Sorry for my dimishied posting rate; I have a new job that I need to get used to. I should post tonight.
Sorry for my dimishied posting rate; I have a new job that I need to get used to. I should post tonight.
No problem Pellius, looking forward to your post. I wonder what has become of Delkaneth and Bonegrit?
By the way dear players, are your PCs ? He asks casually . . .
Hmmm.... Seems rather sinister....
To avoid confusion for me, I'll be a righty.
Right handed. Been a busy week with more business pending. In the process of (hopefully) landing a new job, amid a vacation (lake trip) over the weekend. Hoping things calm down by Monday.
Pellius is right handed.
I will be without PC for the next 10-12 hrs so feel free to bot me to move forward if necessary.......trying to get out of the way to allow the others to fight, and if I understand the surroundings forward seems the best options...............
Thanks for the update Del. You've got 24 hours from now to post your actions for Round 2, so hopefully we won't need to DMPC you.
I'd consider trying to swap places with Pyotr using an acrobatics check the best option. Trying to move through the golem's square is much more difficult DC wise (although and provokes an AoP). Changing with Pyotr does require two rolls, but they're relatively easier. I'd also rule they wouldn't provoke AoPs. Pyotr could make his acrobatics check as a move action, 5 foot step and then attack on the same round.
I'm back and horribly sunburnt, but I'll catch up on the thread over the course of this evening and rejoin the fray tonight when able.
Hi guys,
Sorry for no post yesterday. Working out of town; there was no wifi at my university accommodation.
Rather amusingly, it had been turned off by the university authorities because exams were in progress and they wanted to restrict avenues of cheating.
Home now and working up a gameplay update, but I've got to go back to work now so it'll be up later in my evening; which is probably morning for most of you.
Contrary to the previous, mayhaps I'm being rather ambitious, my fellow adventurers. I've worked a 14 hour day, teaching classes in two different cities with a 2 hour commute in between, and having finally finished I find I can barely undo my shoelaces . . .
So maybe a gameplay update which also necessitates a map might be a somewhat beyond me. My apologies for the delay, I'll get on the case first thing in the morning.
No worries.
Yeah, we're here so take your time.
sorry, crazy weekend....but looks like not even the DM roller can get me to make a fort save!!
I look forward to how he'll relate the story of his 'brave battle against the carrion golem' to Karannah. Maybe she'll wash the puke out of his tunic.
@Delkaneth: Oh, yeah. Pyotr is totally the type to blurt out the truth of what happened, completely thoughtless of why Del might misrepresent the facts slightly! >;)
Tomorrow I'm working out of town again, back at last week's wifi less hotel. Last week they promised the wifi would be back on, but I've been living in Vietnam long enough to know that such statements should be greeted with skepticism.
So all in all, I think I've got about a 50-50 chance of being able to post tomorrow!
Going to be taking a trip out of state for the weekend, and will be inactive during this time. Probably gonna be out from Friday night until Monday morning.
Tomorrow I'm back to the last week's hotel, which might or might not hace reinstated its wifi. Over the weekend I'll be road tripping through rustic central Vietnam, where Internet availability is scarce but not completely absent.
I'll be doing my best to manage a post a day, but it could be difficult. It's even possible I might not be able to post anything until Monday. So, if your DM goes dark for a little, don't be concerned, but keep your eyes peeled for fresh posts.
NPC Profile:
Karannah Zirendi is the only woman amongst Callan’s cadre of caravan guards. She is commonly believed to be the most accomplished warrior of the ten after Callan himself. She’s also figured to be one of the most attractive members of the caravan, her youth (she is 21 years old), long and lively amber curls and curvaceous figure turn many heads. She’s a petite Varisian, and although lacking the typical dark hair, her chocolate brown eyes and dusky skin mark her ethnicity more clearly.
Although born in Ilsurien in Varisia, this is of little matter in the story of Karannah’s life, for her family, being your quintessential band of Varisian gypsies, moved on a couple of days after her birth. Varisia, being a wild and dangerous land, constantly presented the Zirendis with threats, and Karannah’s father Larin taught all his children to defend themselves. By the age of thirteen, Karannah had already slain her first goblin in battle.
Larin’s death of heartstop a year later ended the Zirendis footloose days together. With various elder brother and sisters all seeking to make their own way in the world, the family broke up, leaving their mother and aunt to settle in Biston. Karannah headed north, eventually travelling all the way to Kalsgard, where she began her career as a sellsword.
Her initial career didn’t go as well as planned. After winning the respect of her Ulfen compatriots in a handful of skirmishes with ice trolls and orcs, Karannah had the misfortune of going into battle against the infamous pirate Sturlik Twinshield, and engagement which resulted in her defeat and capture. Her looks saved her from execution, and she spent almost a year as Sturlik’s concubine.
When Sturlik made the fatal mistake of boarding a caravel in the Ironbound Archipelago he found it crewed with some of the finest Ulfen mercenaries, as well as Callan, Santrian and Dierik Ironcoffer, who’d been trading with Halgim’s king White Estrid for narwhal horns. Sturlik was killed by Dierik, and Karannah released from her bondage, her spirit undiminished but her prudence somewhat honed.
These past three years she served as a caravan guard for Dierik. During this time, she’s forged a close friendship with Crooked Callan, who takes a fierce paternal pride in the sharpness of both her tongue and her sword. She’s had a handful of brief romances with other members of Dierik crew, most notably a drover named Randred who left the caravan after their relationship ended, and a more casual fling with fellow guardsman Korvus.
Karannah is sassy, quick and merciless in teasing her companions, and prone to practical jokes. She’s not easily impressed by people and unmoved by posturing and arrogance. She’s quick thinking, hardworking and more than able in combat. Despite her skill in battle, she considers this a last resort and disdains needless slaughter.
School Conjuration Level Magus 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1
Components V, S
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range Short (25 ft. + 5 ft/2 levels)
Effect One orb of acid
Duration Instantaneous
Saving Throw None
Spell Resistance No
An orb of acid about 2 inches across shoots from your palm at its target, dealing 1d8 points of acid damage.
You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target.
For every two caster levels beyond 1st, your orb deals an additional 1d8 points of damage: 2d8 at 3rd level, 3d8 at 5th level, 4d8 at 7th level, and the maximum of 5d8 at 9th level or higher.
School illusion (shadow) Level bard 1, magus 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Components V
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range personal
Target one melee weapon
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw none
Spell Resistance no
A wispy shadow of the weapon the caster is holding flickers into being, drifting slightly behind the real blade.
Once per round, and only if the caster makes an attack with the targeted weapon, the bladeshade can also attack the same opponent. It makes an attack roll using the caster’s base attack bonus and inflicts half the damage of the targeted weapon. No further modifiers are applied to either attack roll or damage. Thus a 1st level magus casting bladeshade on his longsword would make an additional attack with +0 attack roll, inflicting 1d8÷2 on a hit.
A bladeshade threatens a critical hit only on a natural 20, irrespective of the crit range of the targeted weapon or any feats or special abilities possessed by the caster. The critical modifier is the same as the target weapon but the damage inflicted is halved.
A bladeshade only bypasses damage reduction or affects incorporeal creatures if the target weapon can also do so. It does not duplicate any other abilities of the target weapon.
No more than one bladeshade can be cast upon a single weapon, but the caster can cast bladeshade on multiple weapons if he chooses. The target weapon must remain in bodily contact with the caster for the duration of the spell, otherwise the bladeshade immediately ends.
My Internet connection is down I will try to go to a public place tomorrow but don't be alarmed if I disappear for a few days sorry
Today is my birthday. Show obeisance to the Dungeon Master.
Happy Boifday!
Happy B-day! So, how many candles? :)
Thanks guys. Now make some Gameplay posts you miscreants!
HAHAHAHA! That was the exact scene I had in my head when I started writing my last post! I resisted the urge to shake/slap Pellius, of course. I'm not sure he would have appreciated the "help".
Man, I haven't seen Airplane! in years. One of those movies I used to watch over and over as a kid. I'd better dig it out again, high time for a rewatch.
Time for your friendly (perhaps somewhat pedantic!) audit of character sheets.
• Bonegrit: add the hook with the strange design found in the carrion golem’s den.
• Delkaneth: all up to date
• Pellius: spellbook of Lamintar Greyfoal, beautifully worked scabbard for your longsword, 26 gold if we include the old denomination coin taken in the previous room.
• Pyotr; all up to date
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Done. Thanks for reminding and being patient. :)
Happy B-day! So, how many candles? :)
32!
Gaming Philosophy: On Leadership
Leadership and similar feats can be a thorny issue in some games, but I’m happy to accommodate it in this campaign. The problems it can cause in slowing down Gameplay aren’t really an issue within the context of PbP, but how a cohort/follower is used, played and controlled in game, as well as the associated rules, might well impact on your decision whether or not to take a Leadership related feat. As such, let me give a full outline of how I want to approach it. As always, comments, questions and opinions are welcome.
Cohort Creation: The DM will create the cohort, with plenty of input from the player with regards to race, class and abilities. We can take two options with regards to ability scores; the NPC elite ability score array, or roll 4d6 six times dropping the lowest and assign as you see fit. If you take the second option, you must accept the results of your rolls, be they bad or good.
Controlling the PC: My inclination is for the DM to roleplay the cohort; controlling their personality, loyalties and mannerisms. Of course, it would be done so in a way to be conducive to having a helpful ally and with plenty of input from the player; I’m not going to DM fiat that your cohort is a total ass to his master and everyone he encounters (unless the player thinks this would be hilarious). From my perspective, this allows an added depth and adds more roleplaying opportunities to the campaign.
With regards to loyalty, your cohort isn’t going to be some treacherous swine who steals all your gold plus the washing from the line at the first opportunity. On the other hand, they’re not necessarily going to be unquestionably loyal to you if your interests and outlook begin to diverge from theirs. However, nobody’s going to leave your service without warning – the potentially departure of your cohort would be given plenty of foreshadowing and plenty of opportunities for reparation. On the whole, your cohort should not be more trouble than he’s worth.
In combat situations, the PC will control their cohort, roll for them and maintain a character sheet. I would only intervene in the extreme case where the cohort was made to do something severely out of character.
Levelling: Your cohort will be two levels below your own, and will level up when your PC levels up. The rules for the Squire are a little different (and rather cool – single combat!) so we’ll be following those if you take the feat.
Verisimilitude: < Yay, I spelled it right first time! We’ll follow the rules so long as they don’t break verisimilitude too severely. However, I want to make sure the attraction of a cohort fits the story we’re telling. On occasion there might be a clash. For instance, if your cohort dies in the middle of the Hold of Belkzen, a replacement isn’t necessarily going to come riding over the horizon 24 hours later. However, I’ll try and find a logical way to introduce a new cohort at the earliest opportunity (slave to orcs no doubt . . .).
All in all, my philosophy seems very much in line with how Leadership is addressed in the Gamemastery Guide.
Gaming Philosophy: On Leadership
I don't know what the official rules are but these seem very reasonable.
In regards to CMD:
@ Bonegrit; in which case, you are not grappled in the least :-)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I only recalled that snippet due to an excruciatingly long tangent during a table top session involving a whir of iPads, rule books, and the like. On the bright side, it's a consideration I never fail to remember now!
so I build a scrappy little smart-a55 who's more lucky in battle than skilled, then proceed to role almost nothing but single digits. Oh, the RP possibilities...assuming he survives of course!
No run like this lasts forever. The odds always balance out in a long enough run of play. =)
I once played a dwarf ranger with 24+ STR, who never failed to roll <5 on any strength check. He completely stunk at kicking open doors or prying loose stuck objects, or anything he was supposed to be good at in the 'heavy lifting' department. After a while it stopped even being funny as a joke (to me... my friends still found it hilarious of course).
Karannah is sassy, quick and merciless in teasing her companions, and prone to practical jokes.
I know the DM will not dissapoint us so I'm looking forward to some 'jokes' coming up.
"Do you need a 'hand', Del? :)
Hey guys, just got home from 12 hours teaching. Quite shattered so no update tonight. Will do so in the morning after my 8am tutorial.
Surprise visitation by my precocious nieces incoming, very welcome news for the weekend but these two little ladies tend to keep Uncle Tadpole very busy indeed. Working on an update now, in little increments between the entertaining the princesses.