Finally, it’s worth mentioning you quite at liberty to use a hero point at this stage in the race to improve your chances of victory. This could be somewhat incautious considering it might be a while before you get another one, and there are dangerous times ahead, but it would certainly be heroic. If you are interested in burning a hero point, let me know and I’ll sketch out some ideas about how one could be used to help you.
I am curious and likely to do such. Bonegrit feels that he's forming a bond with Dierik (so far oblivious to the notion that Mr. Ironcoffer might just be using Bonegrit to further his own agenda) and is, for the moment, eager to please. That and I'm thoroughly enjoying the race, so I'd like to avoid ending it on a dud of a note, hah.
Using Hero Points in the Race
Glad you're enjoying it! A couple of ways you could use a Hero Point:
1) Burn a hero point to put you neck a neck with Arnisant's Valour (or whoever the leader is) for the final stretch. We'd then make a single Ride check each for Isabellina's Arrow and Arnisant's Valour, whoever rolled highest would be the winner.
2) Reroll one of the three 1d20 rolls used for Ride checks over the final lap. Unlike the usual rules for using a Hero point for reroll, on this occasion you can take whatever roll is higher (you're not forced to accept the result of the reroll). You could do this immediately to reroll the 4 you just got for the most recent roll, or hold on to it and use the reroll on the final straight.
I've been determining position by taking the difference between each horse's roll. The leaders are currently aligned thus with three more rolls to make: Arnisant’s Valour – 11 – Tallaset Tarn – 1 – Isabellina’s Arrow – 4 –Halamay Eclipsed.
Thus if Arnisant's Valour got 1 on his next round and Tallaset Tarn got 12 Tallaset Tarn would be ahead of Arnisant's Valour with a value of 1 between them. Hmmm, it's quite simple in practice but hard to explain in principle.
Also keep in mind that both Arnisant's Valour and Tallaset Tarn each have a single tipster reroll (see previous page of the discussion thread) still to use somewhere in the lap.
Finally, if you can think of another way a hero point could be used, feel free to suggest it.
Decisions, decisions. Tempted to hold onto the reroll, in case of a fumble, but unless I'm looking at it wrong, I'm 12 behind. Currently strongly leaning towards going with option 1 and hoping the dice prevail.
I'm open to creative suggestions from the rest of the group as well!
You might consider using it to force a reroll on Arnisant's Valour, if that's permissable.
I'm not sure if that's an option, or if it is, if it's a better option... But, it's a little more reactive, so you can see where you stand before making the decision.
Although I'm not against forcing a reroll on Arnisant's Valour, it would delay the big finish a little and perhaps deflate the excitement (I'd need to make my roll then wait for Bonegrit to decide if he wanted it rerolled before we could conclude who the winner is).
One option to consider is denying both Tallaset Tarn and Arnisant's Valour the opportunity for their tipster reroll at the cost of a hero point.
Bonegrit - you are indeed 12 behind. I've yet to roll for the other competitors for this lap, so there are 3d20 + modifiers worth of points to hand per horse - a lot of room for variation.
I'll see how things shake up in the last two-thirds of the 6th lap. I'm thinking an even playing field with Arnisant's Valour is still the most attractive current option, though.
Kills the odds on the Tarn, and my 5 gp bet, though!
But, it does basically make it a coin-flip for the win...
At the moment, you are at -12. You need good rolls AND you need AV to get some bad rolls. If he gets a 31 before bonuses on his next two rolls, you can't catch him at all in the home stretch (if my math is right).
I just made the rolls for the first two thirds of the final lap. Feel free to check them out. I haven't factored in what effect Bonegrit's menace attempt might have of Tallaset Tarn (if any), so position's might change.
Standings after these roll now read thus:
Arnisant’s Valour – 27 – Tallaset Tarn – 6 – Isabellina’s Arrow – 3 – Halamay Eclipsed
Arnisant's Valour rolled really well, so the hero point to put Isabellina's Arrow neck a neck with him for the final stretch is probably the most useful option. Arnisant's Valour hasn't used his last reroll attempt, but I wouldn't let that be an option for the last stretch. It would be a straight contest of dice, Bonegrit's 1d20 + 9 versus his opponent's 1d20 + 10.
Revision to the standings following Bonegrit's successful menace against Tallaset Tarn.
Arnisant's Valour - 27 - Isabellina's Arrow - 1 - Tallaset Tarn - 3 Halamay Eclipsed
Wooo this is going to be close!
Just to be clear, Pyotr is not moving through the crowd. He merely hoisted the man up so he could see over the crowd.
After reading my post, it seemed like it might be a bit ambiguous.
All aboard the Pyotr Piggyback Express! Chugga chugga, woo woo!
The winner has been announced over on the Gameplay thread. The excitement is all too much for your DM, who's going out for some lunch now.
I don't want to drag the excitement too much into the realm of awesomeness but HOT DAMN!
If any of ya'll are into the whole southern rock scene, I suggest you give these boys a listen. My friend/brother (the one that has passed from this world, sadly) and I loved these boys like they were kin (including passin' out on their furniture and wrestling their grill :P); if you enjoy what you hear, feel free to express said enjoyment by spreading the word ;>
Woohoo! Way to go Bonegrit!
And I'm off to work.
southern rock
Fifth on the Floor, really enjoyed that. Listened to the acoustic song and some of the recorded stuff too, right up my alley. There was some nice mandolin on one of the tunes; my wife's just started learning how to play, so that was cool.
Anyway, back to writing up the next campaign post!
Nice! The upset of the century! It's too bad Dunagan isn't a betting man or I would have bet on ya ;) Now what were those odds...
Based on the results of the race, here’s how the characters fared on their various flutters. Of course, nobody’s collected yet.
Delkaneth’s bets
o Three silver pieces on Isabellina’s Arrow at odds of 5-1. Fifteen silver pieces won.
o One silver piece on Peculiar Pasara at odds of 100-1. Lost.
Pyotr’s bet
o Five gold pieces on Tallaset Tarn at odds of 12-1. Tallaset Tarn came third, so Pyotr’s money is returned to him at no loss.
Pellius’ bet
o Three silver pieces on Samair at odds of 10-1. Lost.
In the Hands of the Orcs
Two months ago a contingent of orcs overwhelmed Pellius’ small scouting patrol. Several of his companions were slain, and several others captured, including Pellius’ brother. The scouts captured by the orcs are detailed below:
• Tharxes Fullona; ranger and brother to Pellius
• Captain Fymon Vekkatur, male human cleric of Erastil and leader of the patrol
• Seori Merles, male half-elf, the best archer in the unit.
• Jethia Malthuney, female human scout, often swore she’d slit her own throat before she let an orc's filthy hands on her, she was overcome too quickly to make good on her promise.
• Adrotha Riekahn, male human scout. Sorely injured at the time of his capture, it’s unlikely the orcs kept him alive.
• Alent Turnjack, male human scout. Also badly injured before being captured, though his wounds were not as grievous as Adrotha’s.
In the Hands of the Orcs
Sorry guys, I've been super busy lately. Things should calm down starting Thursday. I'll try to keep up as best I can though.
Sorry guys, I've been super busy lately. Things should calm down starting Thursday. I'll try to keep up as best I can though.
No worries Master Dwarf. You've been a little on the side lines of late, for which I apologize.
Yeah, I'm good. Just waiting to see what Bonegrit decides to do.
Poor maiden... all excited to be up on center stage... and what does she get? A dashing halfling jockey and his horse's wealthy owner? No! Just a big ol' half-orc with a scurrilous, greedy ex-knight... and pummeled with rotten fruit on top of that (maybe...)!
=)
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Hey guys,
Here's Pellius tale of when his unit was ambushed and his brother (and others) were captured.
Thanks DM Tadpole for the editing.
Day 6, Month of Pharast, Year 4711
Foothills of the Mindspin Mountains, Hold of Belkzen
They had seen what they came here to see, a rather large orc camp getting ready for war. They counted over 60 campfires spluttering in the chilling rain. More orcs had joined their encampment over the two soaking days that they’d watched. They were amongst the higher ridges of the foothills of the Mindspin Mountains, a few miles west of the headwaters of the River Esk. Unfortunately, the rumors proved to be true; an unknown tribe was gathering for war. They’d heard slow, double beat of their war drums echoing incessantly among the peaks, and seen them waving their black-bladed axes in exaltation of their chieftain.
With the first part of the mission complete, the scouting unit now prepared to return and inform their commanders. One more night on these freezing paths and they could start heading back to more civilized surroundings.
Pellius was on watch on the lower part of the trail, another sentry guarding the higher stretch while the rest of the unit slept - as best one could sleep in the orc country, far from reinforcements and with the icy rain wetting your blankets and clothes. The sun was already peeking over the horizon when Pellius heard the noise at camp. He leapt onto his chestnut horse and galloped back at breakneck speed. The scene to which he arrived was straight from the scout’s nightmare.
There were orcs everywhere it seemed; two or three for every soldier. The magus did his best fighting on foot; without a thought he quickly dismounted. He was received by a short, stocky brute who seemed almost as wide as he was tall. The orc matched the magus’ skill with the sword with its own weapon; a long, thick spear. What little he could see of the rest of the unit was not encouraging. Men and women were down and what was worse was that the orcs appeared intent on knocking them out with clubs - taking prisoners rather than scalps.
That was the undoing of Pellius’ foe as it reversed its grip and attempted to hit the magus over the back of his head. Pellius shifted his stance and pierced the orc, burying his longsword almost to the hilt. A quick boot to the orc’s torso and the magus twisted the blade free. Just in time, for he was surrounded by three other monsters; a fight the magus was unlikely to survive.
Not unless he evened the odds.
But the orcs were too close and he needed space to work his magic. With everyone either captured or fighting similar odds, space was not on offer. The magus concentrated and willed forth his power. Already his left hand was sparkling with multicolored hues . . . but the power wasn’t there when one of the orcs, wielding a serrated-edged knife, attacked.
The magus needed this spell. He gritted his teeth and moved just enough to avoid a dagger in his eye and still complete the arcane gestures. The knife missed the eye but cut a nasty gash across Pellius’ face. But it didn’t matter anymore as the magus’ hand exploded in a myriad of colors. Two orcs went down as if hit by a log and the third one grabbed his eyes and stumbled about blindly. Pellius knew that trick wouldn’t be his to try again - so he ran to his chestnut steed and jumped on.
Some in the unit were already tied up and the magus stood on the stirrups looking for his brother Tharxes to no avail. The orcs had blocked both trails and were cornering the magus on his horse. He rode hard at them and struck one down with his sword but two others almost pulled him off his horse. Some hard jumping and even harder hooves by his chestnut Signior saved the scout. With the left side of his face bleeding profusely, obscuring his sight, and severely outnumbered, it seemed that there was no place for the magus to escape.
Four more orcs with spears herded the magus to the cliff’s edge. He slowly pulled out the scroll from the ivory case and prayed to Iomedae that the spell was indeed as powerful as touted. He turned Signior around and spurred him hard to the edge of the cliff and the horse, nose flaring in terror and neighing its complaints, lowered its mighty head and obeyed.
With one mighty leap, the horse charged into the void!
A rush of air threatened to dismount the magus as he read the familiar arcane words. In an instant their fall was arrested, and both horse and rider slowly floated to the lower slopes of the ridge, far below the rampaging orcs above.
The rest of the day was a blur to the scout. He rode as hard as he dared, following the course of the River Esk until he found a patrol of Vigilant cavalry a few miles north of the Front. Their captain, a Gorumite priest, healed him and listened to his report. A few days later, it was a lonely scout that made it back to Vigil; his mind already making plans to rescue his brother and whoever else remained of the scouting unit.
DM Philosophy: How We Run Combat
Hi All,
Until now, things have been relatively roleplay heavy, and your PCs lives have not yet been endangered. Inevitably though, there’ll come a time when blades must be drawn and spells cast.
I’d like to talk a little about how we’ll run combats, and of course get any suggestions from my good players.
Maps
For the majority of combats (but not all), I’ll provide a gridded battle map of the lay of the land for reference. I’ll try and update this every round.
Initiative.
DM rolls initiative for all in order to keep things moving nicely. I know some PbPs use grouped initiative, but I’d prefer to avoid this, as it devalues abilities that modify initiative rolls.
One thing I have considered is making a single initiative roll for each combat, and then sticking with this initiative order for the entire order (rather than rerolling at the start of each round). This makes it easier to get into a rhythm of posting for all the players, as there turn will come around at roughly the same point each time. However, it does also devalue abilities that modify initiative, but not as significantly as grouped initiative rules.
Taking Your Turn.
I think it’s important to try and keep combat moving as swiftly as possible. First of all I’ll be enforcing a 24 hour window in which to take your turn. If you haven’t posted in this window then I’ll ‘bot’* your PC. In such situations your PC will behave appropriate to the situation. He’ll contribute to combat as best he can, although I’ll try to avoid using any ‘big powers’ whilst the PC is out of the player’s hands. However, I’ll endeavour to make the PCs contribution to the fight a little more constructive than ‘fighting defensively’. I’ll also try to avoid putting your PC in a position where they’re at significant risk.
Players can help the situation by making ‘predictive posts’ prior to their turn. Of course, if the battlefield situation changes dramatically between a ‘predictive post’ and the PC’s actual turn, I’ll try and give players a chance to amend their actions.
Retconning
Retconning leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I want to avoid it if at all possible.
That being said, in a game like Pathfinder, there are always many variables to take into account, especially as your characters increase in level, and it’s easy to miss things.
With this in mind, please keep reminding the DM about effects your PCs have that he should take into account. Repeated reminders are encouraged, as your DM has the mental faculties of a goldfish.
When mistakes get made (especially minor ones, such as not factoring an extra modifier) I prefer to balance it by giving a subsequent bonus. For example, if we forget about a PC’s +1 divine bonus to his AC on round 1, on round 2 he’ll get a +2 AC bonus to accommodate the mistake. Of course, sometimes this won’t be appropriate, so we’ll work out what to do on a case by case basis.
Description
I’ll probably keep things fairly mechanical for ease of understanding on the intervening posts, then write a more descriptive summary at the end of each round.
*Ugh. My old school DNA dislikes that term.
Initiative.
DM rolls initiative for all in order to keep things moving nicely. I know some PbPs use grouped initiative, but I’d prefer to avoid this, as it devalues abilities that modify initiative rolls.
One thing I have considered is making a single initiative roll for each combat, and then sticking with this initiative order for the entire order (rather than rerolling at the start of each round). This makes it easier to get into a rhythm of posting for all the players, as there turn will come around at roughly the same point each time. However, it does also devalue abilities that modify initiative, but not as significantly as grouped initiative rules.
Why would you roll initiative every round? The normal way is to roll it once at the beginning of combat and stick with that result. There are actions that may modify this (ready/hold an action for example) but there are no 'rerolls'.
I also think individual rather than group initiative is more appropriate.
With regards to speed, be aware that if each five of us takes their 'allotted' 24 hours, one round of combat can take 5 days. Let's hope this isn't the case and we are all on our toes when combat arises.
Another way of doing it is that once you 'resolve' what happened in round x and post results and an updated map, we have 24 hours to post our 'intended actions'. Once that's done, the GM 'figures out' what really happened and posts results and an updated map. The figuring out part is because maybe I wanted to hit orc 1 but when it comes my turn on initiative, orc 1 has been killed by another player leaving me with no target. That could be mitigated by me posting a 'contingency action' (i.e., in case orc 1 is not 'available' then Pellius will target orc 3).
Just something to think about.
Rolling initiative every round is fairly cumbersome at a tabletop. I expect it would be very difficult in a pbp.
I one pbp game I played in, the DM ran initiative in blocks. For example, let's say Pellius and Delkaneth rolled an 18 and 16, the bad guys rolled a 12, and Dunagan, Bonegrit, and I rolled an 8, 6, and 5. Instead of a strict order, it would be blocks:
1. Pellius and Delkaneth
2. bad guys
3. Dunagan, Bonegrit, and Pyotr
You posted at any point in your block, but not necessarily in any order. That way, Delkaneth isn't waiting for Pellius to post before he goes. He posts his action, and if he posts first, he goes first this round. Dunagan, Bonegrit, and I wait until after DM posts the bad guys round, and then we post in order of first come. Then it's Pellius/Delkaneth block again.
The benefit to this format is that it moves a little more quickly, and minimizes delays.
The down side is somewhat similar to what you find in the grouped initiative approach.
Why would you roll initiative every round? The normal way is to roll it once at the beginning of combat and stick with that result.
There I am demonstrating my ignorance again. I'd say I've played with about a 50-50 mix of groups rolling each round and groups rolling a single time. I always assumed the round-by-round procedure was the 'proper' way, but never bothered to look it up.
we have 24 hours to post our 'intended actions'.
This is also something I have considered. My only worry is that someone else's actions prior to your turn can so significantly change the flow of the battle your chosen course of action might not be relevant by the time your turn actually arrives. Of course, contingencies do mitigate this. It could also be argued that Pellius' method accurately reflects the confusion of combat - a character's split-second (or maybe six second) choices and actions might not always be the wisest.
Still I think this idea has merit, and I'd like to hear the opinions of the other players.
That being said, everyone's proven very diligent posting so far, so realistically I don't think a single round would take five days, especially if people make 'predictive' posts with as many contingencies as they can think of.
initiative in blocks
Actually, I quite like this idea. Again, I'd like to hear what everyone thinks.
we have 24 hours to post our 'intended actions'.This is also something I have considered. My only worry is that someone else's actions prior to your turn can so significantly change the flow of the battle your chosen course of action might not be relevant by the time your turn actually arrives. Of course, contingencies do mitigate this. It could also be argued that Pellius' method accurately reflects the confusion of combat - a character's split-second (or maybe six second) choices and actions might not always be the wisest.
Still I think this idea has merit, and I'd like to hear the opinions of the other players.
Believe it or not, I run combat in my PBEMs with players stating 2 rounds of 'intended actions'. There are times when things need to be changed that weren't even in the contingency plans but the DM does his best to 'do what the PC would do' under the new circumstances. There has to be a lot of trust on the DM but if you don't trust the DM you are screwed because if the DM really wanted he could mess with you and you wouldn't even know it. :)
There are a few times when I'll switch to round-by-round when something significant or unforeseen occurs but this doesn't happen that often.
Of course I'm biased but I think it works really well and does wonders to speed up combat (i.e., 2 complete rounds every 48-72 hours). Let me know if you want to see some 'real examples'.
On the issue of trusting the DM, I'm all for the DM rolling dice for us. Initiative is a good one but skill checks like perception (others?) and definitely saving throws. If I'm hit by a ghoul go ahead and roll to see if I'm paralyzed and tell me all at once. If you wait for my saving throw, maybe 24-48 hours go by.
Again just my thoughts. I'll play the way we all agree to but I'm just presenting options.
Off to work. I'll have more about combat and Pyotr's position in the caravan tonight.
I'm not sure whether you're telling me this above . . . or whether these are merely supposed to be Del's actions for Moonday (in which case they can go in the Gameplay thread) - sorry!
Ok, DM Tadpole well and truely signing off for the night!
Pellius typical schedule will consist of:
early morning: prayers
early morning: memorize spells
morning:unless assigned to a specific location, he will be on his horse getting to know the different soldiers/guards
afternoon: if possible some sort of break (an hour or two) to study/practice magic inside some wagon (not sure where yet)
afternoon: unless assigned to a specific location, he will be on his horse getting to know the different soldiers/guards
evening: tend to horse
late night: prayers
This is a 'preliminary' schedule for the first couple of days because I'm sure it will change once we start interacting with other PCs and NPCs.
Is this what you are looking for?
I'm for whatever the consensus of the group is for with regards to combat. I'm not too picky. Dunagan is built more for support than anything else, so most of his actions will be pro-active rather than reactive. It's kind of funny that no one said that they wanted to hang out around the Dwarf Cleric for some awesome buffing... so far =)
Default Position
Dunagan will hang around the middle of the caravan.
Like he has done in previous days, he will wake early and pray to Torag.
Bonegrit spends his mornings helping tend to the animals, getting them situated quickly with their respective wagons/carts, and wolfing down some sort of breakfast.
Bonegrit's default location will be at the head of the caravan and to the right, presumably scouting, checking for tracks, figuring out any necessary detours, etc.
Bonegrit's default behavior is to keep a wary eye towards the horizon from atop Amiro.
Excess downtime will likely be spent assisting Deramil or trying to continue adding to his rapport with Dierik.
Pyotr is very much still getting his legs under him. So, to start out, his default location will be near the rear of the caravan, near the meal wagon or Ironcoffer's wagon. He will likely not move about too much during the first leg of the journey, though he will certainly move quickly to engage a threat to one of his companions.
During breaks or down times, Pyotr is a dedicated student of warcraft and will train with anyone willing. However, he's not accustomed to being overly sociable and so may not be the first to engage someone. Though, if he feels comfortable with someone, he will not hesitate.
During travel times, Pyotr will likely ply anyone knowledgeable (or anyone listening) with questions about the geography, landmarks, nearby towns, water sources, history, threats to the region, local happenstance, Ironcoffer, Santrian, Deramil, Zriorinta, the cargo, etc., etc., etc. He has been given a task (by the Precentor Martial of Scouting), and in his own very, VERY unsubtle way, he intends to perform it.
At night, he will bed down at the outside edge of the camp. Usually, this will be on the side closest to Belkzen, so that he is nearest to any perceived threat (even just figuratively).
Ugh... that was hard to write. I love dogs!
But, thinking back over Pyotr's history... he's not going to like them much...
As I was reading your post I started scrambling to look for something I missed earlier. You made it sound as if some horrible beast was upon us, lol. Oh man, good times. But poor Shambles....
Haha! Glad I was able to convey Pyotr's unease. I'm not sure how far I'll carry this. For Pyotr, as a child, the sounds of dogs meant he was about to be driven off (if he was lucky), or hunted down like an animal. It meant more wandering, more starvation, more danger.
Still... it didn't feel good to type. I'm going to go rub my puppy's belly until I feel better. =)
DM on deck!
First off, thanks some great posts on the Gameplay thread and filling me in with your caravan defaults. And now, to business!
Initiative Thoughts – On the subject of initiative, two different ideas came up.
• Grouped Initiative as suggested by Pyotr
• 24 hour window to post intended actions for the round. The DM takes all these, works out what happened and posts a summary as suggested by Pellius
• Running things more or less as RAW (with a single initiative roll at the start of combat) as suggested by err . . . me.
Of course, if we try something and it doesn’t work as well as we’d like, we can always change later.
Default locations & schedules – In retrospect, it occurred to that I was perhaps a little premature in asking for this. You’ve all done admirably nonetheless, and of course we can adjust defaults as the PCs get a better understanding of the caravan and how it operates. Being mobile, moving around the caravan and not sticking to one place is a perfectly reasonable answer to this question; I hope I didn’t make anyone feel they had to tie their PC to a certain point.
•
•
Carillon - Pyotr, I’m curious to know if carillon was a word in your vocabulary prior to this campaign. I ask because in developing ‘Follow the Flood Road’ I’ve discovered loads of fun new words, and carillon was one of those!
The Victor’s Purse – Sadly, the victor’s purse did indeed go to Dierik as the man who paid to enter Isabellina’s Arrow in the Stakes. Though as thanks Dierik has dispensed the debt Bonegrit owed him in purchasing Amiro.
Scent – Bonegrit, thanks for the reminder, and keep reminding me!
Hunting game – Bonegrit mentioned keeping an eye out for game as the caravan travelled. On a day to day basis, this can be done using a Survival check, although a Perception check like the one Bonegrit made in the Gameplay thread might be rewarded with the sight of a potential meal (in which case the subsequent action will be played out in the Gameplay thread).
The base DCs to find enough food and water to support a single person for a day are as follows.
• DC 10; moving half speed, (unfortunately the caravan travels too fast to use this DC).
• DC 18; hunting whilst keeping pace with the caravan. The speed of the caravan plus the disturbance it causes to game in the vicinity making it a difficult task.
• DC 15; hunting at the speed of the caravan, but roving further afield (often out of earshot and sight of the caravan). More game, but inherently dangerous in orc country.
The above DCs assume you’re using some kind of long range missile weapon (such as a crossbow or bow). Other weapons necessitate getting closer, and thus higher DCs. A hunting attempt uses 1d4-2 arrows or bolts (with a result of 0 or -1 meaning you recovered all ammunition used). For every two points you exceed your target DC, you bag enough game to feed another person.
The rest of the caravan crew also hunt when given an opportunity.
Training Cornalium: assume Bonegrit’s helping Dunagan and Cornalium for a few hours every day. After three weeks, make a DC 21 Handle Animal check to indicate success . The slightly higher DC reflects Cornalium’s Earned Trust trait, which will slow things down initially.
Cynophobia! – Another new word for me. Fear of dogs!
Some favourite RP moments so far:
Cynophobia is a new one for me, as well! (My sympathies to anyone who suffers!)
But, carillon is a word I know. Though, I only really have ever heard it referring to Church bells.
Initiative/Combat: I would like to try the more narrative version suggested by Pellius. It seems like it would allow for the least delay, and the most cinematic, descriptive style of combat.
The Bellfounder's Gift: That little bell has some character ideas swirling around in my head! I usually prefer to let the story and circumstance dictate how my character develops. It's too early to lock in on any long term decisions right now, but the ideas are forming... =)
Initiative/Combat: I agree that Pellius' narrative version would be the quickest and perhaps best way to go about things.
Training Cornalium: I can't help but feel a bit slighted by the ruling. Cornalium's trait doesn't mention penalties to handle animal. If anything, his breed is easily trained. But, then again, for role playing purposes it would make sense... Unless he simply has a character flaw that makes him too prideful to be rode by just anyone, but will take on lessons easy enough as he sees those training him as simply tending to him.
Initiative/combat I think we have the perfect DM to make the 'intended action/narrative combat style' shine.
I do feel that it is a bit unfair, and it's why I said something. I think we both agree that it fits with regards to roleplaying and that it is a minor penalty, but I think I am more stuck on the principle of the change rather than the change itself. I probably feel that it is unfair because it is the first time I have seen you alter something so permanently in favor of roleplay.
I understand that DCs can increase or decrease for a variety of reasons (lighting conditions, rushing, etc) during a short period but this ruling appears to be a permanent. The horse would never benefit from the +1 to handle animal checks unless it has been rode by the trainer for a week. I feel that it should have been written out that handle animal was similarly affected along with the ride skill.
Take a look at it like this: Isabellina’s Arrow has been roleplayed as a massive horse (the horse could have a written penalty that lowers its acrobatics check or something of that sort). Suddenly, during mid combat, it is ruled that everyone trying to hit the horse has a +1 to their attack because the horse is larger than most. This effectively lowers the horse's AC permanently, because this ruling now stands.
I could see my opinion of 'fairness' change if roleplay provided for positive effects down the road. I am actually in favor of roleplaying trumping rules sometimes, but it has to be a two way street for me (as in positive and negative effects). Then again, I am only a supporter of these roleplaying rulings if they are situational and not permanent even though their effects could have permanent consequences.
All that being said, and understand that I have an innate need to thoroughly explain myself, this is a really minor issue and I don't want to cause trouble. I just wanted to let you know how I feel. You are welcome to take it how you will. I am really enjoying the game and would hate to mess anything up over this. I have no hard feelings, I just wanted to keep an open line of communication and provide you honest feedback.
I think I'd have to see the narrative style of initiative in action to get a good grasp on it, if you could point me in the direction of any pbp that makes use of it. I think I may prefer the style, but I want to be sure that I'm imagining it correctly.
Would it basically break down as...
Just want to make sure that the whole concept of Initiative isn't getting lost in the shuffle, I guess. I'm all for more narrative control in games, but typically prefer the game to be geared towards it in the first place before I sign off on it. If the entire concept of Initiative bonuses got abandoned wholesale in favor of "who wrote themselves the fastest for the round," for instance, I doubt I would be willing to run under that method where Pathfinder is concerned.
So, for the time being, my answer is a tentative RAW. If my breakdown above is correct, however, I support Pellius' suggestion.
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Bonegrit Scouting Experience 8000: Bonegrit will probably go as far ahead as he can while keeping the caravan within earshot of his whistling arrows. The arrows can be heard from 500 ft. away (plus the distance the arrow travels after being fired), so I would put him somewhere between 600 to 700 feet of the caravan at worst.
I should also mention that Bonegrit will likely be spending some nights hunting game as the caravan is settling in to make camp. He won't do it too often, 'cause he doesn't want to be miserably tired all the time, but he realizes that hunting with a mobile caravan makes things more difficult than they would be otherwise.
As per standard combat-training, it'll be three weeks work with a DC 20 Handle Animal check at the end.
And glad to know you're enjoying the campaign (me too on that front!).
I think I'd have to see the narrative style of initiative in action to get a good grasp on it, if you could point me in the direction of any pbp that makes use of it. I think I may prefer the style, but I want to be sure that I'm imagining it correctly.
Would it basically break down as...
All players state their intended actions.
DM arrays actions according to their initiative order.
Entire round breakdown in one post. Just want to make sure that the whole concept of Initiative isn't getting lost in the shuffle, I guess. I'm all for more narrative control in games, but typically prefer the game to be geared towards it in the first place before I sign off on it. If the entire concept of Initiative bonuses got abandoned wholesale in favor of "who wrote themselves the fastest for the round," for instance, I doubt I would be willing to run under that method where Pathfinder is concerned.
So, for the time being, my answer is a tentative RAW. If my breakdown above is correct, however, I support Pellius' suggestion.
The way you describe it is the way it plays out. I can't point you to any PbP that does this because I don't know any. However, you can read a turn recap in the PBEMs I'm hosting for a sample (url in profile). Of course, the turn recap gives you the finished product so you won't read the 'intended actions' posted by the players. This is by design so all you do read is the 'story'. However, if you want to read 'intended actions' and see how those are translated to 'story', please let me know and I'll put something together do you to read.
In this system, there is no prize for writing first; as long as you write within the allotted timeframe, actions are resolved in initiative order.
Let me know if you have other questions.