantly different to that made by fleshy beings.
"Excellent. I will crush and distil this. So long as the result passes flavour and poison testing, I can use it as flavouring for a new pastry. I've noticed finely powdered sawdust can be used as a flour substitute in an emergency, and there's an aniseed-smelling tree near the camp site I have hopes for." He paused "Is aniseed a problem?"
Filling the conversational gap, he continued to talk to the taciturn root-procurer "If necessary I have a number of boot recipes. Also some for hats. My previous unit's commander was quite keen on them, for some reason. He used to say "There's nothing like having to eat your boots to make you appreciate good food." Though the best of those recipes uses the boots as a garnish for a rat casserole, and we do not eat rats for religious reasons. Nor sentient beings. Spiders are acceptable, but only to be eaten privately." Squeaks voice drops to what might be a conspiratorial whisper "Though if you'd like some I made sure to bring a good supply"
Rainn stared at Bronwyn in astonishment, pleasure evident on her face as the human girl responded with frivolity rather than the rigid convention she was expecting
”I saw your mark and here I thought ‘Twelve Moons, run away to the jungle and I still get stuck with a snob’, I am elated that you seem rather more like me than I am used to Dragonmarked being!”
She smiled and shook her head in wonder.
”Where were you when I was growing up!? My childhood was filled with chores, rules, etiquette drills, more rules and boring boring boring!! Maybe it’s because my family was in Taer Valaestas? If that’s it then I envy you your Sharn upbringing!”
She studied the mark on Bronwyn’s neck for a moment.
”You know, I think I really would like to get to know you better”
She held Bronwyn’s gaze and smiled, before glancing down then flicking her eyes to the others
”All of you seem rather better company than I’ve experienced in a long time, I’m sure Fendir feels the same!”
She noted he was busy so didn’t wait for him to chime in.
”Now yes I’m sorry you did say why you were out here. I think I speak for both Fendir and myself when I say we’d be happy to sign on with you. Far better a chance of coming out with something of value with more of us.”
She took another truffle from the bag then passed it to Bronwyn.
”So did you want to make camp and have something to eat, maybe we can formulate a plan? We don’t know much about the place aside from the entrance unfortunately.”
Mei'Vi watched Bronwyn and Rainn bond with something akin to alarm. "I think Bronwyn may just have found her soul mate," she said to the 'forged. "We'll need to watch out for the two of them."
Her alarm deepened as she processed Squeak's words. "Aniseed is fine, because it's food. Using sawdust in a recipe would BE the emergency, Squeak. Remember, what do I keep telling you about cooking with non-food ingredients?"
”So did you want to make camp and have something to eat, maybe we can formulate a plan? We don’t know much about the place aside from the entrance unfortunately.”
Vi motioned the others over, so everybody could hear. She explained to the newcomers what they'd seen yesterday. "Two main rooms, though we didn't see the whole thing. We had to kill a few sentries, and a weird lizard/centaur creature. Found three religious types chanting, pretty sure they weren't casting, but who knows if they could. Found at least another two, and a big cat chained up inside. Also a handful at least of the little ones, known for their use of poison. So two extra bodies will definitely help."
Looking at the two newbies, she said, "We were just trying to formulate a plan when you stumbled upon us. Bronwyn's got the magic - mostly the burny kind, Palisade is our heavy hitter and our healer. Squeak has all sorts of strange concoctions he tosses about, and I do a little sneaking, a little archery, and am okay up close if I have to be. What kind of skills do you two bring to the table?"
Mei'Vi added, "To be crystal clear, we've been hired to find a sceptre, a crown and an amulet. Those go to our employer. Everything else we split evenly 6 ways." She was only slightly disappointed to have to split things 6 ways instead of 4. After all, they'd be splitting it 0 ways if they died. She still had a vision of a tomb filled to the ceiling with treasure, and a sixth share of mega riches was still riches.
"But humans eat trees." Squeak protested "They're really just a large, tough vegetable."
"Clarification:" Squeak announced following Vi's explanation. "I am primarily a maintenance class Warforged, modified for enhanced survivability and ranged combat. Palisade is a bodyguard class Warforged, modified for enhanced survivability and hand-to-hand combat. Bronwyn is a qualified wizard with a speciality in pyromancy but little combat training. Vi's qualifications are unknown but is demonstrably our best member at stealth, lying, and skill in combat. If anything she is our 'heavy hitter'. When not forced to defend herself Vi is capable of devastating blows - my estimation is she is the single most dangerous member of our group, and just yesterday she terminated a lizardman and the giant lizard-centaur. Her only weakness is that as she refuses to wear appropriate protective equipment she is vulnerable to damage. Palisade is trained in Warforged repair, I am trained repairing both 'Forged and flesh."
Squeak paused "Tactically Bronwyn is best employed as artillery, kept in a protected zone of the field. Palisade is best employed in the front line to absorb enemy damage. I am best employed at the rear, where I can absorb enemy damage and provide covering fire. Vi is best employed as a scout, acquiring intelligence and acting as a irregular reserve force."
Squeak had long pondered Vi's worries - worries all those they had fought alongside had also seemed to have. With these new companions it seemed time to put a long considered plan into action. With that, Squeak began to try for an inspiring speech. Fortunately Squeak had seen inspiring speeches given many times, and had started to make a note of the obvious pattern that had applied.
"You may also be aware that Palisade and I have orders, which are currently: ensure the continued well being of Bronwyn, and those orders will be obeyed. However, my experience has indicated that working as a team is the best way to ensure overall survivability, as well as the success of the mission. Given the capabilities expressed in the team I can state with a high degree of confidence that this mission is achievable without casualities, conditional on us working together as a team." he hesitated, then pressed on "I suggest we agree that we do not designate team members as expendable. I suggest that we view the success or failure of the mission as being of less priority than the continued existence of team members, though above that of avoiding non-permanent injury to team members. I suggest that we endeavour to ensure any team member rendered inoperable be returned for servicing! I suggest that we agree that any team member terminated during this mission be avenged by all surviving team members! These native sentients appear to worship infernal beings, but
Embarrassed at his emotional outburst, Squeak stood down.
While the robots began talking and Rainn made a new friend, Fendir decided to go patrol the area the group was currently in to make sure that neither group was followed.
"Would you mind kneeling for us?"
"Agreement. This one is capable of such an action and would not mind to demonstrate if asked to," Palisade said, nodding its head, but not moving a muscle.
Squeak continued to fret "We could probably jury-rig some sort of harness that is attached to his load bearing points and gives you something more convenient to use as an attachment?"
"Though the best of those recipes uses the boots as a garnish for a rat casserole, and we do not eat rats for religious reasons. Nor sentient beings. Spiders are acceptable, but only to be eaten privately." Squeaks voice drops to what might be a conspiratorial whisper "Though if you'd like some I made sure to bring a good supply"
Palisade nodded sagely at the not-eating-rats part, and a muffled emphatic squeak could be heard from under the confines of its body plating as Bastion voiced his emphatic agreement. "Agreement. No spiders are consumed during sleep periods without one being aware of the fact. And once we finalize the design of the wearable kill device, this one believes we can finally put that concern behind us."
"Incidentally, individual Lady d'Lyrandar, individual Fendir, if either of you happen to come into possession of a rat amenable for being trained for special duty, this one would be interested in acquiring it," the 'forged went on.
"I think Bronwyn may just have found her soul mate," she said to the 'forged. "We'll need to watch out for the two of them."
The tall 'forged looked down at the Changeling, its toneless voice and smooth face plate still somehow managing to convey puzzlement. "This one was not aware that souls can mate. Thank you for this new insight, companion Mei'Vi," Palisade said, nodding its head, pleased that it had recalled what name the many-faced rogue had used to introduce herself to these two. "Approval. Mating of souls does sound a lot less... messy... than the procreation by unqualified labor mammals seem adamant to practice. Hesitant. A query, if you would. If souls can mate, do you think unit Squeak's soul could also produce offspring?"
Moving over to where Mei'Vi had beckoned, Rainn nodded
"That sounds like a tough fight, lots of guards considering it was the first few rooms. Sounds like those items you mentioned are well protected. No matter though, I'm sure we can prevail!"
She listened as the elven woman outlined each person's specialties. She broke out ina grin as Squeak chimed in with his details too.
"That's a good idea to get an understanding of what we're each capable of. So I've got magic in my blood too, same as Bronwyn, except mine's maybe more subtle than burny. I can make our friends hit better and harder, make our foes less accurate, outline them in lights to stop them running and hiding, stop any enemy casters from doing their thing."
She pats the hilt of her rapier
"This thing is mostly for show but I can use if if I need to"
She watched as Findir wandered off.
"He gets in the thick of things too, shrugs off blows like he doesn't much care and dishes out some hurt with that rapier of his. Also he likes the whole silent thing, he's probably gone off on patrol. He usually does that when I've been talking to him too much. Which is to say, more than five words."
She listened to Squeak continue and make his motivational speech, and made sure to look inspired when he finished.
"Very well Palisade, if I am made aware of such a rodent I will ensure I bring it to your attention!"
"So returning to the temple, do we feel another front assault is in order or are we more partial to trying to sneak to start with?"
Yes. A top tier character (20th level) with 20 in the respective ability has a maximum of +11 (+6 proficiency and +5 ability).
The DCs for 5e are:
Task Difficulty DC
Very easy 5
Easy 10
Medium 15
Hard 20
Very hard 25
Nearly impossible 30
So a +9 is 'very good'.
BTW, the DMG has typical magic items as well as this site, which apparently lets you search. It doesn't seem to distinguish between minor and major magic items but you get either one (major is usually better).
Questions?
Game on!
While the robots began talking and Rainn made a new friend, Fendir decided to go patrol the area the group was currently in to make sure that neither group was followed.
There is no 'take 10' in 5e with the exception of passive checks for abilities like perception, insight, etc.
I'll roll your patrolling skill checks later today.
There's been too much talking anyways... :)
Questions?
Game on!
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
'SURPRISE ROUND'
, Squeak
, Mei'Vi
, hit
INITIATIVE
Eight they're loud! thought Fendir as he crept through the woods, time spent moving his body around the scenery, as opposed to moving the scenery around him.
And then, as he was stepping around a small shrub, he walked into a pair of hunters. Fortunately, they seemed as surprised as he was.
Unfortunately, they seemed just as prepared for a fight to start as he was.
As before, his blade appeared in his hand like magic; This time, however, he didn't even bother with stopping his attacks; instead, he allowed the BEAST to flow through him, and as before his senses hightened and time seemed to slow down as his eyes and ears became more bear like. He could feel the hair spring from his arms and chest, but it did not hurt; it felt more like hair that had been pushed down by a hat suddenly springing back to position after the hat was removed.
Calmly, almost lazily, he stabbed his blade twice at the Lizardman he had run into.
As they were stalking towards the voices, a Human came around the corner, literally walking into Hisst'a. His fur grew and he swoll up like a ripe fruit, and then in a blur his blade left his belt and entered Hisst'a's chest.
He heard arrows fire back in the direction of the camp, and a warning cry erupt. Fendir called out "“Two more on this side! Get down!” to let them know he was engaged in combat.
Calmly, almost lazily, he stabbed his blade twice at the Lizardman he had run into.
OOC: you forgot to roll...
Also I think you're shifting instead of raging but please confirm.
Game on!
"Devourer’s Teeth where did they come from!?"
Rainn glanced around, mentally checking over what she could do and how best to do it given the circumstances.
Her hand automatically went to her crossbow only for it to zoom in to focus, leant against a log on the far side of the clearing. She shouted out
"I don't suppose there's any chance we can convince you that we weren't the party or parties that may or may not have attempted to raid your sacred temple in the last day or so?"
I intend to recap later tonight.
Questions?
Game on!