Hey everyone,
I will be running a Skull & Shackles PBEM and posted an add here. Take a look and let me know if you are interested.
Happy gaming!
Currently acting under the assumption that Rannveig was close enough to catch what just happened. Hope I'm not wrong, 'cause otherwise that last post made just about no sense.
Ylva's got 50 feet of movement, so she at least is certainly fast enough to get into the street and start to close in on the doll, but I'm not sure how much time/movement it takes either of them to navigate through the crowded room.
Dimitrio - neat. I've been looking to play me some piratical nonsense, and you've got some cool ideas there. I'll throw my hat in.
Dimitrio I've never PBEM before and it's tempting; however, I already play a S&S game in RL. Plus, I'm getting ready to run a PbP Razor Coast game soon, so I may be on pirate overload. Thanks for offering.
I'm also in a S&S game, though a second one might be fun.
My bad on the initiative. It's just my dex, and can now be found underneath my name and in the defenses section of my profile.
I also appear to have forgotten: have we discussed how we're handling initiative? That is, taking our turns in combat. Are we doing it in blocks, or waiting for each character?
The doll has (probably) effectively gotten away, but it served it's purpose. It's very easy for the party to completely miss the hamper and go forward completely unaware of the dolls, so you guys did well. It gave you the next clue on who/what you may be facing so you can prepare. Olivia will run ahead of the group, but you can easily discuss along the way how you want to approach this.
I'll roll the initiative and then everyone will post actions, not necessarily in order due to time constraints. Then I'll probably spin a narrative to describe the round and wash/rinse/repeat. If play is held up more than 24 hours waiting for someone to take an action, that is when I'd prefer your preferred alternate dictate your actions. (read: not me, please)
And do correct me when I make a combat mistake, it's fairly likely and I promise I won't feel challenged or offended. I know I'm still learning, so I'm happy to take notes. I'm trying to look things up, but I will likely miss a stitch here and there.
We're getting to the meat of it now! ^_^
GM drop me the email and I will work to get it up by late afternoon.
As far as the best tool, IMHO, which is relatively easy to use for map making and modification maptools is the way to go. The tutorials are great. I spent one weekend tinkering with it about a year ago. I think Boote just did the smae thing for the game he runs.
Best of all, it's super easy to import other free maps from dunjinni to use in your game too. 80% of the maps that I use in my games were created by other people, I do a few tweaks and run with it.
I have to agree, after being a bit nervous about the learning curve, I finally dove in and figured it out. For me the best part is that you can get as complicated as you want to get, or keep the maps simple, and I prefer simple
I tend to focus my energy and time on gaming rather than creating maps, which is why the free user creations over on dunjinni are awesome. Just make sure you put the little logo on the map (maptools or dunjinni has an icon for it) to give the credit.
Ok, I just sent the map. My sleep schedule is a bit off kilter at the moment, sowwy!
I would unfortunately need a free program to play with and learn, at least until Jully when some funds should come in. I'm capturing the maps from PDF and just working with them in MS paint thus far. The biggest thing I would need to figure out first is how to work with player icons/markers. Do you just keep up with one background image and make a new map for every turn as they move around? That seems terribly time consuming, surely there is an easier way?
rptools.net/
That is the maptools link. It is free. They have a fog of war that you reveal next section of the map as you go. You don't have to redo maps at all. It is simply moving the tokens on the map each time you want to post. All you do is export your map each time. I export the map to my desktop then drag it to dropbox. Once in the dropbox you copy the public link and paste it on [url=insect link] name the map. then close the bracket.
Dropbox the bases subscription is free. I probably have 2000 maps or more, in my games and I'm no where near hitting my skybox base limit.
I'm going on a short vacation for a couple days, I should be able to check in late afternoon over the next few days. If not, play my character:
here are some guidelines:
1. He will pursue the toymaker as his top priority.
2. Heal or buff party.
3. He wants to investigate and inquire about the constable, something fishy there.
Heavy mace is his weapon of choice. He currently has divine favor going for a minute, +1 luck bonus on attack and damage rolls. This stacks with the moral bonus that the bard gave us for inspiring courage.
A few things: First up, I believe that Rannveig and Ylva do go separately, technically, but it's almost always easier to have them just both go when Rannveig does. Up to you.
Second, Ylva's trip attempt is only on a hit with her bite. Sorry, should have mentioned that - it's a wolf ability on a successful hit.
Finally, I'd like to know what Giuseppe manages to accomplish on his turn before I decide Rannveig's action. She's inclined to go after him if he's still in the room come her turn, while Ylva stays in position to keep attacking dolls. On the other hand, if he's already managed his escape, then she'll move to help finish the dolls before chasing him down.
Ok, thanks for clarifying. I'll remember about the trip next time and make a correction on the game thread.
I'm going to have a lovely day of prep and then tomorrow will be going through the most infamous of medical procedures, so I may be out of touch until evening. >_<
I'll go ahead and foreshadow a bit more since it was helpful last time. This is your first true encounter and it's not meant to be the final battle. These Carrionettes are another unholy marriage of the original 2nd ed creatures and a "close-enuf" critter from the Pathfinder bestiary and the result is actually higher CR than I'd expected. (So be careful not to underestimate these things... If Donovan doesn't save, he'll be down to 6hp after 1 round!) The original mod says to send wave after wave of these things at you in the theatre to ensure that Giuseppe and Figlio get away here, but since 6 may already be too many, I don't think I want to play it that way. So if you guys can successfully defeat all 6 Carrionettes and capture Giuseppe, you'll have a hostage to interview and a FAT chunk of XP. Figlio will automatically get away no matter what though. ^_~
Good Luck! And remember, don't hesitate to correct me regarding rules! I'm learning a lot here and you're all helping me loads. ^_^
Good luck and hope all is well with the procedure.
If the carrionettes are making ranged attacks with the needles while they are in melee range, are they provoking AoOs?
Hmm, that's a good question. Once the needle makes contact, they deliver the paralyze effect via a supernatural ability. But they need to hit via a normal attack to activate that...
So I'll revise and say the one that attacked Nicu used a ranged attack, but the ones attacking adjacent foes are wielding the needles like swords and attacking legs first.
So yes, when they make a ranged attack, they provoke AoO's. I'll make another revision...
You could also turn it into a melee touch attack once they're within range, which would reflect the relatively easier ability to poke someone with a needle rather than throw and stick them with it.
Given the HD of these creatures combined with DR and a paralyzing special attack ability, I say we concentrate damage on single foes just to survive the carrionettes, then worry about the others. Nicu is down to one active arm and facing another attack that could leave him like the black night from MP's Holy Grail, so in about 6 seconds he'll be down to punting the little wooden menace towards Boote's halberd.
Donovan took the hit for Nico. Read my latest post. You have both arms.
A few rules clarifications an questions-
1) 3.5 and Pathfinder did away with "handedness". It went away with the Ambidexterity feat. Everyone is assumed to be able to fight equally well with either hand, assuming that's all they're doing. The term "off-hand" only applies to two-weapon fighting.
Donovan only fights with one hand, so it isn't that big a deal to him. No matter which arm he uses, he's just going to drop his shield and use his sword in his good hand.
2) If Nico is on ground level, and the stage is 3 feet up, does Nico gain Cover from only being half exposed to threat?
3) Does fighting them for a round or two give us any indication what their DR might be weak against? Is there any Knowledge check that might help us figure that out?
Nice, thanks Donovan! Edit to round 2 is posted.
Would Nicu know that his magic penetrated DR and be able to advise his companions? I've played it as if he would have no knowledge of this weird construct carrionette thing and thus not realize that his force missile bypasses anything.
A few rules clarifications an questions-
1) 3.5 and Pathfinder did away with "handedness". It went away with the Ambidexterity feat. Everyone is assumed to be able to fight equally well with either hand, assuming that's all they're doing. The term "off-hand" only applies to two-weapon fighting.
Donovan only fights with one hand, so it isn't that big a deal to him. No matter which arm he uses, he's just going to drop his shield and use his sword in his good hand.
2) If Nico is on ground level, and the stage is 3 feet up, does Nico gain Cover from only being half exposed to threat?
3) Does fighting them for a round or two give us any indication what their DR might be weak against? Is there any Knowledge check that might help us figure that out?
Oy, I knew combat would be my weak point, fellas. Bear with me and we will muddle through. >_<
They did away with handedness? Consider me boggled. If you can fight equally well with either hand, why would there be any penalty to two-weapon fighting? O_o
1)Ok then, Donovan, the choice is now between 1/2 your movement or lose your shield bonus. Decisions, Decisions! ^_~
2)Nicu didn't have cover however, the 3 feet would qualify as cover if it were a wall and the attacker were also on ground level on the other side. But the Carrionettes are on top of the 3ft object, putting them practically on eye level with him. He's casting, the puppet is throwing... I can't see the line of attack being impeded. At the very least, I would think he'd have to be actively taking cover by ducking down and indicate that he's doing that, for future reference anyway. This attack will have to stand as is, though.
3)These are Constructs, so it's a Knowledge(Arcana) check. I don't think it's very obvious, though. At this point Nicu has only dealt equivalent damage due to the DR, not superior.
Very heroic of Donovan to take the hit... but the mental image of Nicu with both arms frozen in casting positions, like a little kid in an overstuffed coat, running around punting puppets is almost too funny to miss out on! ROFL! XD
The penalty from 2 weapon fighting comes from the difficulty of using two weapons at once. Use one at a time and you're fine.
I'll chose to lose my shield. This is a fun fight. :)
Right. I'm still waiting to see what Giuseppe manages, but Rannveig will listen to Donovan and take off after him. Specifically, she'll spend her standard action to activate her Totem Transformation again, this time granting her a 50 ft base movement speed, then taking off after him, barking at Ylva to follow. Ylva, on the other hand, will take one more snap at the dolls, then break to follow after Rannveig.
I'd put this in gameplay right now, but narrating it would be tricky when I'm not sure where Giuseppe will be.
I'm back from my short vacation.
Sorry no weekend updates, I've been playing catch-up in my online classes. =/
Just a few things:
Donovan made his save for half damage on the Inflict Serious Wounds but still took 7 DMG, sorry if I wasn't clear about that. He should be at 12HP now.
But he did successfully stop the attack on Dimitrio, so his leg was not hit and paralyzed. And for the record, Dimitrio's attacks have all been concentrated on the same Carrionette (C2), so I don't understand the OOC comment. He missed his R1 attacks, and R2 was 6 DMG (-2DR) and 2 DMG (-2DR) = 4 DMG.
Also, please correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't Rannveig's movement invoke AoO's from all the Carrionettes? O.o
But he did successfully stop the attack on Dimitrio, so his leg was not hit and paralyzed. And for the record, Dimitrio's attacks have all been concentrated on the same Carrionette (C2), so I don't understand the OOC comment. He missed his R1 attacks, and R2 was 6 DMG (-2DR) and 2 DMG (-2DR) = 4 DMG.
I think I misread one of your combat spoilers. "Nevermind, nothing to see here, move along please." :)
For some reason I thought Inflict was Save Negates. My mistake.
HP Updated.
As for Rannveig, she stated she was using the Withdraw action. She shouldn't provoke any AoOs based on what I'm seeing on the map.
I see the Withdraw action for Ylva, and that will be fine. I can see that Ylva won't get AoO's, but can Rannveig withdraw without being in melee? She made attacks, but due to a lack of space, I'm not sure she was ever threatening them. The narration indicates that she's running across the stage and (down) the stairs to chase Giuseppe, but there is no way across the stage that isn't threatened by the Carrionettes. Also, she activated her totem, which is a standard action, so I don't think she can technically withdraw as well since that is a full-round action.
I think, mechanically, we'll have to adjust and declare she jumped down from the stage before beginning her pursuit, passing through a row of the seats. She can still make her destination that way with the improved movement rate from her totem.
Hmm. Good point.
There's a problem though. Tiny creatures have a reach of 0. They only actually Threaten the space they are in.
Unless those needles are Reach weapons they shouldn't actually be able to make AoOs unless someone tries to move through the square they are in.
Here's a link About 2/3 of the way down there's a "big and little creatures in combat" table. Take a look.
Donovan I thought the same thing regarding the tiny creatures and looked quickly for information but I came up empty. Thanks for that link.
Well, I'm glad you're enjoying the game! My posts will have to come a little less often for a bit, one of my online classes turned out to be more labor intensive than I expected.
Loosey goosey as we go then! lol! For the sake of argument, I'm going to stipulate they have reach since I've been operating that way. They are nasty lil buggers after all. If it's any comfort, they don't mean to kill you, Muahahaha!
Bluedove - I updated the map for you. Tell me if there are any changes needed.
"gerruff, gerruff!" hmm, no, not exactly my style, but I'll think about it.
Since I'm at the bottom of the initiative, I'm holding off posting this far out of order.
Loose play is fine with me, I like the idea of the story driving the action
Terquem, 1976 was around the first 'big' release of 25,000 copies of the white box, so you can legitimately say you're one of the first people to play D&D. I'd love to get your opinion, in all your years of gaming what were your favorite adventures?
I'd love to get everyone else's opinion on their favorite adventures as well.
I'd say my top three were Ravenloft I6, Temple of Elemental Evil (H1-4), and Day of Al'Akbar I9.
My top three include the S series:
Tomb of Horrors
Expedition to the Barrier Peak
The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
All four of the S series were recently complied and released in: Dungeons of Dread
My absolute favorite module(s) is:
The Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde
I made an entire multi-year campaign out of that module of three books. It inspired my creativity and sparked an exceptionally rich world based on that module.
Posting it here to try and not confuse things on the Gameplay thread.
Didn't Donovan move to (F,8) on this post? If so, that would mean Artegal is not adjacent to him anymore, right?
Also, I need help with the Smite Evil again... He activates that as a swift action, which he can do during round 3, but he made his round 3 attack on this post, I think, so does that mean that the attack goes to round 4 but he get's the +2 CHA bonus to his AC in round 3?
Yes. Then, on the next map update I saw that he'd been moved back. Since I'd planned on moving back anyway, I just left it be. (I assumed it was just map-jumbling and you had enough on your plate so I figured it wasn't important enough to bring up)
Since then, I've been making my actions assuming I was where I was shown on the map (which is why I didn't apply flanking)
If you want to put me anywhere, go ahead. I'm going to try to get where I am adjacent to the most allies and defend them no matter where I end up.
Ok, I gotcha. It was my mistake that you weren't moved to begin with so we'll put Donovan back at (E,6). If Artegal's smite bonus to his AC kicks in this round, Donovan will successfully refute the attack.
the very last thing I do in round three is Smite Evil, so my ac stays at 13 for any attacks against me until round 4. And the bonus to my AC only applies to attacks from C5.
Oh! Ok, thanks for clarifying. Befuddlement, thy name is smite evil! >_<
Agh! Sorry about not posting the last few days - I've headed out for vacation with most of my extended family, and the internet has been weird. I'm assured that the internet is going to be more solid for the rest of the time, but obviously, I'm still going to be distracted by being here, so my posting will be spotty at best.
As for Rannveig and her not-getting-stabbed, my bad, I think? I appear to be having some trouble reading the map. I could have sworn she was out of range of the puppets, although I admit to being confused how she wasn't in range in the first place - I think there must have been some mixup over where she was placed. That being said, I think she would probably just Withdraw in that case, hopping off the stage and running for the door, and go for the Transformation the next round if she couldn't figure out where Giuseppe is.
I'll be at PaizoCon the next few days, I'll try to post, but please take actions for Nicu as needed. If you're at the Con, stop by and say hi and have a beer :)
Just checking in to reassure that I'm still here. Need actions from Donovan and Rannveig before the Carrionettes attack. This looks to be a bit of a busy time for several of us so I'll wait til tomorrow before I move ahead with the attack.
Again, I don't prefer to take PC actions for the players, but I'd like to hear from you how you prefer to see the GM deal with the inevitable lull in the action like this.
Sorry, very busy this weekend. Posting now.
I won't have reliable posting time until tuesday. Please NPC me if I am slowing things down.
This looks to be a bad time for all of us just now, so I'm going to put it on the back burner until I can devote more time later this week. I'll be entrenched in online finals the next two days and will advance us to the next round on Thursday, the 11th. Sorry for the delay!