Horrors of the Red Cathexis!

Game Master Vicon

I'm presently ticking time very slowly to allow Tsao a means to weigh in, whatever is going to happen it's possible (and should be allowed) that Tsao's involvement could play a significant part. The things up in the air are:

1) The mounted goblins need to be ordered into the cistern, or to turn and face the skeletons (Abrasax has intimated he may do either)

2) Gorfeen is about to attack Jaldon (and his bodyguard) from the rear. Without having the fullest grasp of Jaldon's power, or the might of his personal guard this could be a very reckless gambit if he is unsupported -- there are 21 adversaries, after all -- and several have reach weapons.

3) There is apparently a wisp of a plan to cause a cave-in, but there is little time and not a great degree of certainty who will do this, and how it might be effected.

4) It's also worth mentioning that the Cave Fishers could potentially plan a part here, but whether this might or will happen has not been indicated -- they certainly may be close enough to do something.

If there is a precise order these things are intended to happen, I would need to know. Otherwise I'll throw initiative for everybody and resolve it in order.

What sport! I am truly eager to see how this carries forward!

I'm just going that Gorfeen makes enough noise for the others to notice him. Hopefully his heroic sacrifice will draw some enemies away from the main fight.

I'm kinda operating under the assumption that if the leader falls, the minions will be less threatening. If Gorgeen engages, Abrasax will order his mounted goblins to support their leader. Unless the General orders differently.

Duly noted. I'm taking the wife out for a few hours, but I will be back later and when I do, I suspect that buckets of dice may be thrown!!

Tsao:

Duly noted. RL takes all precedence. I will not kick time any further until you've had a chance to weigh in -- so don't sweat it. When you have the time, mull over all that's transpiring, because where everyone gets stuck in will likely be very significant.

I wouldn't pressure Katsune either -- but if she's able to put a plan into action that could help leverage a very dire situation as well!

Hope the weekend brings calm for everyone. The holidays and finals can be stressful, but they can be great too if we do them well. <3

Moving forward Re: Knowledge checks on monsters --

Just to be sure your skills are working for you in a way you'd like, when you use a knowledge roll on a creature, qualifying it with the kind of information you'd most like to obtain may not give you everything you want, but it may skew results to more of what you'd like.

Ie, If you are asking what you generally know about morlocks, you'll get a greater deal of general information. However, if you ask about the physical capabilities of morlocks, you'd get a more detailed picture of certain aspects of their monster profile rather than their history/nature/backstory.

With the Morlocks as an example, you can see that knowing either type of information is potentially valuable, as understanding the bigger picture about creatures (and what motivates them) can be as valuable as knowing how to kill them.

Just saying. (and doing it exactly how it's been done is no problem either, I'd just hate to think somebody is desperate to glean what kind of DR a creature has and instead gets a bunch of information on what otherwise makes a creature tick.) :D

Post coming tomorrow, apologies! Today was a full day with no access to any screens of any sort :)

Question to the forum: (as it's my first Pathfinder PbP I'm trusting other perceptions over my own) --

In your experience at how many players does a PbP like this one begin to sag under it's own weight? Do you think the party, or game, would be enhanced by additional players? I was just pondering the idea. 5 players sounds like a lot, and indeed that's my ideal top at the table, but I'm wondering if the pacing of PbP allows for more?

If you have an opinion, share it with me but no pressure. This weekend has been very fertile for me creatively. If the game continues to thrive, expect many new potential enemies, and even some allies -- in the days to come... that is IF the party is not crushed into paste in the next few turns! <3

Happy holidays!

At the pace this particular PbP tends to move, I would not add any more players. It just means more work for you. It feels good where we are, everyone understands the campaign and how it's flowing. Adding a new person could really rock the boat. Call me selfish, but this is one PbP I don't want rocked for fear of crashes.

Tsao:

If you're intending to intimidate, it's intimidate, but it could just as easily be diplomacy. You make the roll/skill of your choosing and I'll process! :D

Abrasax:

THAT'S the kind of counsel I can count on. Well advised, and heeded.

*reads the General's post*

When we let crap hit the fan, we prefer to not just let it fall, but to throw it at high speeds against a fan of tremendous girth! Victory or Death!

Lets see what the dice have to say, Abrasax. I for one am very interested.

So, if we die (not that I expect to, muahaha)... Do we just make up new Cathesis beings and get spit out again?

Like a true sandbox game, what happens may have a great deal to do with the circumstances of a TPK. If the unthinkable happened, we might discuss our options, but it is theoretically possible that the story could continue in one fashion or another. Let's not jinx things however... A stratospheric Intimidate roll or somehow contriving that cave-in might preclude such discussions. XD

The die has been cast! Processing!

Keep in mind that it takes a full minute (10 turns) to do an intimidate check to adjust the stance of enemies -- but only 1 turn to attempt to "Shake" a group of foes. From Tsao's post it seems pretty explicitly stated that he is attempting to force non-hostile behavior... so we'll see where that takes him... but since Gorfeen is ABOUT to strike, keep in mind that Tsao will be preoccupied with his intimidate for several turns unless interrupted (potentially longer than the entire battle with the skeletons.) Posting rolls and results soon!

How close it Itzal from the weakened ceiling? And how close is Jaldon?

in 1-3 rounds the main body of the skeleton regiment will be under the sweet spot -- it will likely be 2-3 rounds before Jaldon is (and he is almost certain to be preoccupied with Gorfeen before then, as he is ABOUT to attack.) Hope that helps. If successfully conducted the collapse will occupy an area relative to the power over DC of the Task, so it's possible that a sizable cave in (with sufficient explosives) could have QUITE a footprint. High enough, and you might even get MUCH more than you bargained for. Be warned. :D

I'm warned, Abrasax reminded me (the player) of something I forgot that Itzal here had in his possession. The functioning explosives! Preet the goblin has the duds XD

Are the others of us allowed to join Tsao? If so, Abrasax will probably order his attack/support of the attack on the green skeleton, then join in the attempt to cull the Morlocks.

In this particular mechanic, another person chiming in would be a disturbance. If you and others were there at the start of the action, you could have given him a +2 "Aid other" bonus for one or more people that could have helped. Since it takes a whole turn (1 minute) to intimidate in this manner, going in now would basically break the action. (I'm sure I don't have to tell you that breaking intimidate acts that aren't going well routinely could be considered evil meta-gaming -- but if somebody was TOTALLY bombing, just like somebody can get pulled off stage, you could potentially interrupt there.

Collusion with "Aid other" should be decided BEFORE a die is thrown, to prevent people from stacking aid only when it is needed. (I make no accusations of this whatsoever, just saying how we should handle it henceforward.)

Also, It would probably be more important that you be involved/present for the demolition roll, as your Previous knowledge check may give a substantial bonus. (you can discover a weak point in the ceiling, but unless you are directing how it is exploited it will not matter to the person setting the explosives)

It would take 1 bomb (and a means to be sure it could remain on the ceiling) for the demolition roll to take place to begin with, with additional bombs improving the roll substantially. Your engineering advise, 1 or more bombs, and a means to place them could be quite diabolical. Then again, there is also always the term "Hoist on one's own Petard"... :D

Abrasax: A new Engineering roll is not needed as you threw a 17 before to identify structural weakness.

This will give you +2 (aid other) and if the person planting uses 2 bombs there is an additional circ. bonus +2 as you can explain how to arrange them to complement each other -- but there is nothing (from the recent roll) to protect allies below from blowback, if any should occur. If the roll for the explosion is high enough it could cause more than a controlled rockfall.

Itzal and Unit 254 have yet to go -- and abrasax seems to be holding his action to aid in the demolition. Likewise, Preet 3.0 can take an action as well. When I am confident enough or all of this has transpired I will continue with the next round, starting with Gorfeen's attack.

Well I have 3 bombs and a means of getting them up there. I'll do a proper post later once I'm home this evening.

Abrasax was holding until Gorfeen engaged. Now he's more focused on making sure Unit 254 isn't squished into Skelly toe jam.

Also note I am aware that intimidate checks RAW only relate to one target -- Considering the particular relationship of these creatures to the cathexus, and "The rule of cool", I think both Tsao and I are on the same page...

...Also the flavor of the campaign should lend itself to grandstanding, monologuing, frightening the masses and other kind of super-villain behavior. (just in case anybody is checking my mechanics) -- though I welcome advice or 2 cents if you think I'm off map. However, see also "Fast and loose."

That is all.

I'm certainly on the same page as you, Vicon. Rule of Cool (almost) ALWAYS trumps RAW in my books.

If you have anything more to declare this round Unit 254, do so -- otherwise we'll start a new round in a bit. (I am assuming the cave fisher is caught up in... whatever cave fishers are caught up in)

Vicon, in case you must gmpc me because I'm going to be unable to post here soon ll I'm home later. Iyzal will place up to 3 explosives via his mage hand ability. Lighting them is the only issue I see.

that would be a significant issue, normally. I'll look up the rules for mage hand and fuse grenades and try to carry out the demolition in the most ideal manner possible, but as Abrasax's host has fired arrows and orchestrated an assault this round, the demoing will take place next round, earliest.

BIG EDIT: Lighting a grenade is a FAIT ACCOMPLI when your host is a goblin. Goblins love fire, and no self-respecting goblin would walk away from home without the means to set things on fire. Flints are a minimum for this purpose, and goblins would carry some of the nicest flints, in comparison to all the rest of the garbage they haul around.

Preet Fisher is getting in on the combat, and that will very likely bring the aggressive female partner cave fisher into the fracas as well.

Please throw dice for your attack, and indicate if you are scuttling directly up to the skeletons to fight, or you might consider taking another look at the cave fisher profile, as you might want to use their fishing line attacks, or what have you. Glad you have a bit of bandwidth to get stuck in! ;D

Wow, this got intense. I've been gone all day - hence the silence. Since I'm just hanging out in Gorfeen's ear, there isn't much I can do, methinks. Would you allow me Aid Other rolls to attempt to boost his Attacks or AC? Otherwise, I'm pretty much along for the ride.

To any party members: Itzal has given permission for the action of planting the bomb to be done on his behalf, but the means of delivery seems flawed. He intended to deliver 1-3 bombs via a mage hand spell, but the ceiling of the cave is approx. 90 ft off the ground. The max range of the mage hand spell is 30 feet (for his CR), and the highest he could hypothetically get off the ground without climbing is 10 feet. Given a model occupies a five foot area and can threaten an adjacent space -- this puts his maximum mage hand range towards the ceiling only 50 feet.

In a bit I will process another combat round, after which if a means to deliver can be contrived -- the demolition attempt can be made with Itzal + Abrasax's aid. It would have been a simple matter for Tsao to deliver the bomb, but it would seem your only flier at the moment is grandstanding. :D

Forgive me, seems it will be morning. It has been a long day of RL, Work and stress, even though i'm not supposed to work weekends, they threw a project on late in the week due monday and after it was almost done threw a curveball that made it invade the weekend. They wanted it done yesterday when they asked for it. My brain has gone numb and I can not think straight. I'll post when I can think (hopefully in the morning), again, sorry for this. So DMPC as needed tonight, Itzal will work on remaining hidden, setting up the explosion, and working towards keeping themselves on this plane.

So sorry to hear, Itzal -- and don't stress. Sufficient to the day, is the evil therof.

If anyone has ideas for getting the bomb to the ceiling with common items the goblins might have taken with them when they broke camp (gear from common equipment tables worth less that 5gp are likely to be among your assets: things like Rope, a grappling arrow, a common bag, oil, the goblin shortbows... If you could contrive a way to get the bombs up to the ceiling in a bag soaked with oil by way of a rope (also soaked with oil) then lighting the oily rope

With Itzal's Int/Wis being high enough, I can give him a potential solution. The goblins had numerous common assets (basic Equipment) when they broke camp. Among them are a couple of grappling arrows, rope, oil, and cloth bags. A grappling arrow can have a rope (soaked in oil) tied to it without significantly impacting it's flight, with an additional payload of an oil-soaked bag containing a SINGLE bomb. Firing this arrow into the RIGHT crack and lighting the rope would train a flame to the ceiling where the bomb was and possibly engineer the demolition.

Action economy cost however may be high: 1 standard action to tie arrow+rope, 1 standard action to attach bag w/bomb in it, 1 standard action to pour oil over the whole thing, 1 standard action to shoot it into crevice (hopefully making that shot!), +1 standard action to set the rope on fire.

That's FIVE rounds, under ideal circumstances unless Itzal's labor was divided among additional persons...

(I will also not get into the habit of giving y'all solutions I myself might accept... but with Itzal's stat block, and Itzal's player being so harried as to possibly preclude devoting the bandwidth, I don't suppose I mind this time....) We must often give a story's heroes more credit for finding solutions than we'd give ourselves... Their stats are better than ours often enough, after all...

Also... one might wonder if y'all are just overthinking it... why cause a cave-in when the skellies are packed so tight, and have relatively few hitpoints?

Still waiting on dice throws from Preet and rather than DMPC, another party member should decide exactly what Itzal is doing. (or we can just wait for him to return...)

I think five rounds to set off a cave-in is a long time. It might be easier to simply crash the goblins into the skellies and possess whomever survives.

If more than one person were involved in the process it could be less than 5 rounds, as one person could tie the arrow, One person could bag the bombs and attach them, and one person could apply the oil (1 round, three actions) but then the arrow would need to be fired (successfully) and then the rope lit, which is still three rounds.

Many many ways to skin a cat... but I'm just showing you the doors. You as players can pick which ones to go through. :D

There is also the ever-excelent 'pull and pin-toss' method. He did say they were grouped closely together.

(crickets)

All my games went crickets. Yesterday was really slow in general, it seemed.

My actions are posted, I'm waiting on the others for time to catch up to me. :)

Same. Unless there was a round change and I missed it.

Well, Itzal gave permission for somebody to declare his actions -- he has been good by this forum in letting us know he's been swamped. If somebody will declare for him I'll process -- or we can wait.

I am entering a phase of holiday transit but will check again when I arrive at my destination. New York awaits.

Thanks Choon for giving me a larger weather report on activity. Seems natural! <3

Be well!

I'm waiting for a response to my question before posting. I haven't possessed Gorfeen, so I can't do much. Can I make Aid Another rolls to try to boost his attack rolls/AC?

Preet should post something later today.

Would all of those be standard? Or would some of those be move? Because I can feasibly see some of those more as move action, which could make it possible to a round or so of two actions per round.

Though I'm A-Okay with just throwing bombs at Jaldon ^^ (Along with perhaps some Necril taunting)

And I'm sorry I'm so hit or miss. I just got a chance to review things going on here. Hopefully things calm down soon.

I'm very hesitant to declair another player's actions, but my vote is he just chuck the 'nades into the tight Skelly formation and blow them all to bits.

Yeah, use the grenades to 'splode the skellies, then charge Jaldon before my minion bites the dust. :-)

I'm waiting for a response to my question before posting. I haven't possessed Gorfeen, so I can't do much. Can I make Aid Another rolls to try to boost his attack rolls/AC?

Preet should post something later today.

You could, theoretically Aid Other, and it's a cool idea to do so! -- if you justified it in the narrative. For example, are you whispering to him how best to strike? are you popping out and startling/unnerving his opponents? Also keep in mind that doing so might make you more of a target -- especially considering Jaldon seems to realize the threat you represent...