Due to the hurricanes I may be slow to post or unable to. DM PC me if I don't post.
Players
I've a business trip next week, so I won't be able to make a complex posts.
Please take thee week to plan your next steps.
Thanks
Will post tomorrow. For those in hurricanes stay safe.
I don't know what the etiquette is for 9/11 but prayers for all those affected!
Short version. We scout and gather info. Ambush a patrol to capture some informants. Leave no witnesses. Figure out what to do from there. :)
Actually I think we killed like...4 orcs? Because Orcish Ferocity, they don't go down till they dead.
Or it could be only two...
There were plenty of patrols last night. When do you want to stage your ambush?
Ideally during the day with some cover from our victims as well as the fortress to keep any reinforcements from coming or noticing us. Not everyone has darkvision after all. :)
Lys would love a ridge or something to stay on the high ground if the patrol walks below her, while the rest pounce from cover.
If needed, Wulfrum would be willing to be bait. Pretend to be an unconscious mostly naked dwarf with a readied Ice Armor spell. I a round, Wulfrum can be pretty much fully equipped with weapons and armor by having a Holy Ice Warhammer suddenly appear in his hand as well.
Sadly I'd be down a bit in the ways of AC but it's a thought?
That isn't that bad, but I fear we might underestimate orcish intelligence. Or estimate it at all.
But I am for it, if only for the chance it gives Lys to crack jokes.
OK. I'll cook up another patrol tomorrow night. Let you (Lys) see it before you decide what to do. Middle of the day-ish. Sound good?
cheers
Sounds great!
I'd assume Lys is out scouting for the patrols, as the patrol scouting individual she is. Want me to make the rolls for Stealth/Survival/Perception, or do you want to do it? I honestly don't mind you rolling anything for me, as long as it works with the pacing. And isn't all 1's.
At the risk of sounding a little like a jerk. What PCs do we have left?
Well...
I'm here, Wulfy's picked up his pace recently (yay), and we have you as the team's substitute teacher reasonable man.
I've been really busy at work lately, but I'm here and ready to go!
The thread updates in bursts and not usually when I'm checking! Though I am here, just got back from Austria. I thought it would have more internet because I was an informatics conference. I don't think the venue's wifi was expecting 50+ computers doing ancestral reconstruction over the net. It quickly imploded on the morning of the 2nd day.
Bel, if you're throwing out buffs I'll take Barkskin, Shield Other, and the temporary HP hex if you don't mind!
Fair warning, Nerak is going to open with Glitterdust. So long as no one is near enough to the enemies when he does, you should be good.
Glitterdust has a long range so who is going to be with me in the back?
Lys and the archer, I would think. Me, Wulf, Bel, and the skillet dwarf (we should give him some of our excess weapons and armor) should be up with us. You glitterdust past us. Then we move up. Good?
Umlo has no armour or equipment besides the skillet. He's staying back with his sister until is equipped for battle.
Who is keeping track of party loot? What do we have?
I know we got some stuff from the druid place.
Here was the post:
You slowly prune the brambleblight and finally uproot it. Behind the dead weeds, you find a large wooden chest atop the eastern mound is locked, and any attempts to move it fail, as it is actually built into the hillside. Opening (or destroying) it reveals an empty interior, but you finally notice a false bottom in the chest. Beneath the false bottom, a warped wooden ladder descends inside the hill to a 10-foot-square chamber containing the Council of Thorns’ hidden armory. Although several of the items once stored here have decayed or rotted away, the cache still contains a +1 ironwood breastplate, Gorum’s Thorn, a +1 flaming scimitar, (10) +1 orc bane arrows, a single orc slaying arrow, a scroll of barkskin, a scroll of call lightning, a scroll of summon nature’s ally IV, a wand of flaming sphere (9 charges), a wand of greater magic fang (12 charges), an ironwood crown with a stylized thorn motif (worth 250 gp), a ceremonial gem-encrusted cudgel (worth 150 gp), 3 pp, 178 gp, 605 sp, and 2,125 cp.
After filling your boots with loot, you return to the large hall with the dead brambleblight. Then, the kind old elven woman Ewigga “guardian of the Vault of Thorns” reveals herself to be green hag druid. She ambushes Varin with a heat metal. You finally put her down with three companions unconscious and Nerak blindly throwing magic around to distract her. After recovering from your life-threatening wounds, you find the following on the hag’s carcass: goodberries (5), lesser extend metamagic rod, scroll of call lightning; +1 leather armor, ring of protection +1, holly and mistletoe, pair of faded leather baby shoes, wooden toy rattle, and 1 gp.
He could take the +1 flaming scimitar and the +1 ironwood breastplate, IIRC
I want him to beat the orcs to death with the mithral skillet....it just makes me feel so much better for no good reason.
UMLO NARGRYMKIN
Male dwarf fighter (free hand fighter) 5/rogue 2
NG Medium humanoid (dwarf)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
DEFENSE
AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+7 armor +2 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 60 (7 HD; 5d10+2d8+19)
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +1; +2 vs. poison, spells, and spelllike
abilities
Defensive Abilities defensive training, elusive +1, evasion
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.
Melee mithral skillet +10/+5 (1d6+4)
Melee +1 flaming scimitar +10/+5 (1d6+4+1d6 fire)
Special Attacks deceptive strike +1, hatred, singleton +1,
sneak attack +1d6
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +6; CMB +9 (+12 disarm); CMD 22 (26 vs. bull rush,
25 vs. disarm, 26 vs. trip)
Feats Catch Off-Guard, Cleave, Combat Expertise, Improved
Disarm, Improved Feint, Power Attack, Weapon Focus
(warhammer), Weapon Specialization (warhammer)
Equipment +1 flaming scimitar and +1 ironwood breastplate
I'll have to get to talking to him it seems. Between me and Varin (If and/or when he returns) we can probably toss him a mwk warhammer to say the least to get him up to speed proper.
Yup!
Sorry for being somewhat absent the past couple of days! I was travelling a bit.
Regarding tactics, Lys would try and stay a hundred or so feet away from the orcs and the melee, and could probably keep an eye on Nerak if someone wants to bite/falchion his face off, and help there.
I'm open to suggestions about Varin. We probably need to do something about the fact that he carries an artifact, which would really help you.
DMPC him until we get to a point where we can do something else with him.
Btw I will be casting extended haste on everyone beforehand. So increased speed for everyone. ;)
So, who wants to run Varin?
For the record, how many orcs did we catch?
Also this scene reminds me of when I played a sorcerer in another game here on the boards. Only he was diplomacy focused and turned half the bandits we fought, repeatedly. Had it not died he would have had a small army of former bandits to fight against the local bandit lord the party was going against. We had to behead the loyalist bandits but they were grade A scum so we were fine with the reluctant bandits we turned. ;)
I'm not sure how Torag feels about executing Prisoners....but Wulfrum is a bit hardened so he'll do it. Hopefully I ain't gonna have to go through a redemption Arc or I'll likely go thru a retraining Arc instead (or Wulfrum admitting he can no longer serve Torag and given his nature perhaps serve the god Trudd, Kols, or Angradd. (Honestly the biggest issue of that is that almost all Dwarven gods are LG >.<)
There were 4 orcs. Think 2 were put down with nonlethal. The other could have made some stabilization checks if I rolled. You've one awake now. The others can be alive or dead, your choice. You put them down so fast, you choose what you want.
Even the giant could be alive, but I figured you'd let him die. He's difficult to hold prisoner.
Giants are hard to handle or move without notice from a distance. So I vote the giant dead and buried, while all orcs we can get alive are alive.
@Wulfrum
Dwarf gods are cool with killing murdering orcs, prisoners doesn't make them innocent or their crimes any less grave. But I do think your god would have a problem with you torturing them, which is why you leave that to others. ;)
So anyone got any input?
Thinking maybe we can send back the orc with plans to have a meeting with this orc chief in a neutral location and hammer out a temporary alliance to take the keep from the giants and ogres. The orcs get the keep and we rid ourselves of some enemies all around.
So I get that Nerak is a thinker and all but the Orc did just say that they are part of the group that attack our home yea? That the moral was low because of the defeat at Trunau. I don't think Wulfrum could agree to even a temporary Alliance.
Unless the GM/Orc could elaborate a bit more on what the Orc said in regards to that. I think most of the characters would find that a sore spot.
@Wulfrum - I would concur with you unless it was understood that you were going to backstab the orcs and wipe them out after you were done with the fort.
These orcs killed a whole bunch of your friends.
Sorry if I was unclear. Nerak is LN, he keeps his word. But as you said he is a thinker, not stupid or naive. He fully expects a good deal of orcs to die in the fighting between them and the giant's forces. That's sort of the point, so we don't die. Also he expects they will be dumb enough to try and back stab us at some point, voiding our agreement. Which is why he is going to keep himself in good shape before any orc meetings.
He would be very surprised if they kept their word. In that very unlikely event he would not take part in any unprovoked attack on the orcs in the keep. But he does not expect the same of anyone else in the group. Also the agreement has an expiration date as it were, he is very word specific with his agreements. ;P
Hmmm... Nerak's plan is as usual, pragmatic to no end. Lys might be willing to follow it, but probably won't be happy about it. However, the enemy of my enemy is undoubtedly useful, as someone might say, and we can agree to a truce to attack the ogres on two fronts, then challenge the orcs to some sort of battle for the fort? At any rate, Lys realises that it's probably better to go with Nerak's plan for the moment, regardless of how we deal with the orcs afterwards. She be pragmatic like that.
So - One vote for Nerak's plan, and she'll be willing to accompany him to the meet.I'm thinking Varin might be against it, so he'll be staying with the rest, but I'm not sure how long me being in control is valid for.
So everyone good with Nerak's approach?
I mean, depending on how you rationalize it in character. (However, I would bring the group aside away from the Orcs and let loose your plan first before just simply telling the Orc with the plan to tell us the eventually afterwards...cause you're gonna get a lot of emotional resistance in front of your prey otherwise)
I'm down for Nerak's approach, but I also somewhat agree with Wulfy.
Its such a pain working with good characters, isn't it?
I was waiting on our MIA PCs, but posted anyways. Let the bellyaching begin you saps. xP
Apologies on my delay, this is a brief moment in which I'm not drowning in nausea. I got put on some new meds so I'm having a time adjusting to them. I'm gonna try and get something up in the next day or two. >.< Sorry I am holding things up
Get well, Wulfy! I hope everything's alright with you.
I'm still stuck in rental limbo for the past week, while working full time in a new place. I'll post now, and again, really sorry!
Actually I am wondering if Arlan and Beltzer are still with us. Anyone heard from them?
Good RP plan. Now, would you please describe how you want to implement the plan, so I can describe something for you?
You can either leave a PC or P-NPC one character. For example, Lys can Play-Non-Player Character Varin, if you want.
I have no interest in NPCing them. We'll give them some time and then write them out of the story. Maybe they'll return like Wulfrum
cheers
Hey guys! First let me apologize for my absence. I've been super busy with work/family and this got put on the back burner. I don't like to leave people in the lurch, so I'm sorry about that.
If I can be honest, my interest/motivation has been waning lately. I feel like I don't have any agency in the story. Wulfrum and I wanted to fight the orcs at the keep. This would be cinematic, fun, an interesting battle. But Nerak disagreed, and just made a unilateral decision.
My thing is, I get that Nerak has a high intelligence score. I get that. But he comes off as super condescending and dismissive. I don't know if this is how you're intending to RP him, or if it is how you feel as a player. I often can't tell. If this is you coming across as a player, well, I don't want to play with someone like that. If this is how you are choosing to RP him--could you change his character a bit?
I don't like party strife and I'm not trying to start a personal beef here. I'm just putting forth my honest read of the situation. I feel like I've been kind of relegated to being an NPC and it ruins the fun for me.
It's not personal at all Arlan. Nerak is just a logical thinker trying to keep everyone alive plus he is ulfen, their a direct people. He is stubborn but reliable, at least that's what I am going for. OOC I guess I am more active so things get pushed that way to keep things moving, not trying to steamroll you or anything. I have posted more then once that I wanted a reply from everyone before moving forward exactly for that reason. I don't mind a better plan or gruffness IC. Wulfrum doesn't hold back after all. Nerak gets plenty of dwarven acid without holding a grudge. :P
We will be getting a big fight real soon sense we are storming the keep, it's just giants instead of orcs we will be dealing with. Sense hopefully they will be giving us the keys to the place. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if the orcs turn on us once we smash the giants anyways.
PM me anytime you have a problem with or want me to adjust Nerak. It's no hassle. :)