Giantslayer: With GM Placeholder of Doom

Game Master Foxy Quickpaw

@Menrozzar
About the stakes: That is as a readied action. Your rolls with your own weapon for readied was better so I took that. You can't have both.

For the AoO, no one walked into that.

Ah, okay. Thank you for answering the questions.

@Daseem.
You seem to have missed, that your orc is dead already and the next wave is on the other side of the barricade again.

I was going by the map there's an orc there. OK I'll change his action then.

Sorry, forgot to remove that one.

I've never been sadder to not have evasion.

I'm pretty sure Scrabbler is staggered at 0 HP, not unconscious.

Certain attacks deal nonlethal damage. Other effects, such as heat or being exhausted, also deal nonlethal damage. When you take nonlethal damage, keep a running total of how much you’ve accumulated. Do not deduct the nonlethal damage number from your current hit points. It is not “real” damage. Instead, when your nonlethal damage equals your current hit points, you’re staggered (see below), and when it exceeds your current hit points, you fall unconscious.

Bolded the relevant part.

That's what I thought, I just couldn't remember. Thanks team.

GM, I just realized there's an issue with your last post.

Scrabbler was Riding the orc. Unless the orc was able to shake Scrabbler off (a grapple check), then Scrabbler should have moved with him.

Based on my understanding of the action economy, the orc would have had to stand up (move action), make a grapple check to break Scrabbler's grip (standard action), and then move (another move action).

How do you want to handle it? Have the orc not move? Have Scrabbler be dragged along clinging to the orc's ankle? Something else?

I'd like to leave it as it is.

Under normal circumstances you would move around with a climbed creature, but I don't think these are normal circumstances. You had a great idea for a ridiculous stunt, and I rolled with it, without accounting for every rule that might apply. And then I left you with the bomb, with a 2/3 chance to use the bomb before it explodes, and the dice decided otherwise.

I don't have access to the complete vexing dodger rules at the moment, but from what you have in your profile, the only benefit is that you can climb a creature and get some AC bonus for it.

As you pointed me to your Limb Climber feat I found:
1) I need to check with the complete rules, if this is indeed a free action, as climbing usually isn't and the Limb Climber doesn't state anything.

2) Neither you nor the climbed creature gets the grappled condition. And no info given, about how to get rid of you again. I need to check on that in the context of the whole Vexing Dodger description, but as of now this seems pretty half baked.

Fair deal in my view would be, that the victim spends as much time to get you off, as you spend to get on. But even then it is totally unclear what to roll for that. As you do nothing that would justify the need for an escape artist, or CMB roll.
Simplest ruling: Move to get on, move to shake off, without a roll. If you want to hold on, you can grapple. Would leave you the benefit of hindering a foe from doing a full attack with your climbing.

If you have any rules, discussions, FAQs that clarify how this is supposed to work, please point me to that.

The easiest way to work with it for me is to have him make a climb check each turn similar to how you would a grapple. If he succeeds, he is "stuck" to the creature. The creature gets no negatives to anything but attacks against him. Or, he remains "attached" to the creature every round he manages to make the climb check. If the creature wants to shake him off, I've run it as a standard action.

Think of it similar to the martial artists ability to roll sense motive every round. All things considered, its meant

Ivan, it looks like your post got cut off.

Regardless, since Scrabbler is staggered, he still has either a move or standard action - his choice.

ah sorry, was in a rush this morning and forgot to finish before hitting enter XD.

Its meant to be a boon, so I don't think running it how I described is too much of an issue. the only statistical bonus the ability gives is a negative to hit under the specific circumstance of targeting the rogue. And only a negative equal to his sneak attack dice.

as I said, its similar to the martial artist's ability. As long as you pass the check, you get the bonus.

Honestly, this would likely work great paired with the mouser swashbuckler now that I think about it.

@Daseem
Sorry to disappoint you, but that orc is very alive. That one moved close to attack you after the one that was there earlier died.

I agree the rules are very unclearly worded. When I built the character I brought those issues up, and looked through the boards for some clarification. The rulings I've been working with were what the previous GM decided. If you want to change that, I'm happy to work with you.

I'll see what I can dig up about how an enemy is supposed to get rid of someone climbing them.

One correction though, Climb checks, like Acrobatics and Stealth checks aren't their own actions. They're conditional modifiers added to movement. They are free actions. It's the movement that isn't.

In that case he won't move, and will instead attack it.

I agree the rules are very unclearly worded. When I built the character I brought those issues up, and looked through the boards for some clarification. The rulings I've been working with were what the previous GM decided. If you want to change that, I'm happy to work with you.

I'll see what I can dig up about how an enemy is supposed to get rid of someone climbing them.

One correction though, Climb checks, like Acrobatics and Stealth checks aren't their own actions. They're conditional modifiers added to movement. They are free actions. It's the movement that isn't.

In normal combat situations where you climb a foe and then the two of you struggle in a fight until preferably the enemy is dead, there are no issues. You get a small boon for a climb check and we all imagine you riding the enemy piggyback style or on the shoulders while stabbing them.

Just cut me some slack in such extraordinary situations when I don't want to dig into the rules too and someone flees you without taking you along, and doesn't care that you're in some not exactly defined way attached to them.

Is that ok with you?

That's fine with me. I really liked your solution of splitting the falling damage and having us both go prone. It was elegant.

If it's somehow super important that I'm riding someone in a non-standard situation, I'll bring it up.

GM, since I have line of sight out the gate, can I see how big the next wave is?

Not really. But by the noise they make you can tell it is a large group. Maybe a dozen?

I was hoping to avoid using burn-based healing, but Scrabbler is in too much danger staggering around with 2 hp.

Scrabbler if you move near Daseem, he'll try to heal you if possible.

Is everyone on the map where the actions lead to? Would be nice to have that correct, before I have the orc invade. But standing in front of the logs is not really helping here.

Bupkis will move out of the way on his next turn. He moved in front of the logs to heal Scrabbler.

Ivan has to have another turn to move away from where he took the orc down.

Reminder: Coordinated release of the logs is a full round action for two characters.

Are the log pile independent of each other, or are they released all at once? Can they even be activated without someone in the area between the two sets of logs?

My guess is they're independent. Might need people at both ends however...

They are independant and you need one person on each side of the logs you want to send down. With a full round action.

Ivan gets a full round action. Kicking the bomb and moving there with his last round. Menrozzar is in position anyway.

Menrozzar retreated behind the barricade, so there's no-one on that side to release the logs.

And Scrabbler is still in the way. Your tactics really have potential for improvement.

PbP does not typically lend itself to complicated combat tactics in my experience :(

I'll fix that for this round if that's ok for you.

I moved as much as I'm able. I have a 20' move speed and am staggered.

Will post this evening, as I have no access to the map now.

I just realized I messed up my attack rolls yesterday - they should all be two lower. Fighting Defensively is a -4 penalty to hit for +2 AC.

I'm trying to find the specifics of how attacking with the barricade works, but I'm not seeing it anywhere.

The rules for the stakes are here. The description makes it sound like the sharpened stakes are just on the section of the barricade at the top of the map.

GM, can I get a clarification? Are we currently next to the sharpened stake barricades?

You can assume that there are sharpened stakes in the barricades, that you can use as a brace weapon agains oncoming orcs. Doesn't help too much as no one can charge over the barricade, but it's a weapon you can ready without having to pick it up.

Do they have to be Braced to be used to attack orcs, or can I just slam them into the orcs on my action? (Or vice versa)

Sorry for slowing things down, I'm just trying to get a feel for how these mechanics are supposed to work.

sorry all, dealing with a hurricane right after midterms, so I've been away a bit. Not sure if I will have access to post over the weekend, depending on how bad the damage is.

@Ivan: Stay safe. Don't worry, we understand that posting might be difficult for you over the next few days.

were any of the orcs that took the bomb blast caught in the logs?

Oops. Forgot to include that.

Five of the orcs will fall dead. I'll sort through that once I got access to the maps, later today.

I think it's the orcs turn to act.

Is Menrozzar injured? I thought he was hit by a couple of javelins. If so, he needs a wand charge or two.

I am. Stat line adjusted. If I end up with time, I may also drink a potion.

You may. You were quick enough dispatching the last wave. I just wanted to make sure, you don't go out of combat mode.

If you use this ability multiple times, the increases stack. For every 2 points of burn you accept in this way, your force ward’s rate of regeneration increases by 1 hit point per minute.

Bupkis accepted 2 points of burn on his Force Ward, which increases the rate of regeneration to 2 hp per minute. How do you want to handle this: one hp every 5 rounds, or 2 hp after 10 rounds?

For reference, it's been 4 rounds since the Force Ward was hit.